Great Central cancels 1940s event to cut costs

THE GREAT Central Railway has decided to cancel its planned 1940s Weekend this year as it bids to cut costs against a backdrop of planned redundancies.

The decision to cancel the popular 1940s weekend – originally scheduled for May 31-June 2 – comes just weeks after the railway announced a programme of voluntary redundancies as it seeks to reduce its costs by £250,000 (SR554). GCR general manager Malcolm Holmes said: “We know this will be a disappointing decision because the event is visited by thousands of people every year. However, it costs a significant amount of money to stage and while the railway moves through staffing and financial changes, we feel this is the most prudent thing to do.”

Other factors behind the decision are the fact that many of the re-enactors necessary for the event will be out of the country on the planned dates, while the field next to Quorn & Woodhouse station which is used to display exhibits is unavailable this year. “Both of these factors would effectively make the whole event financially unviable,” the railway said.

Although the 1940s weekend has been cancelled, the GCR is planning to hold a new event celebrating both the wartime and post-war years in 2025. To replace the planned 2024 event, the GCR is running a family event from May 29 until June 2, which will include the return of steam to the Mountsorrel branch. In addition, the railway will hold an overnight gala on June 1 featuring both passenger and goods trains “to recreate the experience of a main line railway at night.”