The award Winning Great Central Railway in Leicestershire will make history in March, as it will be ‘reunified’ for the first time since 1969 as part of the Great Central Railways 125th Anniversary.
The Great Central railway opened in 1899 and was the last mainline railway built during the great railway boom of the industrial revolution.
Over the preceding years, the London & North Eastern Railway took over the line during the grouping of the railways in January 1923, before becoming part of British Railways at the start of 1948.
Trains were gradually reduced, and sections of the line closed in stages until 1969, when it closed entirely.
Preservation was a priority and volunteers set about saving and protecting the infrastructure.
Currently, the Great Central Heritage line is in two halves. A double track heritage mainline, the only one in the world where steam engines can regularly pass each other, operates over 8 miles between Loughborough Central and Leicester North.
While the other section lays to north of the Midland mainline at Ruddington (Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre).
To celebrate 125 years since the line first opened, the Great Central Railway will join up the Loughborough section to the Ruddington section, offering a glimpse of what is to come when reunification becomes possible and a permanent feature as part of the GCRs reunification project.
For the time being, the joining will involve a specially commissioned rail replacement bus service using vintage Routemasters, that will take people between the two parts of the Great Central Railway.
The 125th Anniversary Open Weekend of 16 – 17 March, is expected to be one of the major highlights of the Great Centrals’ calendar this year, offering the exciting opportunity for you to get up close with the GCRs fleet of steam and diesel locomotives, this will also include the chance of being able to stand on the footplate of a variety of different engines.
There will also be expert behind the scenes tours of Loughborough Centrals loco sheds, where people can see first hand the process and work involved in overhauling locomotives during the different stages of overhaul. This is an event not to be missed.
There is also the chance to learn about the past of the Great Central Railway, from construction to operation, through to closure and preservation. You can also immerse yourself in the story of Loughborough Central station.
Frequent steam trains will be running between Loughborough Central and Leicester North, offering the chance to travel through the Leicestershire countryside. The miniature railway at Loughborough will also be in operation.
While at Ruddington, another miniature railway will be running too, along with model railways, with an additional option to view the heritage collection of buses from the Nottingham Area Bus Society.
A wide variety of food and drink will be available from any of the cafes along the line, including at Ruddington, the railways Griddle Car will also be in service on the train. For those who want to keep a memento of this historic event, the shops at both Loughborough Central and Ruddington stations will also be open.
Simon Bracewell, Head of Marketing & Communications of the Great Central Railway said; “We’re extremely excited to invite train enthusiasts and families alike to our celebratory 125th Anniversary open weekend in March. Whether you’ve been to Great Central Railway or the Great Central Railway Nottingham before or visiting us for the first time, this is the perfect opportunity to experience our historic railways in a way that has never been seen before!”
For those wishing to attend, your day ticket will be a day rover ticket. It will allow travel on the steam trains between Loughborough Central and Leicester North, and the Heritage shuttle bus services between Loughborough Central and Ruddington.
The Kids for a quid offer will also be in operation across the weekend, anyone between the ages of 3 and 15 will cost just £1 to experience all that is on offer, those under 13 must be accompanied by an adult.
For additional information about the event, and to pre book tickets visit: https://www.gcrailway.co.uk/whatson2024/
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