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Bridge that Gap: Great Central Railway News

Discussion in 'Heritage Railways & Centres in the UK' started by Gav106, May 8, 2010.

  1. Flying Phil

    Flying Phil Part of the furniture

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    Hi pmh
    Yes I did think of the road access for the embankment but there are two tracks across the bridge so use one side for road vehicles. Alternatively the track could be covered with gravel.
    I realise that it would require some manpower and cost (fairly small), but what you describe as "a photo opportunity" could be used several times to maintain interest and hence funding whilst the pause is in place to raise the major funding for the factory flyover.
    We all realise that potential and existing donors like to see how and where their money is going.
    The clearance North of the shed has to be done anyway and track across the bridge will need to be laid.
     
  2. Flying Phil

    Flying Phil Part of the furniture

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    From the GCR website Reunification section.....

    "Good news everyone. With your generosity we have not only reached the one-hundred-thousand-pounds match funding offer for Money Match March but achieved it by some margin."

    The new total is to be announced shortly.
     
  3. AndyY

    AndyY Member

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    I can see that doing the job in smaller 'bites' would be a lot more expensive. There is a significant overhead involved in preparing a site for work, fencing , site huts, toilet facilities etc., and then taking it all away again.
     
  4. Flying Phil

    Flying Phil Part of the furniture

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    Latest from GCR.....
    ".....Support was received from enthusiasts and well wishers around the world. A late flurry of donations just before the end of the month saw one hundred and fifty thousand pounds received, well over the available ‘matching funds’. When added to the match funding, the new grand total is an incredible seven hundred and fifty five thousand pounds".
     
  5. J Rob't Harrison

    J Rob't Harrison Member

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    That's excellent news, and the overall sum a great success considering the appeal's only been open for a year (maybe a little over that?) Compared with how the money seemed to only trickle in for the MML bridge it fels like the whole project is really starting to build up momentum now.
     
  6. martin1656

    martin1656 Nat Pres stalwart Friend

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    Very good news, What does this extra on top of what you hoped to raise mean for the project, is there enough now to do more than was originally intended, Does it mean you can construct not just the piers, but do the decking at the same time?
     
  7. chrishallam

    chrishallam Member

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    The 'extra' money simply relates to that over and above the £100,000 that was match funded.

    The whole of the factory flyover section is estimated to cost £3m, of which 750k has been raised (including this 150k in March).

    Then there is still the embankment between the canal bridge and factory flyover, and the earthworks on the northern side!

    A great start though
     
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  8. Johann Marsbar

    Johann Marsbar Well-Known Member

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    They have posted the current figure on the website in the last 24 hours - Now standing at £755,000
    https://www.gcrailway.co.uk/unify/
    Posting is dated 8th April, but certainly wasn't on there yesterday when I looked....
     
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  9. Flying Phil

    Flying Phil Part of the furniture

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    You are correct Johann, it is a new (Old) posting on the website, as that total was in Rail Mail on the 8th April.
    What is really great is that the total on 1st Dec was £375,000 - so in just Four Months an extra £400,000 has been added. Even if you allow for the Money Match March £100,000 the fundraising is going really well......Well Done to all those people who are supporting the reunification project.
     
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  10. Johann Marsbar

    Johann Marsbar Well-Known Member

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  11. Flying Phil

    Flying Phil Part of the furniture

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    In an update newsletter from the GCR it is stated that ....." Attention has also turned to Bridge 326 which crosses the A60 on the northern section of the Great Central and which has been closed to rail traffic following a detailed survey. Significant repairs are required and GCR plc are actively assisting with arriving at an effective and prompt solution as, by default, this becomes an essential part of linking up as rail traffic from the south must cross this bridge on the down side to link up with the up line from Ruddington."
     
  12. Vulcan Works

    Vulcan Works Member

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    Sounds like good news to me and a sensible use of the GCR’s civil engineering expertise. At the very least, this news will give the conspiracy theorists an opportunity to comment on the GCR’s motives!
     
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  13. J Rob't Harrison

    J Rob't Harrison Member

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    I welcome this news. Hopefully it means the tit for tat escapade we saw between the two a few months ago has been put to bed.
     
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  14. Great Western

    Great Western Member

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    Isn’t the “ conspiracy theory“ that the GCR wants the Network Rail connection either way, so the A60 bridge assistance still falls within the filling the gap to the mainline theory....

    No good filling the MML gap if the last element to that golden network rail connection isn’t fit for the very purpose you’ve spend £10m on achieving.
     
  15. J Rob't Harrison

    J Rob't Harrison Member

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    There's a piece in the latest Forward (received today) that the total now stands at £905,000, that pre-planning discussions with Charnwood Borough Council began in March, that the redesign of the flyover using concrete beams rather than arches has brought the cost down to £2.5 million, and that coincidentally the cost for the embankment from the MML bridge to the GCRN is £500,000, so the £3 million goal will cover that part too.
     
  16. Flying Phil

    Flying Phil Part of the furniture

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    That is good news J Rob't.....wow £905,000 is fantastic.
    I believe that some more work has been done to clear "Stuff" from North of the engine shed, so steadily, progress is being made even if not obvious at present.
     
  17. J Rob't Harrison

    J Rob't Harrison Member

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    Some rather nice new visuals on this video.

     
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  18. Sheff

    Sheff Resident of Nat Pres

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    Wow, that’s a very professional video, bodes well for the future.
     
  19. Flying Phil

    Flying Phil Part of the furniture

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    There was a very useful Zoom update given tonight by Tom Ingall. (He was a late substitution for Nigel Harris). One important item mentioned is that the EMRT is very actively getting design work done for the A60 bridge repair/refurbishment/replacement.
     
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  20. MellishR

    MellishR Resident of Nat Pres Friend

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    That depends on your tastes. I find it unwatchable because of the "background music" which is neither sufficiently quiet to be in the background nor a kind of music that I can put up with. Turning the sound down is not an option because then you miss the commentary. But I acknowledge that most people are inured to it.
     
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