Bridge that Gap: Great Central Railway News

Deleted. Beaten to it.

 

Fantastic. Carriage sheds make me happy.

 

Indeed, I'm looking forward with cheerful anticipation to seeing "ours" go up at Winchcombe on the GWSR. We just cannot afford to leave this stuff out in the elements and at the mercy of "chavasauruses " any longer. I'd cough up some dosh too.

 

One day! As ever, just as it's looking like it might be reaching the top of the pile, something more urgent and more expensive bats it down again.

 

Over £330K raised now.........
http://www.gcrailway.co.uk/unify/

 

In addition to the carriage shed extension, there is an additional building being erected on the apron to the West of the main shed. This is for the S & T dept and is a substantial 42m x 12m with a mezzanine floor to be incorporated.
Needless to say the project turned out to be more complicated than originally expected as the ground - particularly in the NE corner was very poor. This is higher than the adjacent field and had the level built up sometime in the past (could this have been done during the Second World War as part of the D Day build up???).

 

The latest copy of Main Line which arrived yesterday also mentioned that the structure of the Canal Bridge will be restored in its existing two-track format, but only one trackbed of it (the former "up" line) will initially be restored to the standards required to carry rail traffic, with the other being left, for the time being, as a means of making the costs more manageable.
Quite a full edition of the publication with a lot to read, which I've only just started looking at. They even published a photo I contributed too!
It was accompanied by a 16 page, newly produced, "Re-unification", appeal booklet which includes mention of construction of the new loco shed/workshop in it as well.

 

Phil, that land at the back of Swithland was built up with spoil in the preservation era. I’m not entirely sure where it came from but my guess is Leiceter North station. So it should be no surprise it wasn’t great for building on.


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Thanks Johann (which pic?) and pmh. In other (non) news, there is no sign of any work at present on the canal bridge or at Leicester North.

 

D123 on page 66.

 

....and pulling Windcutter wagons.....what is not to like!

 

There is a slightly less cropped version of it on my Flikr site as well....
https://www.flickr.com/photos/72399068@N08/45209375254/in/dateposted/

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Scaffolding going up on the Canal Bridge....
http://www.gcrailway.co.uk/unify/

 

Good news that canal bridge restoration has started on the ground - well, up above the water, ...I suspect we all get a bit impatient, but the GCR have always said it will be a long process to get all the consents etc so patient we will have to be.

 

I may be missing something obvious here, but could you tell me why they are called Windcutter wagons,
Thanks
Chris

 

Good question Chris
- In the 50's and 60's the Great Central ran coal (and steel) trains at higher( 40 to 50mph I believe) than the norm speeds, from Nottingham Annersley down to Woodford near London. A sort of early version of the "Merry go round" later trains between coalfields to power stations. Anyway, they were called "Runners" or Windcutters" due to their - relative, speed.

 

Thank you for that info, Flying Phil, good to know these things.

 

It is now difficult to get a clear picture because of all the activity! But it looks like the scaffold will have a substantial roof as well.

 

Phil. I think it will be a fully enclosed hanging scaffold, ie there will be a deck underneath fully supported from above. This will allow allow the metalwork to be shot blasted, inspected and treated. This will then allow any repairs needed to inentified.

 

Can you get any good pictures from the canal towpath?