Bridge that Gap: Great Central Railway News

Trains are now back running over the new bridge 341.
There is another "Re-Unification" zoom talk on-line on Sunday 27th Sept.....details on the GCR website.

 

Here is the view North over the refurbished Canal Bridge.

 

There is another fundrasing talk on 29th November courtesy of a certain Class 86 owner..
https://www.gcrailway.co.uk/unify/
Another post has sneaked in under that announcement stating the reunification "pot" has gone up to £320K as of early October as well...

 

To get the "Pot" up to £320K is seriously impressive.
This part of the fund started in March, the country has been in a Covid state since then. The Railway was shutdown and has steadily restarted - only to be shut down again. There has been a double track bridge totally replaced by a newly designed, built and installed (in 30 weeks) elsewhere on the railway.
Obviously a lot of people have been working very hard.....Well Done!

 

I wouldn’t be surprised if the fundraising results drop right off now, as the apparent antipathy of the current MD towards the GCR(N) is becoming more evident. I don’t think it is much of a secret that his interest in bridging the gap begins, and ends, with the main line connection.

As for the new bridge, perhaps the less said about that the better. I would hardly consider it to have been an unqualified success.

 

I assume you are referring to the statement in the latest Steam Railway concerning a request for the Ruddington end to drop the "GCR" part, temporarily, until they get themselves sorted out with the ORR?
My initial ressponse on reading that was along the lines of "WTF?", but realised that comments about the "GCR" having problems with the ORR could easily be taken to refer to the Loughborough operation rather than Ruddington. Any enthusiast with knowledge of the different set-ups will know which part is being referred to, but the "Public" at large are unlikely to do so....

 

Could you expand on your comment about the new bridge please

 

This is however dangerous ground. If I get any sense of animosity between the two operations my donations to the reunification project will cease.
The GCR has in my view been a very well run railway but there have been some troubling signs in recent months.

 

Such as....?

 

Despite the worry expressed by "Drop-Shunt", according to the GCR website the donations total went from £250,000 at the beginning of September to £320,000 at the beginning of October. This would seem to indicate that the donation rate is actually increasing......Which is even better news!

 

It’s one heck of a price to pay for a main line connection. Can’t see a cost-benefit case stacking up. Whilst I readily donated to the first bridge appeal, I have become increasingly sceptical about the reunification project. Creating a predominantly single track line from nowhere to nowhere seems at odds with a usp of a double track main line. Doubling from Rothley to Leicester would open my wallet, reunification won’t.

 

There is an 'Edit' button.

Noel

 

So much insinuation and so few facts...

 

It certainly is expensive....but, as has been said earlier, modern constructions are far more regulated than in the past.
It is not surprising that a cost-benefit case doesn't stack up....it doesn't stack up for anything else in the heritage industry .....because it is driven by passion, not purely cash profit, as I'm sure you realise.
Once the gap is closed, I am sure the museum project at Leicester will reappear - and then we will have the driver for double track extension - Rothley to Leicester.
Still plenty of time and projects for donations to be made from open wallets

 

Fundamentally I'm donating to the project because one day I want to be able to get on a train at Loughborough Central and go north. The mainline connection is merely an additional benefit and one that I am rather unlikely to take advantage of, unless of course it's used for visiting locos on galas. Make no mistake about that. I've bought into this project in the spirit in which it has been marketed, and I expect the outcome to match the vision I have been sold. If it looks like the powers that be are going to arbitrarily alter that vision- and let's face it a bit of a public spat between the two groups, whilst unseemly, doesn't mean that- yet- they will lose my support.

As for double track to Leicester, if the Railway announced it as a goal then yes it would gain my support and financial backing. Maybe once the Gap's closed, eh?

 

As J Rob't says, to stand on Loughborough station and hear "The next train for Ruddington will depart from Platform 2, the train from Leicester will arrive at Platform 1"......followed a little later by the Non-stopping 567 locomotive hauling a short express of Gresley teaks!....that's the vision I have.

 

Would the preservation of the Great Central ever have started if it had been required to pass a cost-benefit analysis??? I think not.
Fortunately there are people with greater vision.

 

You mean there are some lines which would?

100% with you on 'greater vision'. What a unremittingly tedious experience life would be were it not so.

 

Gresley Teaks - NOOOOO - Short rake of GCR Barnum coaches!

 

you forgot to add, " the next train does not stop, please stand well back" As the 9f , whistle blasting, hurries the windcutter's through the station