Great Central Railway (heritage railway)
The Great Central Railway (GCR) is a heritage railway in Leicestershire, England, named after the company that originally built this stretch of railway. It runs for 8.25 miles (13.28 km) between the town of Loughborough and a new terminus in the north of Leicester. It has period signalling, locomotives and rolling stock.
| Great Central Railway | |
|---|---|
BR Standard Class 7 70013 Oliver Cromwell leaving Loughborough | |
| Locale | Loughborough, Leicestershire, England |
| Terminus | Leicester North |
| Commercial operations | |
| Built by | Edward Watkin Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway |
| Original gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Preserved operations | |
| Operated by | Great Central Railway Plc |
| Stations | 4 |
| Length | 8.25 miles (13.28 km) (Leicester) 10 miles (16 km) (Nottingham) |
| Preserved gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Commercial history | |
| Opened | 1897 |
| Closed | 17 March 1969 |
| Preservation history | |
| 23 March 1974 | GCR Reopened |
| 1976 | GCR Plc formed |
| 2000 | Double track opened |
| 2012 | Swithland Sidings opened to the public |
| Headquarters | Loughborough Central & Ruddington |
The GCR is currently the only double track standard gauge mainline heritage railway in the world with 5.25 miles (8.45 km) of working double track.
Four stations are in operation, each restored to a period in the railway's commercial history: Loughborough Central (the 1950s); Quorn & Woodhouse (Second World War and the remainder of the 1940s); Rothley (Edwardian Era); Leicester North (the 1960s).
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