Tag: bridging the gap

Canal Bridge Completed

Graham Wright

From Loughborough comes news that a major two-day operation at the start of this month has ‘all but’ finished the overhaul of the elegant Victorian railway bridge which spans the Grand Union Canal in the town. The relevance of this restoration for our village is that it marks another step forward for the eighteen mile heritage line vision between Ruddington and Leicester North by reconnecting the currently separate sections of tracks operated by volunteers from our own Great Central Railway – Nottingham (GCRN) and Loughborough’s Great Central Railway (GCR). Built in the…

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‘Factory Flyover’ Continues Railway ‘Reunification’

Graham Wright

Volunteers from Ruddington’s heritage railway are celebrating reaching another milestone in its ‘reunification’ project to create an 18 mile train line all the way between our village and Birstall on the outskirts of Leicester. The tracks comprising Ruddington’s Great Central Railway – Nottingham (GCRN) and Loughborough’s Great Central Railway (GCR) are set to be rejoined once the 500 metre gap in the middle is bridged – meaning services will then be able to run between the two for the first time since 1969. So far RUDDINGTON.info has told you about the installation…

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Heritage Railway Fundraising Milestones Reached

Graham Wright

It’s just over a year since we reported an historic moment for The Great Central Railway – when a new bridge rejoining two sections of the line divided for almost half a century was lowered into place. This structure (right) bridges the gap over the Midland Mainline. However, in order for trains to begin running all the way from Ruddington to Birstall again, there is still much work to be done. That includes repairing the existing canal bridge at Loughborough (GCR’s top photo) for which a fundraising milestone has just…

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Heritage Railway Bridges the Gap

Graham Wright

TONIGHT will see an historic moment for The Great Central Railway – the installation of a new bridge to rejoin two sections of the line divided for almost half a century. Once construction work on the reunification project is complete, this will enable trains to run all the way from Ruddington to Birstall in Leicester for the first time since 1969! Great Central Railway Nottingham {GCR(N)} is reporting that the groundworks are now finished and that contractors are due to lower the two decks of the giant structure into place over the Midland…

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Heritage Railway Bridge Work Begins

Graham Wright

It seems the time when regular trains begin to run again between Ruddington and Leicester is getting ever closer – as construction work for an exciting rail project proceeds in earnest. Great Central Railway Nottingham {GCR(N)} is reporting that the development of an eighteen-mile heritage railway across the East Midlands is on track as contractors prepare to build a key bridge. The 30-metre structure will one day carry Great Central Railway trains over the Midland Main Line and should be in place by late autumn this year. Contractors are now preparing the ground for…

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