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Loughborough Central to Leicester North Preserved
Railway
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This page shows images by Ian Boyle (©2013) of the
preserved Great Central Railway which runs from Loughborough Central to
Leicester North. It shows both resident and visiting locos running on the
railway.
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Loughborough - Leicester North Preserved
Railway
Each image links to a larger copy which opens in a
new window/tab
The Great Northern Stirling single No.1 is part of
the National Collection. It arrived on the GCR on November 11th 1981, and
was steamed for the first time since 1938 on December 3rd 1981. The first
public steaming was on December 5th 1981. The Single returned to the NRM on
October 9th 1982.
Great Northern single No.1 on
the Great Central Railway
Photo: ©1982 Ian Boyle
GCR 506 - Butler
Henderson
506 Butler Henderson is a Great Central
'Improved Director' Class 11F 4-4-0 built in 1920. It was withdrawn in 1960
and restored as part of the National Collection. It ran on the GCR in the
late 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s before returning to the York NRM and was
moved to Barrow Hill Roundhouse in 2005.
The Great Central Railway Class 11F or Improved Director Class of 4-4-0
steam locos was designed by John G. Robinson for passenger work. The LNER
classified them as Class D11 from 1923. They were based on the earlier GCR
Class 11E "Director" class (LNER D10). There were two subclasses: D11/1 were
the original GCR engines and D11/2 were those built in 1924 by the LNER to a
reduced loading gauge with smaller boiler mountings for hauling passenger
trains in Scotland.
Great Central 4-4-0 Butler
Henderson on
the Great Central Railway
Photo: ©1982 Ian Boyle
No.30777 Sir Lamiel Southern Railway King Arthur
Class 4-6-0 was built at North British Locomotives Works, Glasgow in 1925.
Withdrawn 1961. Arrived at the GCR in 1995. Returned to steam in 2006.
Operational. Operates on Network Rail and GCR
30777 Sir Lamiel at
Loughborough in 2011 with British Rail number
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 25th September 2011
777 Sir Lamiel at
Loughborough Central
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 26th January 2013
777 Sir Lamiel at Quorn
& Woodhouse running a TPO mail drop/pick-up demonstration
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 26th January 2013
777 Sir Lamiel at
Loughborough Central
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 26th January 2013
777 Sir Lamiel at
Leicester North
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 26th January 2013
1744 - GNR Gresley Class N2
Great Northern Railway N2 Class 0-6-2T No.1744 was
built at the North British Locomotive Works, Glasgow in 1920. Withdrawn
1962. Arrived at the GCR in 1975. First returned to traffic in 1978.
Withdrawn in 1994. Returned to traffic for second time in 2009. Operational
in 2013.
41744 - GNR Gresley Class N2
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 26th January 2013
4953 Pitchford Hall
(Moved to Epping-Ongar in 2012)
No.4953 Pitchford Hall left the GCR in 2012
for the Epping-Ongar
Railway in Essex.
Pitchford Hall is a member of the GWR 4900
Hall Class of locomotives, designed by Charles Collett. 259 locomotives of
this class were built, and the design is said to have heavily contributed to
LMS Standard 5 and LNER Thompson B1 classes. The class latterly received a
5MT power classification under BR. 11 examples have been saved for
preservation, several have made it back onto the mainline, including
Pitchford Hall and one of which, Olton Hall, has gained
international fame through becoming the 'Hogwarts Express' locomotive.
Pitchford Hall was built at Swindon in
August 1929 at a cost of £4,375, and was first allocated to Bristol, Bath
Road shed. Latterly in August 1950 it was transferred to Cardiff Canton and
fitted with BR type piston valves and liners February 1956 but reverted back
to WR standard within two years. In March 1959 she was allocated to Swindon
and then transferred from Cardiff Canton to Cardiff East Dock shed in
September 1962. Her last years were spent at Cardiff East Dock before being
withdrawn in May 1963 having covered 1,344,464 miles, and was sent to
Woodham's Brothers Scrapyard in Barry in November 1963.
Pitchford Hall was the 150th departure from
Barry in February 1984, when it was taken to Tyseley Locomotive Works where
a comprehensive overhaul was undertaken for a reportedly seven figure sum.
She moved again under her own power in February 2004, making her first
public appearance in 42 years at Crewe in September 2005, being seen by over
40,000 people.
Hall class locomotives were used all over the Great
Western and Western Region. Their duties were diverse from standing in for
failed 'Castles' on expresses (and keeping to tight schedules) to heavy
freight work and secondary passenger services. The impressive acceleration
of these engines made them particularly suited to the duties that required
frequent stops, where the smaller wheels gave greater adhesion and therefore
reduced slipping when starting from standstill.
The Hall class and other GWR 2-cylinder engines all
have a distinctive 'bark' to their exhaust notes, which is one thing that
helps to maintain enthusiasm throughout the generations. Their long service
also ensured they wore a number of liveries. This included the passenger
class fully lined GWR green until 1948 and nationalisation, then during the
early BR years all mixed traffic classes on all regions carried the lined
black livery. In 1956 some discretion was allowed by BR, and the Western
Region was allowed to paint mixed traffic engines in fully lined Brunswick
green.
