Great Central Railway (Nottingham) facts for kids

The Great Central Railway (Nottingham) is a special railway where old trains are kept and run. It used to be called the Nottingham Heritage Railway. You can find it at the Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre in Ruddington, Nottinghamshire.

This railway uses about 10 miles of an old main line track. It runs from Loughborough South Junction to Ruddington. There's also a branch line that goes to Ruddington Fields station. This station is on a former Ministry of Defence site, right next to Rushcliffe Country Park.

You can visit two stations on the line: Ruddington Fields and Rushcliffe Halt. The railway also hopes to open the old station at East Leake in the future.

Right now, this railway isn't connected to the main Great Central Railway in Loughborough. But there are big plans to join the two lines! This project is called "bridging the Loughborough Gap." It's a huge engineering job that should be finished between 2024 and 2028.

How the Railway Was Saved

After the main part of the Great Central Railway closed in 1966, a section from Nottingham to Rugby stayed open until 1969. People wanted to save this line and turn it into a heritage railway. But it was hard to get enough money. Only a section from Loughborough to Belgrave and Birstall was saved at first.

British Rail kept the line from Loughborough to the Ruddington Ministry of Defence (MoD) depot open for a while. When the MoD depot closed, about 2.77 miles of track from East Leake to Ruddington were no longer needed. A group called the GCR Northern Development Association was formed. Their goal was to connect the two saved parts of the Great Central Railway again.

They first worked on restoring Rushcliffe Halt station. Then, Nottinghamshire County Council agreed to let them use 12 acres of the old MoD site. This led to the big idea of the Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre. It would save not just railways but all kinds of transport history from the area.

In the 1990s, most of the work on what became the Great Central Railway (Nottingham) happened at Ruddington. It was tricky to buy the line because of changes in who owned the railway property. But then, a company called British Gypsum wanted to start using the line for freight trains again. This helped the GCR(N) buy the line and start using it for trains.

At East Leake station, houses were built very close to the track in the 1980s. The people living there thought the line was closed, but it wasn't! British Rail could have started trains running again at any time. When the GCR(N) wanted to buy and run the line, some residents complained. This led to rules about when passenger trains could run through East Leake. The station also had to stay closed.

To allow freight trains during the week and heritage trains on weekends, a section of track north of East Leake was removed. This created two separate railways. However, this meant the GCR(N) couldn't reach Rushcliffe Halt easily. Now, they have a new system that lets them operate trains all the way to Loughborough when Network Rail gives them permission. Regular services to Rushcliffe Halt started again in 2003.

In 2021, the "Great Central Railway (Nottingham)" was temporarily renamed the "Nottingham Heritage Railway." This happened after some safety issues were found with bridges and a tunnel. There were also disagreements between the groups running the two parts of the railway. The line was closed for the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

In 2023, the railway made an agreement with the East Midlands Railway Trust. It went back to its original name, "Great Central Railway (Nottingham)." The goal is to get heritage trains running on the line again soon!

Exploring the Railway Line

Ruddington Fields is the main station and home of the Great Central Railway (Nottingham). Here, you'll find a building for road transport, sheds for locomotives, an old signal box, and miniature railways. There's also a cafe, visitor centre, and car park. The Rushcliffe Country Park is all around the railway facilities here. A new platform opened in 2009, and a second one is being built.

A train passes Asher Lane crossing.

The Asher Lane Crossing has gates and is on a private road. It's a short walk from the Country Park. You can watch trains pass and see the crossing keeper at work. There used to be sidings (extra tracks for parking trains) here, but they have been removed.

Fifty Steps Bridge is where the branch line from Ruddington Fields ends. Trains reverse here to continue their journey towards Loughborough. The bridge originally had "Fifty Steps," but now it has more! The old Ruddington station is further north. When the two halves of the railway are joined, this station might be improved and reopened.

The Gotham branch-line was a short line for freight trains. It was removed in 1969. This line used to serve a gypsum mine. The railway plans to put the sidings back and a short part of the branch line. This will happen when the Nottingham section of the GCR gets a second track. Trains travel across open countryside at Gotham Moor, where you can see lots of wildlife. The line also goes under a few bridges.

Rushcliffe Halt Station looking north towards Ruddington.

