The Great Central Railway Loughborough,

 

Having become a member of the Railway Society here in Derby University, several places for trips were suggested. One of them was to the Great Central Railways “Golden Oldies” gala featuring, Rocket and Planet Replicas, resident 04 and N2 as well as visiting Beattie Well Tank and Furness Railway 20.

Loughborough station is inconveniently situated about 15 minutes walk from Loughborough Midland station and also has limited car parking. It is however closer to the town. Accessed from the main road over bridge, it is nice to see a period booking hall with authentic wood panelling. Even the toilets are done nicely with tiles and posters. The whole station is set in a period around the 1950’s with semaphore signals. For the railway enthusiast it is nice to see that the sheds are open for people to look round and there was even an Ivatt standard two that people could go onto the footplate of and talk to a driver. Down the side of the station is a line of diesels, and it must be said the railway has a lot of class 25s in various liveries and states of repair.

On board the train, made up disappointingly of BR mark ones (there are several heritage carriages around in various states of repair), the staff seem friendly and relaxed. Once the train has left the station and passes the sidings full of wagons used on the “wind cutters” it will switch to the left hand track. This double track line is unique to the Great Central and it is nice to experience passing steam trains just like the old days. Quorn and Woodhouse station has almost nothing worthy of note. Set in the 1940’s it has a nice cafe and well kept station area. Once out of there, the train goes over Swithland Reservoir and this is rather spectacular. Swithland sidings is the location of yet more derelict stock, the travelling post office and the new Mount Sorrel Railway, being rebuilt as a separate branch line. Rothely station has a large car park and well kept station area as well as a rather nice garden railway which operates during weekends and bank holidays. Once out of Rothely, the track singles and the line continues down to Leicester North. Here, the station is modern and in an area with almost nothing else around. South of here a bypass prevents the line from going much further. The remains of the original station can be seen in the form of bricked up entrances. It is on the whole a shame that the double track does not continue all the way down the line.
 

On the whole, the line has almost no gradients and so locos rarely work hard which is a shame. It does have a lot going for it, including the double track, excellent on train dinning (breakfast only, the lunch time dinner is a separate charge and stops at Swithland Reservoir so dinners can have a nice view) and a nice collection of locomotives.

It is defiantly worth a visit, but only on special event days such as this.

CJA

Pictures by George Falkner