Great Central Railway General Matters

No, your idea would destroy operational flexibility by forcing the NHR to have a long single line section forever. It ignores the small matter of who owns what in terms of trackbed (why would anyone donate for a bridge deck only NR would ever use?), and it also supposes the Gypsum traffic has a long term future (given the push to decarbonise globally, for how much longer will there be coal fired power stations to produce DSG? It was already being imported before the traffic was stopped due to the A60 bridge issue. At some point I expect they will have to go back to mining the stuff in greater quantities.)

Sorry I meant Loughborough - Rothley, edited the earlier post. Yes there was a generous benefactor but also one who was prepared to stand back and leave the detail to people who knew what was needed. Sadly for all of the investment in more recent years I don’t see much evidence of that.

I agree that any doubling north of the ‘gap’ is years away, however lets not make it any more difficult than it needs to be!


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As a point of interest, is anyone able to describe the method of operation of these Gypsum trains when they arrive at Rushcliffe please?

 

I was recently told that they had about a two hour "Slot" for the train to be unloaded, using four road wagons, shuttling back and forth, to take the DSG material to the on site storage area. It is an intensive (as in manic!) two hours!

 

The wagons have detachable bodies like containers, the unloading machine lifts one off, drives into the works for emptying, brings it back, pops it on the wagon and the train moves up a wagon length. Repeat.

(Whether they actually store the container for emptying later, as implied above, and instead return a different empty one, I don’t know. Could be I suppose.)


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That sounds like the old method at Mountfield. Containers were loaded through roof doors at Southampton, removed on to tipping skeleton trailers at Mountfield and tipped (using the end door). That operation returned the same containers on the next train.
Pat

 

Thanks all, I hadn't realised the wagons had demountable bodies. If I could stretch your collective patience a little further however, the answer to one question only prompts more:-

1. How many wagons are there per train that need to be dealt with in that 2 hour time slot?
2. Does the loco draw the train past the unloading pad and run round after the wagons have each been emptied or does it run round first and then propel the train past the pad?

 

Thanks for that video brmp.
In the locomotive shed at Loughborough new purlins run the length on the West side roof and the North end of the shed has been cleared of stock so that the new roof panels can be installed.

 

My thanks too brmp201, every picture tells a story and a video is even better!

 

At Rothley, the S & T dept are busy. They are renewing the ground frame controlling the shed yard and refurbishing the tall signal by the shed. In the picture on the right hand side, it can be seen that they have already laid the new point rodding for when the new point is put in to access the siding. Of course this siding could then be extended.......to Leicester North .

 

No, it couldn’t. You’ve misunderstood the alignment.


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Hi pmh
Not for the first time!...but the previous arrangement definitely needed to change for any future double track, so this new arrangement allows for it to happen....I would have thought?

 

It helps, but getting the second line in will also require at least part of the yard to be remodelled, which will be no easy task. I expect that will need to be planned with military precision around vehicle overhauls. I don’t believe there is any current plan to do that bit though, so double track southwards will have to remain a dream for a while longer yet. Hopefully one day…


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Just noticed the GW Railwayana Auction on 8th & 9th July has a few items of GC interest, including a couple that might be worth a place in Loughborough's museum:
BR(M) Signal Box Diagram NOTTINGHAM VICTORIA - Signal Box Diagrams (gwra.co.uk)
BR(M) Signal Box Diagram QUORN AND WOODHOUSE. Full - Signal Box Diagrams (gwra.co.uk)

 

The GCR was targeted by metal thieves early on Saturday morning. Four men in a red Nissan 4x4 were spotted on CCTV. They cut through the fence from the adjacent industrial property, then broke into a container. They stole parts for the restoration of locomotive 34039 Boscastle including a steel curved Expansion Link. The value of parts is between £30,000 to £50,000.......scrap value £100's. There is a substantial reward for the return or information leading to the return of these parts.

Needless to say the restoration team who have spent years working on returning the locomotive to steam are devastated - as are all the people who support the locomotive and GCR.

 

This is the press release about the theft of parts.

 

I see 41312 has appeared on the GCR website as a guest loco for the Autumn Steam Gala

 

Been that way for the past 2-3 months

 

Thanks for the info. Can you tell where the info is?
I'd like to keep an eye on what is proposed as I usually attend the event but I couldn't find anything on the website beyond the dates of 30 September to 2 October.

 

https://www.gcrailway.co.uk/special-events/autumn-steam-gala/