Bridge that Gap: Great Central Railway News

I am sure that the GCR have done a risk assessment.....after all, the car parks outside supermarkets seem quite busy now.

 

Good things come to those who wait any trains on the G.C.R. loughborough southern section expected to run phil ?within the next month

 

But supermarket car parks have always been available and used as the supermarket sold food and was considered an essential service. Testing a steam locomotive is not really the same. I expect, due to publicity on various heritage sites, some controls will be very necessary.

 

The Sunday running went well. There were stewards on duty going into the car parking field giving out a safety briefing sheet. No charge for admission. I was directed to a parking space with more than 2m spacing between cars. Spacing between visitors was also monitored by stewards but everybody was self spacing. There was a 37 on the van train and the Std 2 running light engine. One steward held a donations collection tin which most people contributed too.
There were about 50 cars and 70 people.
The engine crews wore masks and gloves.

 

Stand and deliver...

 

Where's Adam Ant when you need him....

 

I mentioned that the class 37 was running on Sunday. It also went over the Quorn turntable to leave the van train in Quorn Yard.

 

My latest footage, enjoy

 

They are doing another online "Zoom" presentations about "Bridging the Gap" on 28th June in case anyone is interested.
Details here...
http://www.gcrailway.co.uk/unify/

 

I had a look at the canal bridge today and there is no change.....but they still hope to have the work complete by the end of June.

 

In the latest update, they say that over £170,000 has been raised for the "Factory Flyover"...probably closer to £200,000 now.

 

Last night's Zoom presentation of the "Gap" project went well and it resulted in another healthy donation to the fund from the participants. It is good to see that progress is being maintained.

 

The Canal bridge is still without it's Lattice girders today.....But they are due to be put in tomorrow mid-day (ish)!

 

Another major milestone then phil of completing the canal bridge strenghening on the bridge the gap project, Just the factory flyover enbankment and A60 bridge to unlock in the reunification, good work.
Davo 56F.

 

It certainly is another milestone but there is still a lot more to do. The "Factory Flyover" next stage, is actually two phases in one go, as there is the Precispark car park bridge and arches, and the Railway terrace road (To recycling centre) bridge and arches. Then the embankment, A60 bridge refurb, North embankment put back....and track laying.
Keep those donations flowing in folks....

 

Am I right in thinking that once the Factory Flyover arches and the Railway Terrace decks are in, that the only new civil engineering required after that are the embankments? Or is there another new bridge that I'm forgetting? (assuming the A60 can be a refurb job rather than a complete new bridge).

 

You are quite correct JRob't, and of course they already have the Ex Reading bridge decks for the two Factory Flyover bridge sections.

 

Wasn't the A60 bridge 'refurbished ' a few years back?

 

It might have been when the gypsum traffic started but that was for the single line. I believe the plan is to have double track across that bridge to give space for a complete gypsum train to stand well clear of the chord and GCR trains to run past.

 

There was a Large crane at the canal today. It lifted the cantilever beam away. It lifted 4 half sections of the two lattice girders. They were bolted together. It lifted one 40' long lattice girder everso nearly in place....but there was a very tiny clearance problem trying to get the end under the capstone......It does go down further than the picture - but not quite enough it seems. It will be done tomorrow I'm sure.