A Possible Northern Terminus of the GCR Reunification?

[@RCassinello]

7:25 - Note that along the platform, there is a chain link fence. This was put there by the Great Central Railway Northern Development Association to create a secure compound to sow the seeds that would become the GCR(N). They stored materials in the goods yard which was, at the time, even bigger than Quorn & Woodhouse is today. It was created by members of the GCR at Loughborough who were looking into the "ridiculous" idea that the GCR could possibly double in length one day. Alas, the GCR-NDA would soon become overrun by disenfranchised GCR volunteers who had various arguments with GCR 1976 PLC. For nearly 20 years a stupid cold war happened between the two halves which made cooperation a nightmare. I think I must have been one of the few "cross-party" workers who just wanted the best for the lines - I was equally happy to be live-in groundskeeper at Rushcliffe Halt as I was to be guard on most of the GCR's evening diners. When I first visited Ruddington station, the reinforcing arches hadn't been built and there were no houses on the goods yard - it was like strolling round a post-apocalyptic version of Quorn. The bridge was the same, but everything else was either demolished or overgrown. On a positive note, Rushcliffe Borough Council insisted that the route through this station be preserved for future rail use. This is why the bridge remains - British gas actually preferred the option of demolishing and rebuilding at ground level, similar to Upperton Road in Leicester. Each year it seems less likely, but about 20 years ago there was the vague hope to restore Ruddington station to have two platforms with a run-round loop as a northern terminus. (Mind you, 20 years ago, Graham Oliver, CEO of the GCR, published a ten year plan to not only do that, but extend further north to the banks of the River Trent with a major new terminus... Through an infilled cutting, fields, SSSI and the Nottingham Tram plans... But we can but dream how awesome THAT scheme would have been!)

[@WobblyRunner]

Interesting. I wonder what the council's stance is these days.

[@TimothyWorel-f8j]

Doesn't Charnwood Borough Council have a large stake in GCR plc? And what happened to Graham Oliver?

[@edmundcarew7235]

Greetings from Australia. Like many who've donated to the GCR 'reunification' appeal, I find your videos instructive as they give an excellent overview of the existing situation and the challenges. I have little doubt that in a few short years, the 'two railways' will achieve their joint aim. Keep up the terrific work. Once again, thank you!

[@WobblyRunner]

Thanks very much for your kind words Edmund. Glad you find the videos useful. I'm looking forward to covering the next steps.

[@stefanjarrett1667]

Hope the GCR extend all the way to Willford to link the tramway

[@Sam_Green____4114]

Or the tramway could be extended over the GCR ?

[@A-Trainspotter-From-Berkshire]

​@@Sam_Green____4114Or tram-train operation.

[@ianhudson2193]

No chance sadley

[@stefanjarrett1667]

@@ianhudson2193 why not

[@stefanjarrett1667]

Where there's a will there's a way

[@MrSofakinggreat]

I fully agree, this would make an excellent terminus for the GCR, combined with an interchange for the tram network.

[@WobblyRunner]

That would be incredible

[@BegudMaximan-zp2tc]

​@@WobblyRunnerwould be worth it, and all that benefits it.

[@greigs9384]

As already mentioned, the amount of houses going up in Ruddington, I can see the tram heading south with a terminus near the country park. That would also see a great transport link and increase visitor numbers to GCN

[@stuarthall6631]

Absolutely brilliant, fascinating video! Thank you! It does not take too much imagination to see this as the northern terminus or even a heritage train/tram inter-change.

[@Sam_Green____4114]

Crikey moses there are sharp curves in that depot @00:21 on the left ! I can't imagine anything except a 4 wheeled , two axled shunter going around them

[@BadE30]

That’s the model railway! 5 and 7 1/4 gauge track

[@levelcrossing150]

Great series and good to learn more about Ruddington. Many thanks.

[@WobblyRunner]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@declanjoyce8640]

Thanks!

