Happy New Year to all.

If you have any back issues of "Main Line" magazine, either now or in the future that are in very good condition and are no longer required, we can re-sell them at Gala events. Please don't put them in the recycle bin but label them "FAO Barry Lycett" and hand them in to the GCR Loughborough Booking Office.

Alternatively hand them in at the forthcoming Winter Gala FoGCML stand on Loughborough station platform. Your back issues in very good, unsoiled condition can be sold to boost FoGCML funds.

The popular FoGCML pin badges and rollerball pens will be available for members to purchase at the Winter Gala stand at Loughborough station from 27-29 January, along with the new FoGCML ceramic mugs, car window vinyl stickers and leather key fobs with a hard enamel logo.
These items will be on sale at reduced prices, with no P&P charge.

There will also be a FoGCML golf style umbrella on display, for members to order for future collection at the Loughborough Booking Office.

There will be no pressure to buy items, just friendly banter, so even if you do not wish to purchase any items, please call at the stand and say hello.

There is an extensive range of leisure clothing and workwear now available for purchase including a hooded overall for getting ‘down and dirty’ on the locos and other tasks. To see a full list of items log on to the members Main Line Xtra web page and look for "Special Offers" https://www.gcrailway.co.uk/mlx/shop/

If anyone requires an item that is not currently offered please contact me and I will see what I can do to provide it.

All items of clothing are also available for non-members to purchase but these will not have the FoGCML logo displayed. Having your embroidered name on non-logo clothing is optional.
For further information please contact blycett.gcr@gmail.com

Thank you all for your continued support for FoGCML.

The GCR ran a two-train steam-hauled over nine days between Boxing Day and 3 January during the Christmas Holiday period this season. This followed the Santa Specials and Christmas Dining trains which ran intensively before Christmas, and of course the Christmas Day dining train itself, meaning trains operated continuously over 11 days, plus the other weekends in December. This is a remarkable achievement, and simply because the trains ran punctually and reliably makes it no less of one. Many staff and volunteers worked through the Christmas period to make it possible, and all operating departments were busy ensuring the trains ran and visitors had a great experience.

The GCR is an increasingly popular family destination during the winter holiday period, with many children and couples enjoying their rides. The two steam locos running each day alternated between 6990, 70013, 45305 and 48624, with different combinations running almost every day. Seeing 6990 head the WR-liveried A set, and 45305 head the B set with the Vintage Carriages Trust LNER Pigeon Van and Buffet Car were both highly evocative, with a timeless atmosphere as the trains passed at Quorn or Rothley stations. The winter low-light conditions provide many opportunities for the photographer. There is simply no other railway where all this can be experienced.

The Griddle Car in Set A was especially popular, and it is good to report that this offered a wide menu, including excellent traditional and vegetarian breakfasts, served remarkably quickly. Some of the catering staff worked intensive periods of 10 days or so in this period. Even the locomotive works was open for visitors to carefully make their way round, seeing 47406 jacked up for repairs and overhauls well advanced on 34039, 45491 and 48305.

The size of the home operating fleet means that visiting locos are not generally seen running at this time of year. I recall twenty years ago in 1996, 46229 ‘Duchess of Hamilton’ made her final visit to the line, running in bitterly cold, grey weather. ‘Sir Nigel Gresley’ was a visitor a year or two before, both back in the days before double track operation had resumed. However, an unusual bright yellow 4-wheel loco was visible at Loughborough this season. This was L97, a battery-electric recently completed by Brush and visiting for test running. Despite its number, it is destined for the Hong Kong subway rather than London Underground! Also the ex-Alexandra Docks Avonside GWR 1340 0-4-0ST could be seen delivered from Didcot ready for its contract overhaul.

The next visitor will be Southern Railway ‘Q’ class 30541 from the Bluebell Railway for the Winter Steam Gala. Six-coupled goods locos are always attractive visitors, a reminder of the GCR 9J (later J11) locos built for the opening of the London Extension. GCR. Sadly none survived, but no doubt the class will be represented in some way at the Leicester North museum in the future.

I have added some of my own photos to this short article but here is an invitation to the many better photographers. Send me some of your own winter photos of the GCR, taken between the 'Last Hurrah' of 2016 and the Winter Gala of  2017 inclusive, and I will feature a selection of these in a MLX feature next month. People, buildings, animals and winter scenes as well as trains can be included. Send your photos to: Davidcrae@gmail.com

The GCR's 15-ton diesel crane employed on Quorn straight during bridge repairs.

