It’s now over four years since full-sized trains carried passengers on our once popular heritage railway line south of Ruddington. The tough restrictions at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 brought a halt to all activities at Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre on Mere Way, including the weekend steam and diesel services operated by the volunteers at Great Central Railway (Nottingham) (GCRN). Other setbacks since have meant these trains still haven’t restarted. One of these setbacks is a small bridge on the Nottinghamshire section of the railway which…
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Miniature Traction Engine Rally
This weekend event will be hosted at the Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre (NTHC) and everyone’s welcome to the Miniature Traction Engine Rally on Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th April. Organisers say you can expect “Miniature traction engines live in action. Admire the marvels of scale engineering. Chat to owners, builders and enthusiasts. Also the Heritage Centre attractions are open as usual.” It’s £2.50 for adult entry to the rally and children go for free! NTHC is one of Ruddington’s family visitor attractions from going on a miniature train ride to…
Read MoreAutumn Miniature Traction Engine Rally
This weekend event will be hosted at the Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre (NTCH) and everyone’s welcome to the Miniature Traction Engine Rally on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th September. Organisers say: ” Our Heritage Cafe will be open both days as will the Nottingham Area Bus Society garage. Sunday will see the miniature railway in operation giving rides for a small fee and the Ruddington Model Railway Club will be open to view their many different layouts. Free to enter but we do kindle request a £2.00 donation to park.” NTHC is…
Read MoreRuddington’s ‘Big Trains’ Could Restart Soon!
For almost three years now, a previously familiar weekend sound drifting across Ruddington has been sadly missing – that of the distant whistles and gentle chugging of steam trains making their way in and out of Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre. Since RUDDINGTON.info published the news piece ‘What’s Happening at our Heritage Railway’, back in January 2022, it’s continued to be one of our most searched for items – as villagers and visitors alike seek the elusive answer! In particular, the legendary ‘Santa Specials’ in the run-up to Christmas have been…
Read MoreMerry Christmas Ruddington!
After an especially busy build-up to the festive celebrations in our village this year, now that COVID-19 restrictions are well behind us, Christmas Day 2022 is finally here… with those ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’ only just beginning. The team at RUDDINGTON.info would like to take this opportunity to wish all our readers, contributors and valued village advertisers the full compliments of the season. Without you, our truly local community website would not exist, so we thank you for your continuing support. We’d also like to share this slideshow of some…
Read MoreChristmas 2022 in Ruddington
After the ‘lockdown’ Christmas of 2020, and the rather restrained festive season of 2021, Ruddington’s celebrations in 2022 look as if they might just be the biggest and best ever! That’s certainly the case for this weekend’s ‘Ruddington Christmas Market’ (on Saturday December 3rd) which, as previously reported, will comprise over a hundred indoor and outdoor stalls of food, drink and gifts, two covered pop-up bars and stages of live music, and children’s activities. Now organised by Ruddington Village Community Partnership (RVCP) it will take place along both High Street and Church Street (road closures…
Read MoreMiniature Traction Engine Rally
This weekend event will be hosted by the Nottingham Society of Model and Experimental Engineers (NSMEE) at the Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre (NTCH) on Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th September. Nottingham Heritage Railway say the Rally is “one for everyone with an interest in Traction Engines. A two-day event featuring Miniature Traction Engines, all of which will be in steam at some point over the weekend.” Please note: These events do not include a rail service. Contact the NHR for details and timings. NTHC is one of Ruddington’s family visitor attractions…
Read MoreOmicron Christmas Closures and Cancellations
Just when it seemed the Coronavirus pandemic was under control in the UK, another variant of COVID-19 is forcing significant changes to our festive plans for the second year in a row. With daily infections now reaching a record high, seemingly driven by the highly contagious new Omicron strain, the Government is still largely putting its faith in the mass vaccine rollout to see us through. Indeed Ruddington hospitality venues are largely grateful that no official restrictions on them have been re-imposed just yet. However, perhaps partly due to this…
Read MoreCountdown to Christmas in Ruddington
Whilst some of Ruddington’s main Christmas celebrations have already been and gone, residents and visitors can still look forward to more festive fun and activities over the holiday period. Continuing caution about Coronavirus – particularly the new Omicron variant – has led to some organisers and venues asking people to carry out a COVID-19 lateral flow test before mingling with others, and to wear face coverings according to the Government’s new ‘Plan B’ rules. Booking systems have also been introduced in some places to keep down numbers during the busiest…
Read MoreTrouble on the Tracks!
Just as everything seemed to be moving forward very nicely at Ruddington’s transport heritage centre, it’s emerged that the two groups responsible for running the site – and the services from it – are at loggerheads over a section of track. After the Board at GCRN decided to rebrand its railway as NHR – Nottingham Heritage Railway “with immediate effect” just a week ago, this morning it has issued a terse public statement saying it will not “surrender running rights” to East Midlands Railway Trust (EMRT) from a point just north of Rushcliffe Halt…
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