Great Central Railway shed relocation

THE locomotive shed at Loughborough North on the Great Central Railway (GCR) is to be relocated to enable the construction of a double track mainline north from the station.

The GCR said that by removing the shed this will also allow the railway to rearrange where it services, repairs and overhauls its fleet.

The decision has been recommended by the board steering the reunification project and has been approved by the main GCR PLC board. The shed, although not completely obstructing the route, prevented track between the two railways being re-laid in the best possible place, said the GCR.

Malcolm Holmes, GCR general manager, said: “there’s no escaping the fact, that while tracks could have been squeezed around the outside of the building to reconnect both halves of the Great Central, it would be far better to dismantle the shed, put the tracks through the centre of the site and have a fully authentic double track main line heading north. We’re now developing our plans for our future covered accommodation for locomotives, carriages and maintenance, carefully bearing in mind the needs of our local community, our workforce and stakeholders.”

Charnwood Borough Council has allotted money from the Loughborough Town Deal Fund to improve the structure further but no public money has yet been spent.

The GCR expects the shed to have a working life of another five years.

A project group is now examining possible locations for a new engine shed from across the entire 18-mile line, which includes the Great Central Railway (Nottingham) section, and a review is also being conducted into the uses of existing shed buildings. The GCR said that a full plan would be announced in due course.

The existing shed first moved to the railway in 1973.