Bridge that Gap: Great Central Railway News

I'm guessing the next phase once the bridge is finished will be the arched viaduct over the Preci-spark site and the bridge over railway terrace using the ex-Reading spans.
I wonder how much money is left in the coffers for the next phase or whether the next step is more fund-raising.
Hopefully we will be brought up-to-date in the forthcoming issue of Main Line.
Maybe I should increase my monthly standing order..............
Andy

 

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Great pic and lovely to see, photographic evidence of this achievement has seemed a bit thin on the ground! Might be worth moving this to the dedicated Bridging the Gap thread however (Page 2 if you hadn't spotted it! ;-) ).

Kind Regards

Paul

 

Many thanks, visited today and have more pics. Will post in Bridging the Gap

 

Report on BBC News:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-41140292

David R

 

Been following this for a while, so nice to see it really taking shape.

This is a serious achievement, for anyone, let alone a preserved railway!

 

Video summary of the project

 

It is great to see this long proposed plan really starting to take shape. Well done to everyone involved. I have still yet to visit the GCR (North Nottingham side ) so maybe my first trip might be via the bridge ! As the Engine shed will have to be moved out of the way eventually. Is there still the intention to rebuild the one they obtained (from Workington ?) on a new site ?

 

From what I've heard the stuff from Workington was effectively a pile of rubble and some scrap metal, not much use for anything...........
No doubt someone 'in the know' might tell us more.

 

Believe it is possible to 'squeeze' a line past the current shed? Not operationally ideal I'm sure but better than nothing initially I guess!

 

I believe the proposed site for the former Workington shed proved unsuitable.

 

So any idea if there are any other plans for a new shed?

 

Spoilt by an infuriating sound track. Muting the sound gets rid of that but also gets rid of actual sounds of the work.

 

Regarding the relocation of the shed, I get the impression from the various updates in Main Line over the years of the project to reconnect the two parts of the railway, that there's an element of having to tread carefully with a sizeable contingent who have been involved at Loughborough for many years who don't really want anything to change. Their maps go grey north of the canal bridge, and are marked 'Here be Dragons'.
So quite reasonably the job is being done step-by-step, and when the two railways become united with an interim route along the side of the shed it will become clear to everyone that the next step is to build a new shed allowing the old one to be removed.
I believe the site north of the canal bridge was considered unsuitable because it was the site of an old tip, so I guess the land is boggy and unstable. So the issue would come down to cost, like so many other things. It still does look like an ideal location for a new shed though, within spitting distance of the current shed and no neighbours to annoy.

 

Fantastic progress, it kind of makes it go from a dream to a reality to see the span in place so in what order now will the reconstruction once the deck is done be? will it be by joining up from the railway bridge to the canal bridge, or from the Northern end?

 

Nothing has officially been announced by the GCR, but there is not a huge amount that can be done after the bridge has been completed as planning permission is needed for the remainder of the works. This in itself needs vast amounts of paperwork and agreements with the environment agency etc etc. The canal bridge refurbishment will probably be done next. There is also the small problem of funding to overcome.

 

Any more pics? News?

 

Bit of a wait for the next burst of activity.......
http://www.gcrailway.co.uk/2017/10/bridging-the-gap-press-release-re-canal-bridge/
(and the press release in question is not even linked to/mentioned on the Bridging the Gap website or the FoGCML "Latest News" page!!)