Rushcliffe Halt railway station is named after the nearby Rushcliffe Golf Club. Work is still being done on the station, including a new footbridge. Next to the station is the British Gypsum works. In the past, gypsum trains would deliver materials here on weekdays. An old signal box from the 1940s is also being restored here.

The original station near East Leake village is not used anymore. It's just an island platform with the stairs to its subway bricked up. The railway hopes to reopen this station one day.

Stanford Viaduct.

Barnstone Tunnel is the only tunnel on this preserved line. It's 98 yards long and was built by hand a long time ago. There used to be more sidings near the tunnel, which could be put back in the future. Between the tunnel and Loughborough, the line follows a ridge. The railway then goes over the River Soar on the Stanford Viaduct, near the Brush works.

The Great Central Railway (Nottingham) trains stop near the A60 road. Beyond that is where the line connects to Network Rail and the Midland Main Line. The sheds of the Great Central Railway at Loughborough are about 1 mile away. Plans are moving ahead to connect the two parts of the preserved GCR. A new bridge across the Midland Main Line is finished, and other bridges have been fixed. They are now raising money for the next part of the project.

Once the two sections are connected, the railway will be over 18 miles long! This will happen when the "Loughborough Gap" is bridged. The GCR is asking for donations for the next two stages, including the "Factory Flyover." Over £1.25 million has been raised so far!

Amazing Trains and Carriages

The famous 'City of Truro' steam engine at 50 Steps Junction.

The railway runs classic steam and diesel trains to Rushcliffe Halt and Loughborough. Most trains are pulled by steam engines. But they also have a great collection of old diesel trains. The Great Central Railway (Nottingham) runs trains every Sunday and on Bank Holiday Mondays from Easter to October. They also run on Saturdays during school holidays and in December for "Santa Specials."

Besides regular services, the GCR(N) also holds special events and "Gala" days. There are 7 steam locomotives that live at the railway. Six of them are industrial engines, meaning they used to work in factories or mines. Four of these once worked at Stewarts & Lloyds in Corby. The railway has also hosted famous engines like the GWR 3700 Class 3440 "City of Truro" and the LNER O4 63601. Currently, an LNER B1 No.1264 lives here.

Locomotives (Engines)

RSH Ugly class 0-6-0ST No. 56 getting ready to leave Ruddington.

• Steam Locomotives
• Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0ST No. 54 "Julia" (built 1937) - Being restored.
• Manning Wardle 0-6-0ST No. 1762 "Dolobran" (built 1910) - Being restored.
• Manning Wardle 0-6-0ST No. 2009 "Rhyl" (built 1921) - Being restored.
• Manning Wardle 0-6-0ST No. 2015 "Arthur" (built 1953) - Waiting for restoration.
• S160 2-8-0 No. 1631 - Being restored (in pieces).
• GCR Class 2 4-4-0 No. 567 - Being built.
• LNER Thompson B1 No.1264 - Waiting for restoration.

• Main Line Diesel Locomotives
• Class 20 Bo-Bo No. 20154 (BR Blue) - Running.
• Class 31 A1A-A1A No. 31463 (BR Golden Ochre) - Running (visiting).
• Class 37 Co-Co No. 37340 (BR Blue) - Being restored.
• Class 46 1Co-Co1 No. 46010 (BR Blue) - Being restored.

08114 has been used at the railway since 1997.

• Diesel Shunters (Smaller engines for moving wagons)
• Ruston and Hornsby 165 0-4-0DE No. D2959 - Waiting for engine repairs.
• Sentinel 0-6-0DH No. H014 - Being repaired.
• Class 03 0-6-0DM No. D2118 (BR Blue) - Being overhauled.
• Class 08 0-6-0DE No. 08114 (BR Blue) - Running.
• Class 08 0-6-0DE No. 08220 (BR Blue) - Running.

• Diesel Multiple Units (Trains with their own engines)
• BR Class 116 hybrid unit - Being overhauled.
• BR Class 108 unit - Being restored.
• BR Class 144 unit 144003.

