Great Central Railway General Matters

Ahem, of course D6700 looks and sounds good, it’s an EE type 3! I’d be bloody worried if it sounded like a Brush 4!
Knowing bugger all about road transport, those Midland Red Buses look smart too

 

With all the recent bother with the Castle, is 92214 still staying on the railway?

 

The timetables and workings for the "Railcar Weekend" have actually appeared under the "Beer Festival" event section on the GCR website......

 

.... and if that works out well, then the next appeal for funds will be launched in the full glare of publicity on a cunningly subliminal "Free Beer" page.

 

I don't know the long term plans, but it was pulling trains today and is being advertised for future events.

 

The latest Rail Mail e-newsletter has this to say about the two bridges with speed restrictions on them in the Quorn area......

Every visitor will be aware of the speed restrictions imposed on bridges immediately north and south of Quorn station which will require their steel decks to be replaced. This work is being planned for March 2023 – it will last for over four weeks and will close the whole Railway during that time. Obviously, that loss of income will be considerable, besides the bridge reconstructions themselves. The two bridges are being tackled together as the work will involve very specialist machines and craneage being transported to GCR and it would make no sense to do this twice over.

 

It is very reassuring to read that the GCR is getting significant existing infrastructure projects processed in a timely fashion, despite all the other new work that is going on.

 

The newly repainted shunter D4067 was getting a workout today bringing the rake of Windcutter wagons to Rothley for their annual FTR examinations. This was being done in two main movements this week.

 

It is a busy weekend for the GCR with lots of Beer enthusiasts sampling various brews at the four stations and on the trains. I had a real treat when on the 9F hauled train with the griddle carriage going North, went through Swithland Sidings, passing a DMU in the loop, whilst a diesel hauled rake went through Southbound. There was another passing DMU between Quorn and Lbro and, at Loughborough there was the Ivatt 2 waiting to run onto the Pullman rake.

 

We had a very nice Afternoon Tea on the train today - and a welcome GCR breakfast on the first train of the day! The mixed goods rake was in the yard at Rothley waiting to go back to Swithland having passed the annual FtR exam. The minerals had been through in the previous two weeks. It is all looking good for a busy gala weekend at the end of the month.

 

There will be more to see at the Autumn Gala this weekend as work has also started on the A 60 bridge replacement with diggers now removing ballast and cranes due to remove the old bridge on Sat/Sun.
There will be 3 Class 2 engines working - 78018, 46521 and the visiting 41312. 78019 has not quite been finished unfortunately.
There will be the Windcutter information/Sales stand at Rothley with an interesting new display to see.

 

Next years special event dates have appeared!
https://www.gcrailway.co.uk/2023-events/

 

That's useful and a reminder that it will be 50 years of operation as a Heritage Railway.
There is also the advert and details of the General Manager position - which highlights what a complex role it is!!

 

Does anyone know if 65894 has left the GCR yet after the Autumn Gala? Its just that I was unable to attend the Gala so I didn't get a ride behind the J27. In the past quite often a visiting loco stays an extra week and appears the following weekend. I cannot find anything on the website yet. Just curious.. TIA

 

It was still there on Tuesday for the photo charter

 

The J27 was not hauling any trains yesterday - I saw the DMU set, D123 and the Ivatt class 2 46521 in use.

 

Left yesterday.
Returned to Newbridge/NYMR this morning

 

Many thanks Ben and everyone for their quick response.

 

It will be a busy weekend at Quorn with a lot of rail and road goods vehicles in action on both days. A great opportunity to see how railways earned most of their money in moving goods from place to place.

 

Good news that the GCR Locomotive Shed refurbishment has been awarded £280,000 by the Loughborough Town Deal fund to develop the educational and viewing aspects - also apprentice training.