Bridge that Gap: Great Central Railway News

Has there been much detail around the proposed new Leicester NRM site ? Presumably they will be looking at something very like Shildon ? The fact that the NRM site would need a mainline link does seem to make the whole gap bridging thing seem easier and NRM probably open doors high-up where the GCR would struggle to do so.

 

I'd be interested to see the plans for the site, and if the museum section is to have a direct rail link to it, or to be more of a 'plinth' type arrangement.

 

Is it true that there is some movement on bridging the gap and a cost and timescale has been established?

 

done today! wit a lot of pleasure ,for, in my humble opinion, the "bridge the Gap"saga is a a fantastic ambition wit the magnitude of the extension to East Grinstead!
regards
Noel

 

Likewise, membership application being sorted. This project deserves everyone's support, whatever your first "Heritage" loyalty happens to be. I wonder if the Appeal will be straight donations, or whether any share issue as such is planned?
Here's a thought: Come the time when steam on Network Rail finally finishes, surely the combination of a Heritage "main line" and the NRM outstation at Leicester North will make the GCR/GCRN the logical home for some of our larger steam locomotives that require a working retirement? Who knows...?

46118

 

Good news. I await the doom mongers and their posts saying it will make the GC too long and boring.

 

Never mind that, where are the bridge magnets going to stand in order to tell the world what a horlicks the railway is making of the project?

Tom

 

A share issue was considered, but ultimately dismissed. Donations will be to the David Clarke Railway Trust. Methods include online donation, direct debit, cash or cheque in person, and cheque via post. Pre-paid return envelopes have been sent out with appeal leaflets.

The link to the online donation page can be found at http://www.gcrailway.co.uk/unify/

Flip

 

Flip
Would it be possible to considerate , by the DCRT , to hand a nice certificate (as the Bluebell with it beautiful "Tenner for the Tip" )
it would be a very low cost operation and make great pleasure to the subscribers
regards
Noel

 

ps
"to hand over" ...sorry!

 

Hi Noel,

I will pass the suggestion on to the campaign manager.

Flip

 

Worth mentioning (sorry - Bluebell bias!) that the "tenner for the tip" and follow-on "fiver for the finish" schemes raised something like £350k in four years or so, mostly from on-train collection. (There were also online and shop sales, but I think most of the sales were on the train). Anecdotally, so I understand, a fair amount was collected from people not buying the certificates, but just donating some loose change, so it was an effective way of collecting small amounts from large numbers of people.

Two other interesting points:

1) If there was ever a question of the railway needing to demonstrate popular support for a project, pointing to the large number of certificates sold was an effective way of doing so.
2) Even for people who didn't buy a certificate, the "sales patter" from the people selling the certificates was a very effective way to publicise and explain the project to very large numbers of people, with an incalculable knock-on effect after they left the railway. Who knows, maybe some passenger didn't buy a certificate on the train, but was minded to give a much larger donation when they got home?

Tom

 

To continue the Bluebell's alliterative fund raising theme, how about the GCR offering (the possibly dubious sounding) "Bung for the Bridge" certificates? As Tom rightly points out, this approach has proven to be a simple, yet effective means of raising significant project funds on an ad hoc basis.
Cheers,

 

or..........."a bolt for a bridge"!

 

You will get a pretty good view of the construction from the A60 bridge over the MML. However, as it's a Network Rail managed construction, the exciting bit will probably happen at about 4a.m. one weekend. Exciting yes, but I don't think you're going to get the same sense of suspense and intrigue as you got from digging old tyres out of a cutting over several years!

Bridge magnets, fridge magnets. Hmm, there's a thought. I shall suggest it!

 

Obviously there will be significant extra expense, but if NR are prepared to do it for £1m, that can't be far off cost price. They have had quite a bit of practice putting new bridges over their own active lines recently so may now have a much better idea what the likely cost is than they had a few years ago.

This is all very positive. Have GCR set up a donations portal yet ?

 

Is it possible to do a membership application for FoGCML on a paper basis rather than online?

46118

 

Ah don't worry I just noticed that there is the 'Bridge to the future' donations area that has appeared on the GCR website. Money sent today. Target is 2015 to span the gap and trains running in 5 years. Seemingly it ties in well with the electrification of the main line.

 

This is great news this could be huge for the GCR assuming the NRM decided to put its operational fleet in the museum and maybe the GCR engines awaiting restoration but cosmetically restored a bit like the engine house you off a good attraction a good length ride with a museum to get to at the end with a main line link.
I think there might be a need to double the section of tract at Leicester north to cope with the visitor numbers.