Greatest January for the Great Central!
While most of the heritage sector was fast asleep in a deserving rest after a busy festive season, the Great Central Railway drew in the crowds with three special events – drawing a host of the finest lineside photographers from across the country, with the second-highest takings for a winter gala in the line’s history recorded, and its best-ever January income, reports Robin Jones.
While most of the heritage sector was fast asleep in a deserving rest after a busy festive season, the Great Central Railway drew in the crowds with three special events, drawing a host of the finest lineside photographers from throughout the country, with the second-highest takings for a winter gala in the line’s history recorded, and its best-ever January income, reports Robin Jones.
With it unique double track main line, the Great Central Railway at Loughborough has been hailed as one of the greatest stages of all in the UK heritage sector. That accolade was reinforced in January, when – during what is traditionally the post-Christmas and New Year quiet time for heritage lines – the railway hosted three bumper events to draw in the crowds.
First off on January 8/9 was a running weekend for A1 Peppercorn Pacific No. 60163 Tornado, prior to its intermediate overhaul that began at nearby Locomotive Maintenance Services in Loughborough at the end of the month.
In the case of Tornado, it was a case of the steel wheels having turned full circle; it was in September 2008 that the new-build locomotive made its passenger-carrying debut on the line. Now in its 13th year, it was moved to the GCR at the end of 2021 following its premature withdrawal from main line service on November 18, when problems were detected in a pre-Fitness To Run examination at St Phillips Marsh, Bristol. As reported in issue 288 of Heritage Railway, sections of its tender and driving wheel tyres had worn down to below acceptable main line levels as a result of a slide during the leaf fall season.
The Tornado weekend, which also saw Ivatt 2MT 2-6-0 No. 46521 and the line’s hybrid Class 101/117 three-car DMU in action, attracted about 1200 visitors, and a similar number attended the subsequent January 15/16 East Coast Main Line mini gala. This event featured visiting Class 55 Deltic No. 55019 Royal Highland Fusilier and homebased BR Standard 5MT 4-6-0 No. 73156, and offered a last chance to ride behind Tornado before its withdrawal in its 13th season of operation.
BR Standard 5MTs may not be the first engines to spring to mind when one thinks of the East Coast Main Line – though Nos. 73157-9 were allocated to King’s Cross ‘Top Shed’ – but as the only surviving Doncaster-built example, No. 73156 was eminently worthy of its place at the table.
However, the best was yet to come, in the shape of the January 28-30 winter steam gala, endowed with surprisingly bright weather for the time of year. GCR officials were concerned visitor numbers might drop off because of the success of the previous two events, but they need not have worried – almost 4000 visitors turned up, and the line collected the secondbiggest takings for a winter gala in its history.
The gala featured two guest locomotives: Bulleid Battle of Britain Pacific No. 34072 257
Squadron from the Swanage Railway, and BR Standard 4MT 2-6-4T No. 80080 from the Midland Railway – Butterley-based Princess Royal Class Locomotive Trust. The pair joined the home fleet of BR Standard 9F No. 92214 Leicester City, Stanier 8F 2-8-0 No. 48305, No. 46521, No. 73156, WR 4-6-0 No. 6990 Witherslack Hall, BR Standard 2MT 2-6-0 No. 78018 and the DMU.
An intense timetable featured a mixture of local services from Loughborough to Rothley, normal services to all stations, and a daily double-head express service from Loughborough to Leicester North, all intermingled with goods trains. Two rakes were in operation on the latter – the ‘Windcutter’ rake of 16-ton mineral wagons and box vans.
With the exception of a fallen tree midway through the Saturday, brought down on to the track at Rothley in the high winds and swiftly cut up and removed , everything ran like clockwork and there were no train failures.
GCR managing director Michael Gough said: “Our phenomenal team of volunteers, management, and staff came together to produce an amazing three-day spectacle in a way of which I am immensely proud.
“It turned out to be our second highest winter gala revenue on record and the combined effect of all three events in January provided the railway with its best-ever January income.”
The GCR’s email inbox was left buzzing with comments, including: “I hadn’t really appreciated previously just what a difference the double track would make” and “the constant activity was just amazing.” Another delighted visitor wrote: “Seeing and hearing
the vans and mineral trains trundling through Quorn non-stop is an experience without parallel in the preserved railway world.”
Heritage Railway reader David Smith, of Sheffield, wrote to us saying: “I’d like to congratulate the Great Central Railway on the superb January 28-30 gala. With trains arriving and departing Loughborough every few minutes and passing through Quorn at regular intervals, it was a great evocation of 1959.
“Interestingly, every one of the eight working locomotives came via Barry scrapyard, which highlights how important Dai Woodham was to our preservation movement. All the work required to get these locomotives back in service is worthy of great praise, of course.
“It’s worth pointing out that, apart from No. 48305, the other seven locomotives were built in the BR period from 1948 through to 1959. This is why I think 1959 seems a particularly appropriate year in which to base a GC gala, just before the rundown began. The coaches and wagons are also 1950s period too.
“The GCR is keen to expand northwards to join up with its sister organisation (now branded the Nottingham Heritage Railway), but I do wonder whether a much longer line could still provide the intense activity of a gala day – the main reason why this is the best, most realistic gala anywhere?”
No. 80080 is to remain on the line until the March 19-20 Railways At Work Gala. Other special events coming up include the February 18 heritage railcar running day, the March 26/27 16mm and model engineers’ weekend, the Easter Vintage Festival on April 15-18, and the June 2-5 Platinum Wartime Weekend.
That event starts on Thursday, June 2, with a special Platinum Jubilee Afternoon Tea Party at Quorn & Woodhouse marking The Queen’s 70 years on the throne. The party will feature guest vintage singer Miss Lily Lovejoy, and tickets cost £25 each. Over the four days, there will be live music from Kevin Mac, Jane Darling, Kyle Evans and others, and the first
visit to the GCR by the Ashby Big Band at a 1940s dance. A vintage shopping village will offer contemporary goods, and there will be a large display of wartime vehicles, plus other attractions including a Punch and Judy show and a real ale bar.
Meanwhile, Tornado arrived at Locomotive Maintenance Services on January 26. The tender wheels were sent to Devon for retyring the following day.
The tender tank has been off its frames to facilitate European Rail Traffic Management System preparation works and maintenance. The overhaul includes the fitting of a new replacement boiler supplied by DB Meiningen in Germany, which manufactured the original, machining and fitting of new cylinder liners, repairs and replacements to many other components, plus the fitting of new tyres to the driving wheels.
To help fund the overhaul, The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust has launched The Overhaul Club to raise £50,000 to supplement the capital already set aside. Donations to the club will compensate for the interruption to expected earnings caused by the pandemic and Tornado’s early withdrawal from service.
Supporters are invited to donate either £500 or £1000 as a lump sum, or in instalments. Get involved by visiting www.a1steam.com/theoverhaul-club