[@WobblyRunner]

Thanks very much Declan 👍

[@Carolb66]

Hi Paul i love the pedestrian bridge you were on with the iron rivets be great seeing the trains going under there. Great drone footage as usual! The old photos were fascinating especially the one from 1897 the year my grandpa was born, & the bridge looked more modern than it does now that its arches. So much history & so much to look forward to in the future hopefully. Cheers paul. ❤😊👍

[@WobblyRunner]

Thanks very much Carol. The bridge was a nice suprise :)

[@neilbaldwin592]

The key is getting the younger generation involved. Because the interest is there.

[@johnfowkes6791]

Thanks

[@WobblyRunner]

Thanks ever so much John 👍

[@steveatkins2564]

Love the content however, could you hold the drone camera a little bit longer in position, so we can absorb more detail. Many Thanks.

[@JGstrongman5317]

A trip back in winter is needed to see those platforms that are still there, I've seen photos of them so would love to experience them myself. Just remember we did Stanford-on-Soar Viaduct to Ruddington all in one day, plus the filming, another great day out.

[@WobblyRunner]

Yeah would be interesting to see what they look like in February

[@Carolb66]

Thanks fascinating series Paul 😊

[@WobblyRunner]

Thanks ever so much Carol. Glad you've been enjoying it.

[@maestromanification]

Another interesting video Paul, always nice to have a lazy Saturday morning and watch a video of yours. I would think the best solution for a station would be a curve but it does look a bit tight. That would also give them a triangle for turning things

[@WobblyRunner]

Cheers Russ 👍😀 We'll have to see what develops once it's all connected.

[@Razzman-bv5qc]

Remember that area when it was a working railway, 50 steps bridge gave access to a cricket ground from Ruddington, In the 1960s used to go trainspotting there in summer on saturday afternoons and school holidays, and watch Stanier black 5s shunting into the Military surplus yard, When finished they used to wait for the road south by the bridge,. Used to finish the day, at Ruddington station on the overbridge to watch the Bournemouth/York Express come storming through Usually with a clean V2, St Peters School York was a regular. Late afternoon there was a southbound express freight, with a britannia on, the "Grimsby Fish" The resulting fish smell could linger for quite awhile when there was not much wind.

[@WobblyRunner]

I love hearing stories of the Grimsby Fish. I remember hearing similar stories at Killamarsh in Derbyshire 🙂

[@richardsterne2875]

You need to revisit in the winter when all the leaves have fallen to get a better view of whats left.

[@WobblyRunner]

100%

[@stephencope7178]

No expense was spared on the building of the G.C., with waterproof blue bricks being employed virtually everywhere. When I lived in Hucknall, I could see that the locals had helped themselves to the remains of an overbridge close to where Hucknall Central Station once was!!

[@WobblyRunner]

So well built wasn't it. Like you say, no expense spared. I wonder if they ever thought of cancelling it as soon as it reached the south midlands ;-)

[@skog4437]

The EMRT still owns the land a good bit North of Ruddington Station, so it could be done, but the more presing concerns would be the south end connection, and then a new Loco shed to replace the soon to be missing one at Loughborough- after that it would make sense to push North to Ruddington to have a more formal run round point for any mainline excursions- with perhaps a DMU shuttle to Ruddington Fields

[@WobblyRunner]

Ah I didnt realise they owned land north of the station too. Good to know 👍🙂

[@ceanothus_bluemoon]

Assuming the Nottingham tram is standard gauge, surely there could s way of sharing some track. Even if a bit altered, the bridge is a beauty and it has been done sympathetically and very much in the style of the GCML. I suppose we can hope that Ruddington comes back in to play in the reunification scheme, but can the money be raised...time will tell!

[@WobblyRunner]

maybe one for the future 🙂

[@RWJP]

The biggest trouble is going to be parking. Neither East Leake or Ruddington Station have any facilities for parking nearby and that will really stymie any planning applications. It's a shame that the northern end just doesn't really "work" out of the box. Having to run round or reverse to get to NTHC just adds time and complexity, neither nearby remaining station has parking, and there's no chance the NTHC would be able to build another chord of track to make a triangle as the land they'd need is a country park and through a farm... It's going to be interesting to see what solutions the GCR and NTHC come up with.

