Bridge that Gap: Great Central Railway News

To avoid giving the wrong impression, would you also be able to list what you do like about railway preservation?

 

More seriously, and to start with, I enjoy sitting on a train being hauled by a steam locomotive. Then, from my own involvement in another area, seeing the work that people put into their passion. And when I see the pictures others with far more talent than me take, the art that goes into that.

But I'll also be pedantic - when I talk about being "unstirred", it's not a suggestion of dislike - just a statement that these are aspects of the hobby that don't raise my pulse. If a gala is themed, it largely passes me by. No more, no less.

 

Some videos of trains posted on here suffer from wind and/or road traffic noise, but are worth watching even so. Most have perfectly acceptable sound tracks with minimal extraneous noise. You can delete the original sound and replace it by music which is entirely unrelated if you like, but I won't watch the result.

 

(Reaches for the Benny Hill theme tune....)

 

I'm assuming by 'you', you mean 'one' and not me personally?

Mind you, as soon as someone announces "Well I won't be watching" - whether it's videos, films, TV series or whatever - it does rather beg the question why they believe they are such a vital part of the potential audience that their absence will make a shred of difference?

 

Maybe they suspect that their reaction is a useful clue to what others in the target audience will feel, and proffer it in that spirit.

Noel

 

Meanwhile the timetable for the Last Hurrah Gala is now available and the tanker train will be running behind a variety of locomotives.
There will be "Boscastle guided shed tours on Sat and Sunday as well.

 

Anyone know what this is about? Seems one of those odd little disputes that local media tend to get involved in from time to time, seems like 10 parts of nothing to me.



https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/...entral-railway-management-questioned-11216982

 

Unfortunately the article appears to be paywalled.

 

https://archive.is/20261107105425/h...entral-railway-management-questioned-11216982

Great Central Railway shareholders say they are losing confidence in the company's management as a row breaks out over the restoration of a canal bridge.
Shareholders received an email in March 2020 saying the restoration of the railway's bridge, over the Great Union Canal in Loughborough, was 'almost complete'.
Six years later, the work is yet to be completed, despite the charity fundraising money for the project.

A group of four shareholders approached LeicestershireLive, raising complaints over the delayed restoration project, one of whom is a founding member of the Main Line Steam Trust, the organisation from which the company evolved.
One of the GCR's shareholders said: "In the 2020 press release, they claimed that the work had been completed.
"Images of the South East wing walls, the South West wing wall and the underside of the bridge make it doubtful that the condition of the bridge's wall has ever been inspected.
"The railway is using the so-called completion of these bridges to promote further fundraising. They are certainly promoting their lack of competence in project management."

The shareholder said that part of the restoration project was supposed to include the repointing and repair work of the canal bridge's walls, but photos show the bridge is "not in good shape".
The shareholder added: "If the work remains unfinished, then further deterioration will continue.
"If these walls haven't been inspected, as would appear to be the case, then there could be considerably more work and expense.
"The repairs will cost many more thousands to be finished with the capping bricks being non-standard, which will cost a fortune, if they can be sourced."

Responding to the concerns raised, GCR said that all of their bridges are inspected "regularly by a qualified structures engineer".
The charity also said that the bridge mentioned by the shareholders is in "good order".
GCR's general manager, Malcolm Holmes, said: "The work on the bridges has been substantially completed with the exception of superficial finishing works.
"The work being referred to is largely superficial brickwork to wing walls that will be undertaken when funds allow.

"The Reunification project continues and next year we expect more of it to be constructed and we’re very grateful to everyone who has supported it."

 

This might be implied more than is the case due to the way it's been reported, but it comes across that the shareholders' first point of call was to contact the local media, rather than raise their concerns with GCR management internally. It's a shame if that is the case.

 

Seems a bit of a leap?

 

I suspect it is the usual issue of priorities, lack of unlimited cash and limited manpower. The priority must be to keep the running lines open and in good order. There has been a lot of work done on the GCR(N) infrastructure (Helped in part by the GCR team I believe) and the visit by Tornado and Flying Scotsman has been the result. Whilst those wing walls look unsightly, it would not take too much to get them looking a lot better....but that time and effort has to come from somewhere else.
Four shareholders, out of probably thousands, is not exactly a huge concern! I don't think there was any mention of this at the recent AGM, which would have been a logical place to raise it.
Meanwhile we are looking forward to the "Last Hurrah Gala" with the 8F and Witherslack Hall in operation again.

 

No names given, but one is a "founding member of Main Line Steam Trust". It may just be a lack of communications, but it suggests to me the tip of a larger iceberg.

 

Sorry but to suggest that this is the tip of the iceberg is just rubbish. Whatever you may think of the GCR, the current management are very very open, Malcolm Holmes has always responded to questions and suggestions incredibly quickly. I can only think of a couple of other Railways that are as forthcoming, many are very very tight lipped about everything!

 

I wasn't suggesting there was a problem with the current management (and as a member, I'm aware that this management has changed since 2020). My point is more that, if this is what is being reported of those raising the issues, I suspect the underlying issue is deeper and more difficult to manage than the report allows for. The anonymity of the complainant reinforces that view for me.

 

Never underestimate the ability for volunteer heritage organisations to start a fight amongst themselves in an almost empty room and then follow it up by making sure it gets into the public domain.

I know nothing of this case noir the organisations involved, but have many years experience of looking in on organisations getting themselves in a pickle like this. Without seeing how far that coping historically went up its probably nigh impossible to tell whether any works required to the bridge are major of just aesthetic finishing, it probably reflects an example of about 80% of bridges crossing the canal network from my experience.