Leicestershire’s heritage railway, Great Central Railway, will be reunified with Great Central Railway Nottingham for the first time in more than 50 years as part of a major weekend of events in March to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the award-winning heritage railway line.
Originally opened to passenger traffic in 1899, the GCR later became part of the London and North Eastern Railway in 1923, then part of British Rail in 1948. Closed in stages, the last trains ran in 1969, and volunteers began to preserve the line and infrastructure immediately. Today, it boasts the longest piece of preserved double track – in essence, two train tracks where two steam trains can pass one another – in the World at over eight miles in length and running between Loughborough and Leicester North.
Over this 125th anniversary weekend, history will be made as the Leicestershire track is reunified once again with the Great Central Railway Nottingham track in Ruddington (Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre), offering visitors a glimpse into the future when reunification will be permanent, an ongoing project and part of GCR’s active fundraising campaign. For now, the two halves will be joined by a specially commissioned 125th anniversary rail replacement bus service using vintage Routemaster buses.
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The open weekend is one of the jewels in GCR’s 2024 calendar. All stations along the tracks will be open, offering an exciting opportunity to get up close and personal with many of the GCR fleet of heritage steam and diesel engines. There will also be opportunities to visit the footplate of some of these engines. Visitors will also be invited to explore history with our family-friendly guided tour to discover the railway’s past and delve into the story of Loughborough Central station.
What’s more, there will be expert-led, behind-the-scenes tours of the Loughborough loco sheds where you can see some of these majestic trains being lovingly stripped down, restored, and repaired; and even get exclusive access to some of the buildings that are usually restricted access and out of the public eye, making it an ideal experience for families, the local community and enthusiasts alike.
Both Loughborough and Ruddington stations will be running their popular miniature ride-on trains, and visitors to Ruddington will also have the chance to take control and drive a train on the model railway or visit the collection of heritage buses from the Nottingham Area Bus Society. Steam trains will be making regular journeys along the heritage line between Loughborough and Leicester North.
Simon Bracewell, head of marketing and communications of the Great Central Railway, said: “We are 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!”
A day ticket allows you full access to all attractions across both the Leicestershire and Nottingham sites and includes both the train travel and reunification bus service. And what’s even better news is that kids go for a quid. If you’re aged 3-15, your ticket costs just £1 (must be accompanied by an adult).
For more information, view the full list of exciting attractions available and book your 125th anniversary tickets, visit www.gcrailway.co.uk/whatson2024
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