The boiler of 73156 is lifted into position by the GCR's 45-ton steam crane.

Two of the GCR's resident cranes were in action in the last week to perform vital works around the railway.

The 15-ton diesel crane, usually resident at Rothley Carriage & Wagon works, was employed to move two sets of BR Commonwealth bogies into the yard to await collection for refurbishment works to be undertaken away from the railway.

Later in the week, the same crane was used to lift a large capping stone from a bridge near Quorn & Woodhouse to allow for minor repairs to the bridge.

Meanwhile, outside Loughborough locomotive shed the boiler of BR Standard Class 5 73156 was reunited with the loco chassis using the GCR's Ransomes and Rapier 45-ton steam crane.

Elegant and distinguished. The triangular metallic barrel in Green is offset by this pen’s rich gold accents. The roller ball tip adds a touch of luxury to writing.

All sale proceeds are for FoGCML funds

£4.95 inc P&P
Order by sending a cheque made payable to Great Central Railway to Barry Lycett, 21 Finches Hill, Rugeley, WS15 2TN. Please include your full name and address, your FoGCML membership number and your telephone number in case of queries.

HOODED COVERALL

( Product Code BIZ6 )

Built-in head protection option to the wearer plus added design features including knee pad pockets and a back hip pocket with flap. Features:
Radio Loop
Concealed Stud Fastening
Rule pocket.
Back hip pocket with flap.

EN ISO 11612 A1+A2, B1, C1, E1, F1 .

EN ISO 11611 Class 1, A1+A2 .

GOST - R Certified

Bizweld Flame Resistant Fabric

Bizweld fabric is 100% Cotton 330g with a flame resistant finish. The fabric meets EN Standards EN ISO 11611 and EN ISO 11612 and offers excellent protection for welding and other allied industries.

Garment Benefits

The garments in the Bizweld Flame Resistant range have been specially designed to guarantee comfort, performance and safety whilst providing effective function at all times. This range has been rigorously tested to meet and adhere to the latest EN standards.

Colour: Navy

Sizes

Leg length Regular 31"

SIZES ARE FOR GUIDANCE ONLY

Price £49.95

Order by completing and sending order form to Barry Lycett stating size, colour, your full name and address, FoGCML membership number and telephone number in case of queries.

https://www.gcrailway.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/MULTI-MAIL-ORDER-FORM.pdf

This was the first weekend of public trains running on the Mountsorrel Branch in 2016, with a two-car Metro-Cammell DMU in operation. This provided a shuttle service, from Mountsorrel station, stopping at the newly completed Nunckley Hill station, down to the junction with the GCR at Swithland, and back. The trains ran at 40 minute intervals and were fairly well supported but rather less  so than the opening weekend in October 2015.

The Mountsorrel Heritage Centre site was certainly busy, with the recently opened Heritage Centre car park full and the commendable Granite's Cafe doing a brisk trade with swift service. This is a really pleasant, well planned location, with people enjoying the decked outdoor area overlooking the station. There are interesting local displays in the building on the local natural history and heritage of the village. The pride from the Mountsorrel and Rothley Community Heritage Centre volunteer staff was most evident, providing a very pleasant experience for the many visitors.

Walking down the hill from the Centre to the line, you can see the new railway museum building, not yet open, with the three restored wagons in Mountsorrel Granite livery in the sidings. These have weathered from their time stored in Swithland Sidings. The building for the stoneworking demonstration is nearly finished. This area promises to be interesting once complete. The wagons cry out for a 'ready to run' Gauge 0 version! The sidings clearly merit their own small shunting loco as well. It will be a photogenic location for shunting demonstrations in the former granite quarry.

Crossing the line by the boarded crossing leads to the Nature Trail, not otherwise accessible, except for disabled access from the road. The trail, including a picnic site with a view down to Swithland, is a real treasure and has clearly taken a huge amount of planning and work to complete. The paths are wide and woodchip surfaced to avoid mud. The trail is surprisingly long to walk all the way round, and has many delights including photo vistas over the railway, remains of a building, and woodland surprises for younger visitors.

A visit to Mountsorrel is highly commended. The Heritage Centre development, with the branch line, nature trail  and other attractions offers a  different experience from the GCR main line, and is attracting its own local following. It is to be hoped that the GCR can enable regular train running to and from the main line from time to time in future.