[@thoughtsonnarrowboatingwit3882]

Good video, I’m following this project closely, I am literally doing work there tonight, on midland.

[@WobblyRunner]

Nice one 👍

[@declanjoyce8640]

Cheers Paul...good episode!

[@WobblyRunner]

Cheers :)

[@kelvinhoughton7953]

Today (6-9-24 and the next 2 days) they were/are running an 08 with coaches from the heritage centre to just before the run around loop, I too noticed the engines at that location

[@WobblyRunner]

Yeah it's a shame I'm otherwise engaged this weekend. Hopefully there'll be more engine movements out of the yard soon.

[@cedarcam]

@@WobblyRunner It's a shame you could not go yes. The combined event was really good and gave me the opportunity to visit Ruddington for the first time. I think they are going to run trains regularly on a weekend from what I heard, some officials were there local councillor I think, having photos taken, possibly for a newspaper.

[@WobblyRunner]

@@cedarcam good to read it went well. We've got plans to go down in a few weeks.

[@BegudMaximan-zp2tc]

In the early days of GCR North, I find it a little strange that the Ruddington station site and its accompanying land wasn't secured as part of the preservation project. The MOD site would still have come up for grabs no doubt, and could have been put to use in the manner it is today. Maybe there can be an end to end agreement drawn up to meet up to the tramway, a desirable outcome even.

[@WobblyRunner]

Its a shame houses were built so close to the railway land

[@willswheels283]

Would be a great idea joining up with the tram system in Nottingham, meaning they could operate a public transport system on the GCR all the way down to Leicester. I visited Ruddington old station in 2023 and couidnt see anything of the old platforms. Another very interesting video mate, cheers.👍

[@WobblyRunner]

👍🙂 i think a winter trip is required to investigate the platforms further

[@willswheels283]

@@WobblyRunner Agreed, I’ll do that next time I go that way.

[@barrythedieselelectricstea5217]

love to see the platforms resurrected and the line carrying on providing it has no objections 🤞it would be nice to see what remains

[@WobblyRunner]

I feel a winter visit in the making when the vegetation has receded a bit.

[@PressPlayStudio_Official]

Not possible as there's private land from north of the buffer stop ahead of the run around loop north of the triangle and the station platforms also the noise restrictions will deny us going no further

[@jongreenwood3029]

It’s very curious why NET didn’t extend the tram network along the line to Ruddington

[@GDGRailway47712]

It would be nice if the reunified railway could be taken up to link with the tram line with an interchange station just south of the A52. It would certainly improve the accessibility for visitors.

[@Tom-Lahaye]

An extension towards the tram line would be great, there is enough space to put down a terminus at that place, only the status of the surrounding land as a nature reserve would complicate things. Resurrection of the old Ruddington station seems impossible with the housing so nearby and no parking facilities nearby, but a running line should be no problem. A new stop could be built at the current junction towards the old MOD site, there is enough land and access can be created from Asher lane where now the mud track towards the storage containers is. Ample space for parking there and enough distance from the housing nearby. A DMU can run the short shuttle between this stop and the heritage centre.

[@MorrisPV]

Make Ruddington station the terminus and run shuttles on the branch line to Ruddington Fields. The mainline station could be just an interchange, with parking at the heritage centre...

[@williamchivers380]

10 out of 10.

[@WobblyRunner]

Thanks very much :)

[@garthcox4307]

I bet they'll either build a chord or use a pilot loco on the back end to take trains in and out of ruddington field, running around would be too time consuming. Ideal job for a smallish heritage diesel!

[@WobblyRunner]

Possibly the 08?

[@daystatesniper01]

I walked the whole ex GCR line in the late 80s over a period of three weeks , the track bed was intact to the bridge over the Trent ,which i walked over in to Nottingham itself , the thing is ££££

[@WobblyRunner]

wow. The whole line?

