I’m a big Great Central Railway fan. I am from Loughborough now. but born in Leicesterin 1953 just behind the Great Central Railway Station in Leicester watching this just told me we add HS 2 already built by Edward Watkins. The 1900s it was going go through the channel to Europe. I’ve not seen this video before fantastic really enjoyed it. What a shame this line closed by MP politicians. For transport they haven’t got a clue about the future. Many thanks, Colin.

Now that sure is one EX railway!

Great visualisation. The best part of this route is playable on train sim world. Peak forest route. It's stunning.

I remember the goods trains running along there, the level crossing in Glenfield & Ratby and also Newbridge Crossing (Ben's Hut) near to Desford Junction where they were two crossings close together and the fireman getting out & walking across the field to open them both. Happy Days.

Brilliant video and maybe someone can help with a question that my uncle and I have been trying to clarify for years. @Thebigfella53 - you are right, the tunnel went under the Uppingham Road / Colchester Road junction and was a cut and cover tunnel. It was locally known as 'Black Bridge' as it was very deep. When I was a little boy, I lived on Withcote Avenue and I remember crossing the remains of the footbridge adjacent to the tunnel from Uppingham Road to Jennett Close. The cutting was simply filled in leaving the arches of the footbridge visible. Today it is merely an alleyway but you are in fact still crossing a footbridge. I was reliably informed a child fell from the parapet of Black Bridge onto the track below around 1972/3 and survived. My uncle and I are trying to find a photo of this tunnel with zero success. It's become a bit of a mission for us now to solve but trying to trace anyone with knowledge or photographs is proving difficult. Any help would be appreciated.

I used to live at the East End of Long Clawson and could see the track in the distance Saw plenty of trains just North of Clawson Tunnel (Well Hose Tunnel but that was what it was known as locally) 4:57 That diverging off the right of the track was the site of Stathern Sidings A narrow gauge line came from the top of the hills to exchange iron ore to standard gauge wagons (cable worked incline)

Thanks for producing this very interesting video.

The old GCR was an extremely Bendy Wendy railway! The vast majority of bends are in open Fields where the line could have/should have been built straight. There is Absolutely NO WAY a EC Gauge train, even with tilting tech could every travel at more than a Maximum speed of 200kph and only on short sections. I remember Many NIMBY HS2 peasant folk who ALL claimed it would be better to rebuild/reopen the GCR. It could never ever have a train travel at 350 to 400+kph on Any section of the Grand Central Bendy Wendy!

Thankfully this line will never open as it would be too expensive initially, and far too expensive to maintain. The Monsal Trail is arguably the most beautiful trail in the country. On a different note I would argue the section between Buxton and Bakewell was probably, for it's length, the most expensive length of line to construct in the country.

I'm afraid the chance of this line reopening is nearly zero. The Monsal Trail is a massive economic asset to the Peak District and were it under threat, railway enthusiasts have said they would want to keep it accessible as it is now. Those who aren't local wouldn't understand. It is the second most visited part of the PDNP, I believe. I'd love to see the line reopen but I'm afraid it won't happen - not when public finances are so bad, either!

Well put together. It would be good to see the old York-Beverley line resurrected in this way and perhaps the Beverley to Malton via Driffield??

Would have a good route for HS2

Well that was certainly easier than last month's walk up the snowdon ranger path.

We're preparing a series on the Welsh narrow gauge railways. Coming soon: Ffestiniog Railway

Cool video but an incorrect title, Brackley not Bracknell.

Even where HS2 and the GC take the same alignment north of Calvert, HS2 keeps one or two hundred yards away from it. I wonder if this is due to the fact that virtually the whole of the GC formation there is under wood or scrubland. I imagine that naturalists would descry such habitat destruction.

Gone Completely.....or is it?

We've just spent two days on the Ashby Canal. Magical. Pity about the absence of decent (by which I mean good food and real ale) along the route. As temperatures rise. Who on earth wants to 50 degree Spain & Greece where you can't even go outside safely Spend your holiday dollars in UK, and purchase a cagoule I'd love to see this canal extension built. How many billions are being spent (wasted?!) On HS2? Today it's all about the profit. People don't come into it

To reopen this would no doubt be feasible. It would be one of the most picturesque railway journeys and provide a useful direct connection between the North West and the East Midlands, relieving the Hope Valley line and connecting many towns and villages with Manchester and Derby, and beyond.

I LOVE your "Ghost Train" videos... Can you do one of this route?

So much of the route/tracks still exist. Currently, the only bit without tracks is between the 3:50 and 5:30 mark in this video. This could be reopened and reconnect the North West and the East Midlands by rail, easing congestion/capacity issues elsewhere on the rail network!

Considering how much of the GCR London Extension remains, built to the continenal loading gauge, was it not considered for use as HS2? Surely would have been cheaper than building on new land?

Incredible thanks for the ride

Whilst I have always regretted the closure of this route it was clearly expensive to maintain with so many tunnels and viaducts.

It's absolutely brilliant, but just imagine someone having the time and patience to make this on train simulator.

GET IT RE-OPENED !!! So little missing. How can they moan about HS2 and leave THIS route un-used ??? All the WCML bottle-necks neatly avoided.

Great work!

I stayed at Crowden Youth Hostel in 1980. The valley echoed to the rattle of frequent electric-hauled freight trains. It seemed like there were 3 to 5 trains an hour in each direction, coal, tanker and container trains. Yet the line closed completely the following year. I can't help wondering what happened to all that freight... M62? Surely not.

Thanks, another excellent video. I do like the way that at least the clock tower was preserved at Nottingham Victoria.

Too fast

gorgeous couple days out on a bike!

Interesting, couple of place names spelled incorrectly though.

Again, absolutely brilliant.

5 mins 30 seconds.Exact moment the flight goes over my permanent camping tent where the GCR crosses over the former LD & ECR at Arkwright Town.The removal of the overbridge span in 1973,and the burying of the short Springwood Tunnel beneath farmers fields is the reason why the Transpennine Trail does not link up with the Five Pits trail at the former Heath Railway Station. Music was okay,nice pace to it matching the speed of the flight though i would have prefered something classical 😊

Great piece of work. It appears most of the trackbed is still there.

Why the GC was closed is beggars belief. The line went through several major cities and would have been very useful now.

What do you think of the soundtrack? If too many people find it irritating, it can easily be removed!

Wow. Amazing. Was all of this once railway track? Amazing to see how far apart the stations on the Metropolitan line are in the suburbs and even more amazing to see the distance between Quainton and Amersham which the Metropolitan once did cover.

These disused railway lines wouldn’t have been wasted if they’d been kept intact as cycle routes.

No I get this is just a simulation but the route simply is not accurate. You can't get a train from Nottingham to London and travel to Marylebone via Aylesbury, Amersham etc There is no train that takes this route

*This was really a HST Route many miles at 150 MPH Plus and 90 mph on the Curves - and don't forget Continental Loading Gauge so would have allowed Double Carriages' !*

Bloody brilliant!

thank you for this...great to finally see this route

Seems madness that so much engineering and human labour was wasted building this line, or more accurately the act of closing it wholesale.

Fantastic work, thanks!

I guess it is via Peterborough now?

I was trying to see Broughton Astley on here but either I missed it or it didn't show up...Might it be at 2:24?

Brilliant! The next best thing to a cabride. And taken before too much evidence of HS2. In places it is clear to see the huge land take, in order to provide gentle earthwork gradients, which are now swathes of woodland.

Wouldn't an express train from Nottingham have gone via Grendon Underwood and Ashendon Junctions and then via High Wycombe to Marylebone rather than via Aylesbury?

Brilliant work