Mountsorrel Heritage Centre

I never thought I would be interested in going on a DMU on a Heritage Railway, but a trip on the Mountsorrel branch in Iris, was an absolute delight.

 

Iris is one of the weapons us DMU folks use to try to convert non believers!

Sent from my moto g(8) power lite using Tapatalk

 

A photo - courtesy of Steve Cramp - of one of the 3 replica Penrhyn style carriages for the narrow gauge line under construction......



The old NG loco shed has been demolished and is being replaced by a carriage shed to house the aforementioned 3 coaches and I was told the shed should be erected in a couple of weeks time, with the first of the carriages arriving shortly afterwards.

It's still hoped to get the NG passenger service running from around the end of May or early June.

 

A post on the Centres FB page states the first of the new NG carriages is due to arrive next week, with the other two following a couple of weeks later.
They are aiming to get the line running for the Bank Holiday weekend at the end of May, though a lot still needs to be done to achieve that target.

 

Lifted of the sites FB page......

 

There are trains running along the Mountsorrel Branch this Saturday, April 29th, details on the GCR website.

 

As @Flying Phil has already alluded to, it's all go at the heritage center this weekend.

As well as the trains running down the branch line, our resident steam loco 'Colin' will be in action providing shunting demonstrations in the quarry bottom. Additionally, the narrow gauge line will be running (but not carrying passengers, yet), while we are training drivers for the start of passenger services.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=954908858806018&id=100028607396626

 

According to their FB page, the opening of passenger services on the NG line has been put back to July due to further work being needed on the new carriages.

 

There are three trips on the Mountsorrel branch on Sunday June 18th as part of the GCR 50th Anniversary event. Timetable on the GCR website.
"Colin" will be at Quorn offering "Driver for a Tenner" experiences in the yard all weekend.

 

There is more progress on the "Lift Bridge" as the four corner posts are in place and pulley wheels attached at their tops.

 

I wondered where those vehicles had gone.......

 

I have been neglecting to update this thread for far too long, thank you to Phil and Johann for their posts.

We had a very positive (and busy) day down the quarry yesterday with 100% of the operational loco fleet in action. Martyn Ashworth was on site to pass out a number of out volunteers, as steam drivers and firemen, drivers on our standard gauge Ruston and Wickham and a number of drivers and guards for the narrow gauge passenger line. I'm happy to report all went well, which barring a few items on the snagging list leaves us in a good position to start passenger services on the 2ft quarry bottom railway very soon.

I was running around too much to think to take too many useful pictures but hopefully the ones below should help provide a flavour of the day, as well as some general updates around the site.



Our narrow gauge Ruston 'Malcolm' and the narrow gauge passenger train. The locomotive behaved all day, responds well and generally speaking, is quite a nice drive. For many of our volunteers (myself included), this is the first train with a full braking system we have been in charge of and it makes quite a contrast to the very mechanical feel of it's standard gauge cousin.



A view that hopefully we will not be able to recreate for too much longer. Atop the scaffolding on the Stephenson bridge to inspect some steelwork I'll be making a repair to. Steam tests done, Colin is pulled aside and the 48DS is out with the diesel drivers on test.



Amazingly, most of the physical work in preparing the wood, moving it into position and assembling it into a bridge has been handled by a single volunteer, now in his 70s. He's been calling it his last hurrah and it will certainly make quite a fitting tribute.

And finally a couple of landscapes of a busy yard.

 

I must say, what a piece of paradise, must visit soon, for the cafe if nothing else.

 

From the GCR website is news of more running to Mountsorrel.

"Mountsorrel Branch running - Thursday 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th, Sat 26th August
A diesel railcar is operating on the Mountsorrel Branch on the above dates

Mountsorrel Branch trains are included in our standard runabout fares so there's nothing more to pay to travel on the Branch if you purchase a "runabout" ticket for our usual main line trains on the same day.

Branch only fares:

For visitors wishing to travel on our branch diesel railcar trains only (between Quorn & Woodhouse, Mountsorrel, and Rothley), a discounted fare is available:

Adult = £9

Child = £5

Branch only tickets are available from Quorn & Woodhouse and Rothley stations, and from Ticket Inspectors on board the Branch trains.

Heritage Centre (at Nunckley Hill) admission:
Please note that an admission charge of £2 for Adults and £1 for Children is payable to the Mountsorrel & Rothley Community Heritage Centre for passengers wishing to enter this site. (Kindly note that DOGS are not allowed entry to the site at Mountsorrel Heritage Centre.)"

 

Are there any plans to run steam down the branch again? I know there are a few operational difficulties due to the curvature of the line, but it has been done before with, I think, the Jinty and Austerity top and tail (I guess that is also a problem as the GCR does not currently have any small locos - although, of course, there is COLUN MCANDREW.

 

I think that is going to be a case of "Wait and see". The new management set-up at the GCR seem to be rather more positive in the use of the line than those who have gone before, particularly with the fairly intensive use it's getting during 2023 compared with previous years.
I know a proposal was put forward some time ago for a steam operated brake van trip on the line, which wasn't taken up, but that might be a possible way forward in the future, though operationally it's going to be a lot more expensive to run than the DMU service.
The last "passenger" operation behind steam was when the official opening of the Heritage Centre took place back in early 2017, and that used the Jinty which is currently out of traffic....



I don't think there have been any loco worked passenger runs since then.

 

I think one of the trickier issues would be balancing out the additional cost of a steam service (which has to be top and tailed) with the actual additional income that would be realised by running the train up the branch. We can fit a 3 car DMU on a busy day, but with a small loco on either end this is reduced down to a 2 coach set. The obvious answer is to run steam services at special events like the gala weekends when the railway is likely to be busier, but then it becomes very difficult to path the trains on and off the branch with an already busy main line.

In regards to using Colin, following the inspection by the GCR in preparation for his travels to Loughborough and Quorn there's a few items that would need to be done for them to be satisfied for Colin to haul passenger trains on the GCR. Right now, it's not really in Mountsorrel's best interest or capabilities to get Colin to that level when he's perfectly suitable for the work we need him to do at the heritage centre.

 

That's good to hear.

31st March 2019 - 47406 and 68067 ran a couple of trips top-and-tail from Loughborough to Mountsorrel and back, reversing at Swithland, but, as you say, 47406 is out of traffic and 68067 is currently at Llangollen.

 

Just a reminder that there is branch line running tomorrow and next Thursday.