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Locomotive Shed Appeal

A new Locomotive, Visitor, and Education Centre for Loughborough

The locomotive shed at Loughborough has served the GCR well since acquisition in the early 1970s, being an ex-RAF structure from Langar airfield near Nottingham. But after over 40 years it is unfortunately, feeling its age. The existing shed is becoming increasingly costly to maintain with cramped accommodation and very limited visitor opportunities and facilities.

A new Locomotive Shed and Heritage Skills Centre

Artist impression of how a new locomotive shed might appear

The new shed will offer enhanced facilities for the restoration and maintenance of our locomotive fleet.

An extended machine shop will help make the railway more self-sufficient in manufacturing precision parts but also in retaining heritage skills that are becoming more difficult to find.

The shed will also offer increased covered storage for the locomotive fleet, to minimise the effects of the elements which can lead to rapid deterioration. The centre will also look to vastly improve the working environment for our staff and volunteers which will help to attract and retain more apprentices and younger volunteers to our ranks.

The centre will also give us the opportunity to transfer a wider range of rare heritage skills to our next generation of locomotive engineers.

Our current locomotive shed at Loughborough

Visitor experience

For the first time in GCR history, all shed activities will be accessible to the public with dedicated viewing areas, show points and interactive displays that will explain both the historical and engineering context of the activities undertaken. This will allow visitors to not only witness but become more engaged with heritage restoration in progress.

Education Centre

The centre will provide dedicated classrooms and a lecture theatre to support an extended education
programme linked closely to the National Curriculum. With these facilities, the railway will have an industry-leading facility which will allow for greater breadth and scale of engagement with schools, colleges, and universities.

Raising funds with our Locomotive Shed Appeal Wall.

In our new “Gallery” suite at Loughborough, we have created a Locomotive Shed Appeal Wall which will display plaques in recognition of donations received from our kind and generous supporters.

 

 

We are working with our supporting charity, The David Clarke Railway Trust (Registered Charity No 1104839) on this initiative.

To purchase a plaque:

You can apply and pay for your plaque online:

More information

We have released a new brochure giving more details on how the Great Central Railway has progressed in recent times, and will continue to go from strength to strength.

Simply click on the front covers below to download.

 

Welcome to the restored and renovated Great Central Railway - Brochure download
"Welcome to the renovated and restored Great Central Railway" - Download here Locomotive Shed Appeal - Spring 2020 - Download here.

 

Questions?

If you would like to ask any questions regarding the appeal, please feel free to contact us by e-mail:

The appeal has received a very positive response to date, and a number of plaques have already been installed.

 

Our next running day

This Weekend

Two steam locomotives and a heritage Diesel Railcar are operating this weekend.

This Weekend

Our appeals




Reunification appeal - Reuniting the two halves of the Great Central Railway

Special Events

This is a selection of our special events, to see the full list, click here

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