Nottingham’s Great Central Railway will soon have a new home for its 1950s-built carriages, as the steelwork for the building’s roof has been lifted into place.

The structure, which is located at the Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre in Ruddington, will be home to four 1950s-built carriages, protecting them from the weather and vandalism in between the journeys they take on the heritage railway.

Rushcliffe Borough Council awarded forty thousand pounds of grant funding to Great Central Railway (Nottingham) Ltd (GCRN) to support the project. The council got the money from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF), part of UK Government’s Levelling Up funding for local investment.

East Midlands Railway Trust and LNER (GC) Heritage Trust have matched the funding, meaning that the project has been able to resume after a pause, and can now be completed by the end of the year.

Great Central Railway (Nottingham) still needs to raise a further £15,000 to install roller shutter doors and fit lights and power. By the middle of this month, its appeal for funds was already nearing the halfway point. Donations can be via the website of LNER GC heritage trust, a charity that supports the Great Central Railway (Nottingham).

Andy Fillingham of Great Central Railway (Nottingham) said, “It’s extraordinary how quickly the shed is taking shape. The floor is almost ready for concrete to be poured and the vertical steel work has been erected. Now, roof beams are being craned into place, so it won’t be long before the block work walls will be built. Our contractors Now Build and Intelligent Fabrications are doing an excellent job despite the bad weather they’ve had to contend with.

“We’re very grateful for the support we have received from so many quarters. The shed will help the railway thrive in future and because it will have a level concrete floor inside, when it isn’t being used for storing carriages, will be an event space for visitors. As we continue to work towards connecting our railway to the Great Central in Leicestershire, creating an eighteen mile heritage line across the midlands, the shed will be a tremendous asset.”