[@daystatesniper01]

@@WobblyRunner Yes from Calvert to Sheff'

[@RCassinello]

5:00 - So strange to see this all just covered in velvety green grass. In 2005 we held a road-railer / plant industry convention on this curve and it was just brutal gravelly soil that was a nightmare to walk on. Fun fact: That's also the day I nearly witnessed a head-on collision whilst manning Asher Lane box. Throughout the day, we'd been running the DMU as a shuttle from the NTHC to a make-shift platform at the convention for contractors / guests / etc. It was running with a single line staff, as is customary. Well I gave permission for the last train of the day to approach the box from the NTHC, but before I knew it, a road railer approached from the convention on the dirt path where (fingers crossed) line 2 will eventually be, and without talking to me at all (AS SIGNALMAN!) just moved onto the railway track, lowered itself down, and headed off to the NTHC! The DMU held the single line staff, and I was dumbfounded - these contractors just had no idea how railways are operated. I immediately phoned the the NTHC and yelled "STOP THE TRAIN STOP THE TRAIN!" and was greeted with a reply of "SHIT!" No one was doing more than about 5mph so in retrospect, I just panicked, but apparently because the DMU was now on the wrong side of the road-rail unloading point (because the DMU should have gone through first) it took an additional two hours to unravel this cock-up.

[@cedarcam]

The trouble with contractors who seem to think the railway works like roadworks

[@WobblyRunner]

😮 wow that could have been a lot worse.

[@RCassinello]

@@cedarcam Indeed, I felt like they were treating the line as if it was just a low-friction road. Suffice to say, I decided not to signal at that location again following the stress that day!

[@cedarcam]

@@RCassinello We had one suddenly appear on a night shift possession, driver had just decided to put his excavator on and run back wrong line towards us.

[@Flymochairman1]

I think that, with more expensive car travel, the surrounding houses there would be prime users of a light rail service, as long as there are no thundering express trains running through. Quite an a tractive venture. Why not join up with the new tram system if it's the same gauge? The modern take on a 'Branchline'. No? The extension beyond Ruddington seems so tempting and a line-side to accommodate any lost Wildlife habitat at the old station. The 'damaged abutments' on the bridge would have been for gate posts and stairs to the island platform. Are those engine units not V12's as used in the likes of the short-lived but powerful Class 58's? They were used in other locomotives too so parts shouldn't be too hard to obtain. Bring back a bit of engineering prowess to an area that needs it. All strength to your elbows folks. Cheers! (St. Gobain..Gobhain...Gwain...Gobhan...Covan...excuse the rambling)

[@mrbojangles8133]

if you can get it to just a few dozen yards from a tram stop, it could serve the heritage line well

[@jamespearson3345]

What are the chances of the GCR being extended to the tram line? Could it happen?

[@WobblyRunner]

I can't see that happening any time soon, although it was a rumour. I assume they'd have to divert around the SSSI at Wilfors cutting now.

[@jackchatfield5464]

back to Nottingham Victoria, next as it's a carpark, which would just need buying back, the land and moving the stupid car park, and new viaducts being built to go back to Leicester Central

[@colinsuffolk9161]

I hand good morning I’m a subscriber to your channel I like watching them. I’ve sent you a few messages before. Great Central Railway is my favourite railway me and my friend went to Nottingham because he likes trams and buses as we are coming back on the central Nottingham on a tram We was coming over near Trent bridge. I said to my friend would be great if he had a tram line going to Ruddington, then the tram driver said ruddington was just over there that’s where the old Great Central Railway Bridge was so I said to the driver it won’t be very hard then we’re going over the Trent to extend it into Ruddington, after that I went to the Ruddington great Central North, as we were speaking to the gentleman, said we still own the land at the old station is so if Nottingham and Leicester councils got there head together just think if they built a station where the whole station was you could have a tram line one side and a steam truck the other side going to Leicester when they built that bridge that gap. Then you’ve got Robin Hood in Nottingham I’m Richard, the third in Leicester just think how many foreign tourists will come on the line either going from Nottingham to Leicester or vice versa thanks for bringing so many memories back. Colin.

