To celebrate a half-century of running heritage trains, next month the Great Central Railway is running a special event with a spectacular fifty-wagon freight train.

It is now fifty years since volunteers were able to return steam trains to the award-winning heritage line. Over a special gala weekend on Saturday, 17th and Sunday, 18th June the railway is inviting visitors to celebrate its anniversary and look to the future.

On the Saturday, a Standard Class 9F 2-10-0 steam locomotive, which is the largest locomotive on the line, will have the honour of pulling a train consisting of fifty freight wagons, which is something the Great Central Railway has never attempted before.

Throughout the weekend, steam and diesel locomotives will be in action hauling passenger trains, with trains also running on the Mountsorrel branch line on the Sunday.

At the different stations on the line, there will be other attractions, including a photo display and heritage vehicles on view. At Loughborough, tours of the locomotive shed will be available to take visitors behind the scenes.

A special timetable will be in operation, with trains passing regularly on the double-track section of the line. Services will be timed so that passengers have extra time at Leicester North to visit the cabs of the heritage locomotives.

British Rail closed the former Great Central Railway in 1969, and a band of volunteers immediately made efforts to reopen the line and campaigned to get access to the line.

Just four years later, in 1973, the first trains ran, but for only two miles between Loughborough and Quorn and Woodhouse station. They were hauled by a locomotive from Norwegian State Railways and featured an old wooden carriage.

Since then operations have grown with trains running to Rothley station followed by a new platform at Leicester North. Later developments have seen a second line laid to create a double-track railway with heritage signalling. Nowadays, visitors come from all over the world to Leicestershire to see carefully restored steam and diesel locomotives hauling passenger and demonstration freight trains.

Malcolm Holmes, the GCR General Manager said, “We plan to showcase the best of our team’s hard work with a great weekend of railway theatre. As well as frequent trains there will be a lot to see off the rails too at our wonderful stations. For some of our team who have worked hard since those very first trains in 1973, it’s sure to be emotional.”

“We’ve come a long way,” continued Malcolm, “but our success has been built on the loyal and continued support of our volunteers, members, shareholders, donors and local stakeholders. Our 50th anniversary gala weekend will be all about celebrating and hopefully welcoming some volunteers who’ll be part of the story in the next half a century!”