Bridge that Gap: Great Central Railway News

So, has the scaffold cocoon been removed then?!?

 

Yes.

 

Is that the end of bridge works until after the Summer and when the canal traffic quietens down again? I was under the impression all the work was going to be done in one go, you see.

 

Hopefully somebody from the GCR can provide the answer, but the shotblasting will have exposed any defects that will need rectification, any repairs need to be detailed by structural engineers and then costed by the contractor. All this takes time and probably cannot be accommodated to suit canal traffic till the Autumn.

 

As mogulb has said, the shotblasting was the first stage and more work will take place after the Summer boating season.

 

I walked along the Canal path today and here are pictures of the underside of the canal bridge. It is at either end where it rests on the stonework that is most corroded.

 

The first picture shows what a difficult job it will be as only the North end can be jacked up from the tow path. There is no path on the South side so presumably that will need a crane to lift it from above? Also it is angled across the canal so harder to get an even lift?

 

The 1940's weekend seemed to be very well attended. The weather on Saturday lead to packed trains and Sunday was busy despite the showers. The "On Train" Gap collections were raising useful amounts of money and lots of interest.

 

The number of visitors who were also dressed in 40's style was very impressive.

 

Had a good time on Sunday despite the showers. Excellent perry in the beer tent, enjoyed the music and costumes, and the showers pretty much stopped when the guy on the outside stage sang "The sun has got his hat on"!

 

With the original lyrics...?

 

I doubt it..........................
Though I was rather amused to hear said version being played whilst I was sitting in my back garden in 2005 as the local Primary School held their "VE Day 60 commemorative party" back in May 2005. Obviously someone hadn't listened to it first!

 

If you're referring to lines such as "Now we'll all be happy, now we'll all be gay", then yes.


Edit: Actually I guess that's not the bit you meant. No, he didn't sing the original 'n-word' bit!

 

From the "Bridging the Gap" report in the latest edition of Main Line it does appear that they are actually looking into the possibility of restoring both the up and down line spans of the canal bridge to be able to take rail traffic after all, rather than just the up line.

 

Yes Johann it certainly does look as though the "Plan" is evolving. Given that the canal bridge is in one piece, it cannot cost that much extra to prep both sides for running after the lifting costs etc.
In other news, Quorn station yard has been transformed ready for the huge Model Event this coming weekend. There are also spaces for displays and layouts at Rothley and Loughbororough.

 

Double track on the bridge over the canal seems to me to be obviously a good thing.
It's surprising how little difference a short bit of single line seems to make but the shorter the better,
Within half a mile is the principle station with on either side of it loco depot and carriage sidings where naturally things would be happening .
Some elbow room to ensure ensure things can clear in and out of the station before the single line would be really useful, certainly inspect all the bridge.
If there isn't double track there it would likely be prayed for in future.

It is apparently not straightforward to get double track immediately near at the other end of where there must be single track over the Midland Main Line,
because of the way - not very far from the end of the new bridge - the spur was cut up and through the embankment to connect with what is now the the
Great Central Railway North on top of it.

 

One of the two routes I use when I have to go to London is the line to Hastings via via Tunbridge Wells and Battle. Since 1986 when the line was electrified. there have been a number of short single-track sections through the tunnels as the extra linings of bricks which the SER were forced to install because of shoddy workmanship by the original contractors meant that there was not room for anything but narrow, slab-sided stock to pass on double track. Singling enabled wider Class 411 units and now class 377s (or are they 375s? I can never remember) to work the line and in over 30 years, I don't think that these short single sections have proved too much of a pinch point. I can't see the extended GCR even on gala days running as intensive a service as regularly runs on the Hastings line. so a short sections of single track shouldn't cause any problems, although I agree, the sorter the better as it's the double track which is the GCR's unique selling point

 

But the GCR isn’t the Hastings line with the odd short single bit on a mainly double track railway, nor is it controlled from a big signalling centre which can see where everything is. North of the ‘gap’ is 9 miles of single line (with one passing loop but no proper signalling there) and an awkward reversal at the far end. A delay of 20 minutes up there, which is perfectly foreseeable, would cause havoc on the line south of Loughborough if the next northbound service had to sit in the platform at Loughborough until the southbound one arrived. Not to mention that half of the time, Loughborough has to operate with only one platform available anyway as the dining stock sits in the other one.
Longer term, if the line can be doubled northwards from the ‘gap’, I agree it would be less of a problem. But we are many years away from that.


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Are there any diagrams of the proposed formations yet ? Its certainly a big shake up ;not only to provide a straightforward onward route but to rebuild/ relocate the shed and provide as much, if not more siding space than before and free up more platform faces...

 

If the Diner is in the way then the easy solution is to stable it somewhere else.
Easy to say, I know, though much harder to do in practice, but if that platform is needed something has to move.