Great Central Railway (Nottingham) has completed the main building work on its new carriage shed and contractors have repaired the 1940s Hotchley Hill signal box.
The new carriage shed, which is located at the northern terminus of the line at Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre in Ruddington was completed in early December. It had remained partially finished until sufficient funding became available to complete the project.
The new structure has enough space to house four carriages undercover as well as a small workshop and storage area. Early next year, a polished concrete floor will be laid so that it can also accommodate exhibitions and events.
Some of the money to complete the projects came from £40,000 of grant funding that Rushcliffe Borough Council been awarded to Great Central Railway (Nottingham) Ltd, which in turn came from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Rural England Prosperity Fund which are part of the UK Government's Levelling Up agenda to provide funding for local investment.
Additional funding was also provided by the East Midlands Railway Trust and the LNER (GC) Heritage Trust.
Supporters have also raised £8,500 towards installation of a roller shutter door and electrics in the building, and if another £8,500 can be raised these will be installed early next year before the buildings are formally commissioned.
At Rushcliffe Halt station further south along the line, preparations are being made to the u the former London and North Eastern Railway 1940s Hotchley Hill signal box so that it is fit to control trains once more.
It was built immediately after World War II as LNERs vision for the future, but for many years it has been just a brick shell. Concrete parts of the structure have recently been repaired by contractors, whilst volunteers have installed a new wooden floor and lever frame.
Anyone wishing to contribute to either the Carriage Shed fund or Hotchley Hill signal box fund can do so at lnergctrust.org/, which is the website of LNER GC Heritage Trust which is the charity that supports the Great Central Railway (Nottingham).
Andy Fillingham from Great Central Railway (Nottingham) said, “The new building is looking very smart. We've worked with two local companies, Intelligent Fabrications and Now Build and the team have kept the project on time despite the storms in October. With sidings laid inside the building it won't be long before we are able to protect passenger carriages from the weather and vandalism.”
“Both the carriage shed and the signalbox are vital for resuming survives towards Loughborough. When we are Reunified with the Great Central Railway in Leicestershire they will remain very important assets to help the whole 18 mile heritage line develop. We'd like to say thank you to everyone who has donated to either project and we hope they are enjoying seeing the progress as much as we are!”
Absolutely no chance of extending south from Leicester – the council have made sure of that by obliterating every remaining bit of GCR infrastructure. Legalised Vandalism.
Great news! May the GCR expand further!
Wonderful news! If I succeed in moving to the Midlands I might fancy becoming a volunteer. A join up at Leicester would be historic and the line might now have some utility value as well as attracting more customers to a nice long ride. The GCR should be restored as far south as Banbury so to become an asset to the national network. Any hope for a link up to the Chiltern Line?
Onwards and upwards for Great Central Railway, good luck to all involved