If you register, you can do a lot more. And become an active part of our growing community. You'll have access to hidden forums, and enjoy the ability of replying and starting conversations.

Great Central Railway General Matters

Discussion in 'Heritage Railways & Centres in the UK' started by Reading General, Nov 11, 2017.

  1. Matt37401

    Matt37401 Nat Pres stalwart

    Joined:
    Jun 8, 2014
    Messages:
    15,328
    Likes Received:
    11,666
    Occupation:
    Nosy aren’t you?
    Location:
    Nowhere
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Like the Tractor depot plaque on the er Tractor, any ideas what depot it’s supposed to be? (And yes I know it’s not a genuine BR Depot)
     
  2. Johann Marsbar

    Johann Marsbar Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 21, 2016
    Messages:
    1,588
    Likes Received:
    1,998
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Suffolk
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    I'm guessing its the Heavy Tractor Groups one for Loughborough!
    There seemed to be a DPS event of some sort there yesterday as that odd-looking verandah coach conversion was attached to the diesel hauled rake, which also explains the 55 019 headboard.
    55 009 had one engine started up whilst I was at Loughborough as well.
     
    Matt37401 likes this.
  3. Flying Phil

    Flying Phil Part of the furniture

    Joined:
    Dec 10, 2018
    Messages:
    2,696
    Likes Received:
    5,502
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Leicestershire
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    Johann mentioned the new speed restrictions around Quorn. On another website, it is said that Bridges 340 and 343 - either side of Quorn, will need some work doing to them hence the TSR. I believe there was a major independent survey done on the GCR bridges (2 years ago?) and so I'm sure this is not unexpected - after all, these structures are now 125 years old.
     
  4. Davo

    Davo Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 12, 2018
    Messages:
    1,523
    Likes Received:
    634
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    W yorkshire 56f
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Best to get the bridges seen to A.S.A.P. funds and time permitting so when the reunification gets completed for the G.C.R. South its less infrastructure civil engineering Jobs to worry about so 1 day trains will be able to run from Leicester N. to Ruddington uninterrupted with a debt free Civil maintenance Bill.
     
  5. Great Western

    Great Western Member

    Joined:
    Nov 22, 2009
    Messages:
    327
    Likes Received:
    174
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    "Two tracks over the bridge are essential to secure a future connection with the mainline." from the A60 newsletter.

    So its not all about a 17 mile mainline linking the two railways after all, just come out and say it !
     
  6. Johann Marsbar

    Johann Marsbar Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 21, 2016
    Messages:
    1,588
    Likes Received:
    1,998
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Suffolk
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    One attraction at the bus event yesterday, which I forgot to mention, was that the RVP LNER mail vehicles had been moved to Quorn Yard and were open for public inspection.....

    DSCF6268a.JPG
    Can't recall seeing this being mentioned in the advance publicity for the event, but it was nice to see that this had been arranged, particularly as they havent been displayed to the public as such for several years now, to the best of my knowledge. I think the last time was when they were parked at Leicester North for one of the Galas a few years back.
     
    Johnme101, Bluenosejohn, Davo and 3 others like this.
  7. crantock

    crantock Member

    Joined:
    Nov 22, 2008
    Messages:
    527
    Likes Received:
    276
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Beancounter
    Location:
    Birmingham
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Is there a model railway event this year or did covid and theft kill that off?


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  8. Johann Marsbar

    Johann Marsbar Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 21, 2016
    Messages:
    1,588
    Likes Received:
    1,998
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Suffolk
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Not in the list of events for the rest of 2022 that was being handed out on Saturday.
    I think the end of any Covid restrictions came much too late to organise a seriously large & complex event like that for this year - given that June was the regular month for it to take place.
    One hopes it will feature again from 2023, as I classed it as one of the "must visit" events of the year .
     
    crantock and acorb like this.
  9. Musket The Dog

    Musket The Dog New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 5, 2022
    Messages:
    165
    Likes Received:
    380
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Engineer
    Location:
    Leicestershire
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    I don't think anyone ever pretended that the sole benefit to the railway was the complete 17 mile run? I certainly have never seen it reported like that and I think it has been made pretty obvious from the start that the Great Central hopes to gain other benefits as well as the increased running line. I'm not really sure what conspiracy you're trying to fabricate, or why you think it's of any help or use posted here? It's also worth remembering the main line connection and it's associated infrastructure is essential is Gypsum trains are ever to restart again.

    Additionally, my understanding from the track plans and the civil engineering detail posted previously was that there is a need for the two tracks to be separated on the bridge. If the only a single deck could have been replaced and still worked, I'm sure the cash could be better used somewhere else.
     
    Last edited: May 9, 2022
  10. pmh_74

    pmh_74 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 28, 2009
    Messages:
    2,217
    Likes Received:
    1,456
    I think there is a theory that the level of the existing line which drops down to the main line connection south of the A60 the bridge may be incompatible with the need for a line to slope upwards to meet the MML bridge, given the increased clearances which were built into it for electrification. In which case, the junction between the two might end up just north of the A60 bridge. Remember, too, that when the original 1890s bridge was in place, there was never a connection between the two railways here, so levels may have already changed from original.

    I haven't seen any detailed track plans so this is just speculation on my part.
     
    Hando, MellishR and Musket The Dog like this.
  11. chrishallam

    chrishallam Member

    Joined:
    Mar 25, 2007
    Messages:
    997
    Likes Received:
    290
    Location:
    Uk
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    My reading of this is that having the two tracks rather than just the current single operational span is essential to having a mainline connection. Once the gap is bridged and a through line is connected, the mainline line needs to be long enough to berth a full length gyspum train on the level at the top of the chord before it joins to GC line. That puts any pointwork considerably further north than where the A60 bridge currently is.
     