This is an update from the Cadeby Gala event which took place over the weekend of 13-14 August at Quorn station yard. It follows an earlier MLX news  item which appeared before the event. The gala commemorated the collection of road and rail steam engines, and the narrow gauge Cadeby Light Railway, which was established by the Rev. ‘Teddy’ Boston in the mid 1960’s around the vicarage at Cadeby, Leicestershire. After Teddy died in 1986, the regular openings continued until the collection had to be dispersed after the final event in 2005.

Cadeby was represented by the Peckett 'Teddy', joined by the Lister loco from the Light Railway running on temporary two foot gauge track laid by volunteers from Leicester  Abbey Pumping Station museum, and the traction engine 'Fiery Elias' (built by Foster) and steam roller 'Thistledown' (built by Aveling & Porter and now owned by Michael Stokes).

Here is Teddy awaiting custom outside the goods/beer shed which had a collection of small railway models, photos and artefacts such as train headboards from Cadeby.

I did suggest Teddy could run a brake-van special on the Mountsorrel Branch but this was not deemed possible!

The Lister is now at the Leicester Abbey Pump House Museum and operated all day on a length of temporary track.

Posed with the Cadeby road engines, the orange safety fence came down for just a moment!

Visiting road attractions included a second Leicestershire County Council roller (by Marshalls), a fine Sentinel steam lorry and a Ransome Sims & Jeffries and Fowler traction engines, plus assorted cars and commercial vehicles.

Four of the road engines before they rumbled off on a round of the village on the Saturday afternoon.

The weather was fine and a good time had by all. It was very interesting to meet a good many people who recalled and had been part of the Cadeby supporters group.

Thanks to Michael Stokes and all who brought their exhibits and organised this delightful event.

78018 shunts a Lowmac wagon into the Loughborough carriage sidings during a short test on 17th August 2016.

For the first time since withdrawal from British Railways service in 1969, Standard Class 2 78018 has moved under its own power at Loughborough Central today as restoration take a major step towards completion. The Standard 2 was quickly pressed into service in the yard to shunt a single wagon into the carriage sidings at Loughborough.

The 2-6-0 is being restored at Loughborough under the care of the Loughborough Standard Locomotive Group having spent a number or years at Barry scrapyard. Further information on 78018 is available here.

78018 which features in the British Transport Film "Snowdrift at Bleath Gill" is expected to return to service in time to star at the GCRs Autumn Gala from 6th to 9th October. Popular sister loco 78019 has recently begun its own overhaul after many years of service at GCR.

Economy Stud Front Coverall

More items of clothing have been added to the Friends range. The latest arrivals are a Premium Polo Shirt, and Economy Stud Front Coverall and a flame Resistant Coverall. All are the usual high quality and can be ordered at the Friends Special Offers web pages.

More items will be added in the next few days so keep an eye out on the Special Offers page.

This event at Quorn & Woodhouse is a welcome reminder for those of us with affectionate memories of the Cadeby steam events, staged by the Rev. ‘Teddy’ Boston at Cadeby Rectory from the mid-1960’s and, after his untimely death in 1986, by Mrs Audrey Boston and friends until the collection was closed and later dispersed in 2005.

Cadeby was a special place, a tiny village in Leicestershire where the 1960’s rectory was almost surrounded by the 2 foot gauge Cadeby Light Railway, around the sharp curves of which Bagnall 0-4-0ST ‘Pixie’ and a train of RAF munitions wagons loaded with visitors would gyrate through the trees. The garden sidings held a collection of narrow gauge industrial petrol and diesel locos, including a rare Baguley from the Lilleshall Abbey & Woodland Railway meant to look like a steam loco. At the front, the Peckett 2112, one of the smallest standard gauge locos built, stood on parade but never steamed. It has since become the tiny star of the preserved railway circuit, appearing at the Mountsorrel Branch reopening. However the Aveling & Porter steam road roller named ‘Thistledown’ and the Foster agricultural engine ‘Fiery Elias’ regularly rumbled around the narrow lanes of the village.

In the grounds, model railway fans would be astounded by the hut containing the vast ‘Olton Prior’ 00 gauge layout, commemorating the prime of the Great Western Railway, and the house also held a fine collection of models and railwayana.

Visitors were always welcome on the special Saturday steamings at Cadeby, never more so than prior to Christmas when teenies would encounter ‘Santa’ dispensing gifts from his grotto in the coal cellar. The whole place was imbued by Teddy’s larger-than-life character and generosity. Such a creation would never be possible today: imagine a country parson building a railway round the garden and inviting people to turn up and ride. Especially on a line with an elegantly simple set of four rules, the third reassuringly being ‘Them that gets it off gets it on’!