[@WobblyRunner]

Thanks Colin. Tram would be handy. There's certainly enough houses in Ruddington isnt there. They might have to go around the SSSI at Wilford cutting though

[@robinkey4499]

20 years ago I stood on the platform now, I don't recognize it. the original plans were to run trains into the platforms

[@RCassinello]

The Ruddington south chord has been talked about for decades - indeed, if you look at Asher Lane westbound home signal, you'll see that the only operational arm is a subsidiary to head north, whilst the post itself should have a main southbound arm. That's how optimistic they were 30 years ago. But in reality, not even considering the cost of the landgrab and closing down the dog kennels, the earth works would be so expensive. It'll never happen. They need to concentrate on a fully signalled run-round loop with loco siding at 50 steps to allow a fast turn around into the NTHC and/or back out onto the main line. What I want? No. What is needed and feasible? Hopefully.

[@tnxrail]

Finally trains run again on 6/7 september around Ruddington to 50 steps.

[@cedarcam]

I rode on one First time I have been there.

[@petes6814]

The NLS maps LIDAR DTM50cm images show a poor condition platform under the vegetation at Ruddington

[@WobblyRunner]

I'll have a look

[@stefanjarrett1667]

MY DREAM AMBITION

[@stefanjarrett1667]

Lets hope that its done

[@stefanjarrett1667]

Massive extension

[@Rockthecasbah3535]

That vegetation If allowed to accelerate as It Is Is going to wreck that Old GCR Road Bridge It all ready looks as though It needs urgent repairs 😮

[@WobblyRunner]

Yep. And it's only got worse since this. It's really accelerated this summer.

[@foxual13]

Anyone got a clue what those engines were at 4:22???

[@skog4437]

Probably EE ones, either from a 37 or 31

[@cedarcam]

@@skog4437 I rode this line on the GCR GCR(N) diesel gala 2024 and saw a few of these engines, pretty sure some are HST engines and the thing like a generator or something to go with the engine is a radiator from an HST

[@skog4437]

@@cedarcam there's definitely a hst cooler, but I think most of the engines are from EE, otherwise they'd have left with their respective locos, might be the one from 44, as it's getting an original one back I think

[@cedarcam]

@@skog4437 Thanks I am not an expert on engines but recognised one was from an HST from on the train ride. I was surprised to see them just left out in the open not sheeted over. There is also an old steam loco tender that had been converted into some kind of wagon.

[@skog4437]

@@cedarcam much of this is gone or going, and from what I recall they were sheeted over in the past, but have since lost their covers. The railway is doing it's best to tidy up after years of accumulated stuff

[@berkhofduvedec]

Back to Marylebone😂😂

[@DarrenChilvers]

In my opinion any think that has been built where a railway line once was whether a line or a siding should be demolished compensation if any be paid by the idiot who gave the planning permission

[@WobblyRunner]

I guess the nimbyism is strong in these situations.

[@paulroberts7561]

The Great Central Railway, LNER. Ran by the bottom of our garden in Loughborough when I was Kid. They were steam trains, passenger and goods. They were all dirty and smelly. Often setting the railway bank on fire. All in all a bloody nuisance. My mum would hang the washing out and a bloody steam rain came by belching out smoke and Ash sometimes burning holes in her washing. I suppose that is why as a boy, never had any interest in train spotting or steam trains.

[@stephenpearson-jacklin8401]

What a curmudgeon. I suppose the railway was there before your folks moved into the house? A great shame that the GCR went as it’s much needed now. And of course modern trains don’t belch soot etc so that would keep even the likes of you happy.

[@TonyFisherphotony]

Thanks

[@WobblyRunner]

Thanks very much Tony 👍

[@TonyFisherphotony]

@@WobblyRunner welcome ! great videos