  12. Johann Marsbar

    Johann Marsbar Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 21, 2016
    Messages:
    1,588
    Likes Received:
    1,998
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Suffolk
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Presumably connections will also need to be put in between the parallel tracks at that point to enable trains from the mainline to run round and head onto the southern section of the GCR as well, for operational flexibility, which would tend to indicate that the two tracks will extend to somwhere on Stanford Viaduct, if not over all of it.
     
    Hando likes this.
  13. ruddingtonrsh56

    ruddingtonrsh56 Member

    Joined:
    Sep 14, 2009
    Messages:
    979
    Likes Received:
    1,470
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Nottinghamshire
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    I'm not sure if they'll need to extend that far - I think it might be half a mile from Stanford viaduct to the A60 bridge, plenty of room to put a loop in between the two even factoring in level changes of the two lines from Loughborough GC and Network Rail
     
    weltrol likes this.
  14. Flying Phil

    Flying Phil Part of the furniture

    Joined:
    Dec 10, 2018
    Messages:
    2,696
    Likes Received:
    5,502
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Leicestershire
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    What is really exciting is that the A60 bridge replacement is due to be completed by the end of October this year. With well over £1.1M already raised for the next two phases (Factory Flyover), that could well be started fairly soon after the A60 work. Then there is "only" the little and large embankments to be created......The "Gap" is getting filled!
     
    Hando, hyboy, AndyY and 2 others like this.
  15. Johann Marsbar

    Johann Marsbar Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 21, 2016
    Messages:
    1,588
    Likes Received:
    1,998
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Suffolk
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    There is a new edition of Main Line out at the end of the month so it will be interesting to see what the coverage is of the A60 bridge project. One hopes there is something mentioned about the other 2 bridges at Quorn which the speed restriction has been brought in for as well......

    On an associated matter, I just looked at the EMRT website, and the last update to that seems to have been August last year!
     
  16. Flying Phil

    Flying Phil Part of the furniture

    Joined:
    Dec 10, 2018
    Messages:
    2,696
    Likes Received:
    5,502
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Leicestershire
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    I was on a train yesterday and bridge 340 is another occupation crossing with the lattice parapets, I missed seeing 343.
    Re the EMRT website - I too noticed that and raised the point with them. I have been told that there will be an update very soon....
     
  17. pmh_74

    pmh_74 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 28, 2009
    Messages:
    2,217
    Likes Received:
    1,456
    I hope not. Up on that exposed embankment high above Loughborough meadow would be an awful place to have to maintain pointwork on a cold winter's night. Personally, I would put minimum pointwork up there and anything that has to wait or run-round can do so further north, at the next place that was going to have a loop anyway, wherever that is.

    For a light engine movement on or off the south end, running round isn't needed. Rules can potentially be written to allow a support coach to be propelled on the GCR bit (similar rules already exist for locos being dropped off in the loading siding at Quorn). For a railtour, a couple of extra miles is irrelevant and they'd probably want to cover the whole line anyway. And there's always the option to drop a loco on/off the back and top & tail to/from Loughborough Central. The volume of such traffic is hardly likely to justify an additional loop at that location.

    Gypsum trains already wait (or did...) on the slope down to the MML when leaving the GCR. The only concern might be restarting them on the grade on the way in. I think it's a fair assumption that the facility should exist to receive a train off Network Rail promptly and then deal with where it goes next when a GCR path is available, but I don't think that's a problem I would worry about until (if) double track goes northwards. Bear in mind also that the Gypsum trains block the GCR main line at Rushcliffe when unloading, so running any sort of public service with one of those about is impossible. So provided the default junction status is "open for incoming NR traffic" then I don't see that adding a set of points at the top of the slope changes anything much. My point is, there are various enhancements which may be necessary in time, but I don't think much of this is essential for getting the missing link built and operating.

    Again, merely speculation on my part. No idea what the official thinking is.
     
  18. J Rob't Harrison

    J Rob't Harrison Member

    Joined:
    Nov 6, 2016
    Messages:
    222
    Likes Received:
    316
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Stafford
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Unashamed WIBN territory and I'm sure there are compelling reasons why this won't be done besides the obvious cost one, but I've been thinking of late that there's surely a case to be made for Loughborough Junction to Rushcliffe to be put back to double track- both lines being bi-directional of course, one for the GGCR and one for NR.
     
  19. pmh_74

    pmh_74 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 28, 2009
    Messages:
    2,217
    Likes Received:
    1,456
    That’s a ludicrous idea. Why would you provide two independent lines, one for one train a day Monday-Friday and the other for half a dozen trains Saturday-Sunday? And more specifically, why would the GCR/NHR lay a separate line which it couldn’t run trains on?

    If you want a fantasy vision (which need not be, given only time, effort and money), double track from the A60 to Ruddington, with original stations and loops and sidings and signal boxes reinstated where space permits, would be mine. Loughborough-Rothley shows what can be done when the right people are involved.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
    Last edited: May 12, 2022
    Hando likes this.
  20. J Rob't Harrison

    J Rob't Harrison Member

    Joined:
    Nov 6, 2016
    Messages:
    222
    Likes Received:
    316
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Stafford
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Almost absolute operational flexibility considering ultimately we might be talking about week-round heritage services, you know like during school holidays? And I didn't say that the GCR/NHR would lay that separate line- if it's solely for NR use then NR would have to pay for it.

    Like I said, I view it as a fantasy anyway- although Loughborough to Rothley shows what can be achieved, let's bear in mind that that was cultivated over a period of decades, led by benefactors with a vision who were prepared to pay for it. It's going to take that sort of effort and input to raise the northern section from an unsignalled 9-mile siding, I see encouraging signs but any putative doubling is likely decades away still.
     

Share This Page