Steam trains are returning to the Great Central Railway on 10th September!
Steam trains are returning to the Great Central Railway on 10th September!
Join us for Leicestershire’s biggest beer festival; a celebration of real ales, ciders and speciality gins along the line, where you can travel between stations by train and sample some truly unique guest beers across the railway.Â
The festival kicks off midday on Thursday at Loughborough, with diesel trains, draught ales and snacks to get the weekend started. The Loughborough bar will also be open from 12noon.
Friday and Saturday see over 85 different beers, 30 ciders and a selection of spirits available across the line, with live music from local bands and steam and diesel trains running all day – and late into the night – for a proper rail ale experience.
On Sunday, wind down with a lazy pint as all four bars stay open into the afternoon – the perfect way to round off the weekend.
A wide range of tickets are available for this event, including our popular multi-day tickets for those wishing to enjoy more than 1 day of the festival. Group discounts are also available by enquiry to the booking office for groups of 10 or more.
Purchase your train tickets to travel between stations. Or, you can visit each station for free when not travelling on the trains. Come along and enjoy the perfect combination of heritage trains, great drinks, and live entertainment.
Class 14 D9525
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Class 14 D9525
Class 33 – 33103
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Class 33 33103
Power Output
Rated 1,750 bhp
Engine
English Electric 12CSVT V12 diesel
Max Speed
90 mph (80 mph on some bogie variants)
Power Output
1,550 bhp (1,215 bhp at rail)
Engine
Sulzer 8LDA28
Max Speed
85 mph
Locomotive Maintenance Services
Loughborough Standard Locomotive Group
Friends of Great Central Mainline
45305LA
Loughborough Plumbing & Heating
Integritas
Premier Restaurant Engineering
Friday:
Luke BP (Quorn Main Marquee) – 3pm – 5:30pm
The Waltzing Bumble Bees (Quorn Main Marquee) – 7:30pm – 10:30pm
Megan Iris (Rothley C&W Shed) – 4pm – 7:00pm
Saturday:
Ruth Chomik (Quorn Main Marquee) – 12:15pm – 2:15pm
Embers Duo (Quorn Main Marquee) – 3:45pm – 5:45pm
Not Now Cato (Quorn Main Marquee) – 8:00pm – 10:30pm
Java Duke (Rothley C&W Shed) – 2:30pm – 4:30pm
Jenny Wren (Rothley C&W Shed) – 6:15pm – 8:15pm
Thursday:
English Picnic on-board the B carriage set – Cobs, sausage rolls and light refreshments
Friday:
English Picnic on-board the B carriage set – Cobs, sausage rolls and light refreshments
GCR Burgers – Loughborough
Severs Pizza – Quorn
Chef Stef UKÂ – Quorn
Samosa Wallah – Quorn
The Stuffed Spud – Rothley
Saturday:
English Picnic on-board the B carriage set – Cobs, sausage rolls and light refreshments
GCR Burgers – Loughborough
Severs Pizza – Quorn
Phayao Thai food truck – Quorn
Samosa Wallah – Quorn
The Stuffed Spud – Rothley
Sunday:
English Picnic on-board the B carriage set – Cobs, sausage rolls and light refreshments
Our cosy Butler Henderson Café at Quorn & Woodhouse Yard will be open, serving everything from full English breakfast, hot and cold drinks to light bites and snacks!
Our event kicks off this year with a diesel running day on the Thursday. This offers 6 round trips with 2 of our heritage diesel locomotives in action. Within the train will be our refreshment car featuring hand pulled real ales, soft drinks and other light refreshments. The Loughborough platform bar will also be open from 12 noon with 30 cask beers and 10 ciders available to choose from.
Please note that only the Loughborough Bar will be open on Thursday.
Following on from the success of last year, we have extra music scheduled throughout on Saturday and a change of food stalls at Quorn offering plenty of variety across the weekend. There is live music and trains running late into the evening so why not make a full day of it!
Wrap up the weekend with a few lazy drinks and a relaxing ride through the Leicestershire countryside. We always have a great selection of beers and ciders left over on Sunday so join us for the last hurrah of the Beer, Cider & Gin Festival!
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