Carriages (Passenger Coaches)

The railway has many different types of passenger carriages, including:

• BR Mk1 carriages (like the RMB 1811, CK 16168, TSO 4207, SK 25693) - Some are running, some are being worked on.
• BR Mk2 carriages (like the BSO 9389) - Some are being repaired or stored.
• BR Mk3 carriages (like the SLEP 10602, RFM 10202, TSO 12087) - Some are running, some are being restored. Many are owned by the 125 Group.
• Six-wheelers (like MSLR 946 and 373) - Stored.
• GCR Barnum carriages (like dining coach 664, brake coach 695, bar coach 228) - Stored or being restored. These are famous because they were used by P.T. Barnum's circus!
• Other carriages (like GCR Clerestory 1663, Suburban 555 and 799) - Stored.
• Non-passenger carrying stock (like BR Mk1 GUV 86565 and 86129) - Used for storage or operational.

Wagons (Freight Cars)

Two wagons, 952282 and 287664, on the platform.

Rail cranes 81353 (left) and 941602 at Ruddington.

The railway also has many different types of wagons, which are used for carrying goods or for maintenance work. These include:

• Brake vans (like BR 952282, LMS 357771, BR 954353) - Used by guards to help stop trains.
• Vans (like BR Palvan 779761, BR Widefit 784455) - Used for carrying goods.
• Ballast wagons (like BR Dogfish 993039, BR Grampus 991831, BR Shark 993874) - Used for carrying stones (ballast) to maintain the tracks.
• Open wagons (like LMS 411453) - Used for carrying goods that don't need to be covered.
• Flat wagons (like LMS Warwell 721218, LNER Lowmac 230964) - Used for carrying large or unusual items.
• Rail cranes (like LNER Cowans Sheldon 941602) - Used for lifting heavy things on the railway.

GCR Rolling Stock Trust

A charity called the GCR Rolling Stock Trust is based at the Great Central Railway (Nottingham). This charity owns a very large collection of old railway carriages from before the big railway companies joined together. This includes the famous 'Barnum' carriages and some items from even older railways like the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway.

Some of their collection includes:

• Six Wheeler GCR No 946: Fully restored and on display.
• Barnum Bar coach No 228 (built 1910): Currently being restored.
• Barnum Brake Coach No 695 (built 1910): Waiting for restoration.
• Barnum Open Saloon No 666 (built 1910): Waiting for restoration.
• Barnum Open Saloon No 664 (built 1910): Waiting for restoration.
• Clerestory 1st and 3rd class No 1663: Waiting for restoration.
• Suburban No 799: Stored outside, but with a good frame.
• Suburban GCR Coach No 555: Being worked on.
• Six Wheeler No 373 GCR: Stored and needs a lot of work.

Nottingham Area Bus Society

Also at the Great Central Railway (Nottingham) is the Nottingham Area Bus Society. They have a big collection of old buses that used to run for local bus companies. You can often see these buses during the railway's open days. Sometimes, they even offer bus rides during special events!

Some of the operational buses on display.

• Buses You Can See Running
  • Barton Transport AEC Regent V 854 FNN (built 1960)
  • Barton Transport Leyland PD1 JVO 230 (built 1947)
  • Barton Transport Leyland PS1/1 WAL 782 (built 1948)
  • Barton Transport Leyland Leopard XRR 615M (built 1973)
  • Barton Transport Bedford YMT RRR 517R (built 1976)
  • Nottingham City Transport AEC Regent III OTV 161 (built 1954)
  • Nottingham City Transport Leyland Atlantean ARC 666T (built 1978)
  • Midland General Bristol MW DNU 20C (built 1965)
  • Midland General Leyland National XRB 415L (built 1972)
  • Northern General Leyland Atlantean ORC 545P (built 1976)
  • Leicester City Transport Leyland PD1 DJF 349 (built 1946)
  • Felix Bus Services Bedford SB1 618 KRA (built 1959)

• Buses Being Repaired or Restored
  • Barton Transport AEC Reliance DAL 771J (built 1970)
  • Barton Transport Leyland Leopard HAL 703J (built 1970)
  • Barton Transport Leyland PD1 KNN 254 (built 1949)
  • Barton Transport Leyland BTS1 VVO 735 (built 1957)
  • South Notts Leyland Lion LT5 VO 8846 (built 1933)
  • South Notts Leyland Royal Tiger PSU1/11 MAL 310 (built 1951)
  • Trent Buses Volvo Citybus B10M-50 F609 GVO (built 1989)