Great Central Railway General Matters

That's a fair point, but there is still a long way to go before the gap is truly bridged. I agree that it's not a pre-requisite, but it is an ideal and a desired element to have in place. There are people with influence on the railway who are pushing for it to happen, not just for ease of running to Loughborough, but also because a common 'complaint' among passengers is the to them seemingly unnecessary period of waiting at 50 steps while the crew change the points to allow reversal. I have every confidence that, while it might take a few years, it will be in place by the time passenger trains are running between Ruddington Fields and Loughborough Central, which will take a few years longer

 

How often does The Mountsorrel Branch get used and what are the future aims regarding it?

 

Only occasional use at the moment as there are changes which need to be made to signalling arrangements at the Swithland end to handle traffic on a regular basis.
From the last FoGCML magazine, they are hoping to commission the revised arrangements "in the Autumn", so presumably increased use of the branch will follow. There is expansion planned at the Mountsorrel Heritage Centre http://heritage-centre.co.uk/category/project-updates/ so a regular rail service of some sort linking it to the rest of the GCR will put that firmly into the list of attractions for visitors to the line.
Details are also given on the Centre website of the signalling works required.....

 

Thanks Johann that was extremely informative. Good man!

 

Great handle as well, almost as funny as Fearofmanchester.
Does the GCR have a turntable ?
Know they ere hoping to get one at the Leicester end, but failing that having a triangle for turning visiting Locos would be useful.

 

If you happened to listen to a certain Offshore Radio station in the 1980's, you would know where I got it from!

There has been a turntable installed installed at Quorn and Woodhouse (behind the signal box) for about 6 years now........

 

But currently out of use AFAIK.

 

See previous post...

After reunification there should be a triangle at Ruddington (GCRN will apparently be putting in a south curve by then).

 

When the line extends to "Nottingham South" and the connection with the NET, how will services work for Ruddington? Short trains to 50 and back "local" trains to Loughborogh Central? Or is the main hope to have most services terminate or stop at Ruddington on their way northwards?

 

It was out of use for quite a while after one of the turntable runner wheel castings fractured fairly spectacularly. Nothing was done (or said...) about it for some time, but a new one was fabricated ("in house", from memory) and fitted, so it should be back in operational condition now. There was a report in Main Line at the time it was repaired, but can't find the relevant one at the moment.
Admittedly, I can't say I've seen it being used at any of the events I have attended since the repair though .....

 

I wouldn't say "When" but "If" the line extends. In all honesty, any potential extension to Nottingham South is, at best, so many years in the future that it's not worth thinking about. Personally I don't think it will ever happen - such a route would have to run past new build houses and divert around a SSSI, which would create many financial and political hurdles to jump through that even if all the money was there I think there's a good chance non railway people would vehemently oppose it.
Personally I don't think all that expense is worth it just to gain a link up with the NET when, for public transport links, the line already has a direct bus link from the Ruddington Business Park to Nottingham (NCT 10C), and Loughborough Midland which is a 15 minute walk from Loughborough central, and with the potential of a Loughborough High Level station (which, although not in immediate plans, will be a much cheaper way of adding a station close to transport links than building another mile or two of track and another station or two). Furthermore, with the money that is going into developing Ruddington Fields (2nd platform nearing completion, plans for a station concourse underway and a South Chord avoiding 50 steps in the pipeline at some point), to me it would seem a bit of an unnecessary expenditure if the plan was to at some point develop a different terminus and thus have Ruddington Fields effectively as a branch line stub, rather than a main station.

 

My understanding is that it is (was?) Theoroetically useable however has problems with heavier loads and takes a lot of people to rotate it. Hence not used to turn engines at galas.

 

Nottingham has the cash. I suspect they'd like to boast having a steam railway within the city limits to compliment their trams and to act as a further link to encourage people into the attractions inside the city proper via said trams.

The NET always links every major visiting location in the city (making it one of the best networks I've seen) and carried nearly 17m people just last year so to not have it link to the GCR of some sort seems highly unlikely on the city's part.

 

If Nottingham City is happy and able to pay for the railway's extension to the NET, then I'm sure it will happen. But I would be extremely surprised if it happened out of the railway's own pocket
However, after the following article was published a few months ago, I'm afraid for the foreseeable future I shall remain sceptical... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-42719544

 

I was under the impression that any tram extensions are likely to be Gedling, Kimberley/Ilkeston or HS2 Station/Derby - all, presumably, dependent on suitable Central Government funding. Don't think they would be likely to pay for a GC extension to the Clifton tram route or even a tram branch off that line to Ruddington GCR!
The Toton Lane to HS2 station extension is the more obvious one to be built at some stage in the future.

 

I noticed, whilst passing on the train last Saturday, that a group appeared to be doing some work on the signalbox at Rushcliffe Halt.
Details have been posted on their Farcebook page for anyone interested
https://en-gb.facebook.com/RushcliffeHalt/

 

This thread has been quite particularly interesting interesting, usefully raising a real range of topics. What the line has in effect is plenty of space and plenty of people in easy reach. Indeed a large population each end and a main line connection in the middle with a general transport hub envisaged for Toton.

The space is precious and to be carefully used: ensuring that good possibilities are not made difficult or impossible by development wether by the railway or out of general planning. Obvious opportunities to be realised in the middle at Loughborough, several takeable in stages at the Northern end - tantalisingly near the Nottingham trams, direct to all the connections in central Nottingham - the southern end at Leicester North certainly has possibilities but the obvous ones
are large resource consuming chunks. The opportunities that have been created out of difficulties at Swithland and taken are remarkable.

Could East Leake be reinstated rather as a regulating loop with some interchange than a station for people to go to and start from in its own right?
Something like that would be needed before the single track section and the operating centre of the line through to Loughborough Central.

 

For want of somewhere suitable to post this subject, I noticed whilst having a browse on the internet this afternoon that Hotchley Hill signalbox by Rushcliffe Halt has had a new roof covering applied during the past week........
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=735976846855352&set=pcb.735979083521795&type=3&theater
(Just click the "not now" bit if you, like me, dont "do" Facebook)

 

Nice work on the signal box roof, thanks for the link.