Pitchford Hall returned to the mainline in December
2005, and operated a number of special mainline charter trains during 2007
and 2009, but has also visited a number of heritage railways, including West
Somerset Railway, Llangollen (where it double-headed with City of Truro),
Mid Hants Railway (standing in for King Edward II) and Great Central
Railway, where it has hauled passenger as well as charter freight and even
demonstration Travelling Post Office trains to the delight of visitors.
Ref:-
Epping Ongar Railway Website: eorailway.co.uk
4953 Pitchford Hall at
Loughborough Central
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 25th September 2011
6023 King Edward II
(Visiting Locomotive to the GCR)
6023 King Edward II is a Great Western
Railway King Class 4-6-0 built at Swindon in 1930. Withdrawn in 1962. 6023
arrived at the GCR in September, 2012 for further repairs. Operational again
in January 2013, it ran on the railway at the Winter Gala 25th-27th
January..
6023 King Edward II at
Leicester North
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 26th January 2013
No.46521 is a London Midland and Scottish Railway
Class 2 2-6-0 built at Swindon in 1953 and withdrawn 1966. It arrived at the
GCR in 2001 and was returned to steam in 2011. It was operational in 2013.
46521 LMS Ivatt 2MT
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 26th January 2013
London Midland and Scottish Railway 8F Class 2-8-0
No.48305 was built at Crewe in 1943 and withdrawn in 1968. It arrived at the
GCR in 1985 and was returned to traffic in 1995. It then left GCR in 2000
and returned in 2006 and is now undergoing a 10 year overhaul.
48305 Stanier 8F
Photo: © Ian Boyle,28th July 2007
48624 is the only surviving Southern-built 8F in
preservation. 48624 was brought back to life in spring 2009 at Peak Rail
carrying a fictional LMS Crimson Lake livery as 8624. She ran at Peak Rail
for about a year & was then put on loan to other lines (including the
Churnet Valley Railway), but became a semi-permanent resident of the Great
Central Railway in early 2011. 48624 is now sporting the same inaccurate
crimson livery but with BR numbering. Its boiler ticket expires in 2019.
48624 Stanier 8F at Quorn &
Woodhouse
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 26th January 2013
No.70013 Oliver Cromwell
is a British Railways Class 7P 4-6-2 built at Crewe in 1951 which was
withdrawn in 1968. It arrived at GCR in 2004 and was returned to traffic in
2008. It remains operational in 2013 and runs on both Network Rail and the
GCR.
70013 - Oliver Cromwell
smokebox
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 26th January 2013
No.78019 is a British Railways
Standard Class 2 2-6-0 built at Darlington in 1954 and withdrawn 1966. It
arrived at the GCR in 1998 and returned to steam in 2004, remaining
operational in 2013.
78019 at Leicester North
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 25th September 2011
Diesel shunter 10119l
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 26th January 2013
D123 - Class 45
Leicestershire and Derbyshire Yeomanry
Class 45 D123 was built at Crewe in 1961 and
withdrawn in 1987. Arrived at the GCR in 1998 and was operational in 2013.
Class 45 D123 Leicestershire
and Derbyshire Yeomanry at Quorn & Woodhouse
Photo: © Ian Boyle,28th July 2007
Class 45 D123 Leicestershire
and Derbyshire Yeomanry at Rothley
Photo: © Ian Boyle,28th July 2007
Class 27 D5401 was built by the Birmingham Railway
Carriage & Wagon Company in 1962. Withdrawn in 1987. First ran on the GCR in
1994. Returned in 2009. Operational in 2013.
Class 33 - D6535
Hertfordshire Railtours at Loughborough Central
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 25th September 2011
Class 31 D5830 was built by Brush at Loughborough in
1962. Withdrawn in 1996 and arrived at the GCR in 1998. Returned to traffic
in 1999. Operational in 2013. D5878 was delivered in this experimental
livery but later repainted back to the standard green.
Class 31 D5830 at Loughborough Central
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 25th September 2011
D6535 -
Class 33 - Hertfordshire Railtours
Class 33 D6535 Hertfordshire Railtours was
built by the Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company in 1960. Withdrawn
in 1998. Arrived at the GCR in 2005. Currently undergoing repair in 2013.
Class 33 - D6535
Hertfordshire Railtours at Loughborough Central
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 25th September 2011
Class 33 - D6535
Hertfordshire Railtours at Loughborough Central
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 26th January 2013
Class 20 D8098 was built by English Electric/Robert
Stephenson & Hawthorns Ltd, Darlington in 1961. Withdrawn in 1982. Arrived
at the GCR in 1992. Operational in 2013.
Class 20 - D8098 at Loughborough
Central
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 25th September 2011
Class 20 - D8098 at Leicester
North
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 25th September 2011
Class 20 - D8098 at Loughborough
Central
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 26th January 2013
This preserved set of Royal Mail TPOs is regularly
used on Gala Days to demonstrate the loading and dropping of mail bags at
speed.
LNER Observation Car
Photo: © Ian Boyle,28th July 2007
This preserved set of Royal Mail TPOs is regularly
used on Gala Days to demonstrate the loading and dropping of mail bags at
speed.
Class 20 - D8098 at Loughborough
Central
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 26th January 2013
Great Central Railway
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 26th January 2013
