The Mountsorrel Branch on the Great Central Railway, Leicestershire, UK

There's a part of the Great Central Railway between Loughborough and Leicester North that isn't usually open for passengers. The Mountsorrel branch runs about 1.2 miles from Swithland Sidings to Nunkley Hill and Mountsorrel. Originally a mineral railway, it closed in the 1950's. Volunteers from the Mountsorrel and Rothley Heritage Centre decided to rebuild part of the branch and it's now occasionally operated by the GCR on limited dates. June 1 2024 was one of those special dates, so I headed up to Rothley to experience the contrast of the Mountsorrel branch with the GCR "Main Line",
Join me for this lovely trip along the branch
Mountsorrel & Rothley Community Heritage Centre website:
heritage-centre...
GCR website: www.gcrailway....

[@MattDavis_BeechingsGhosts]

14:40 The original timbers of the lifting bridge didn't survive because they were burnt by contractors working for Leicestershire County Council when they moved it from its position outside the fascinating Snibston Discovery park, which closed in 2015 (a cost cutting measure). The timbers were deteriorating (from an 1845 rebuild and an 1883 redesign) but no thought had been made about recording the workings of the mechanism. Despite being removed from West Bridge in the 1960s, it had been reconstructed firstly at Abbey Pumping Station and then at Snibston but bizarrely in the open position with a wagon on it, which would never have happened. I look forward to it being 'lifted' to show its workings. The current reconstruction was completed using photos and drawings of it in its place at West Bridge (next to Soar Lane).

[@sarahnetherton4501]

Thanks very much for the extra detail. I knew the bridge had been at Snibston but wasn't aware it was "official" vandalism that led to the destruction of the original timbers.

[@alanjewell9550]

I took that trip a few months ago. Delightful & amazing what the local community have achieved with this & the heritage center.

[@sarahnetherton4501]

Absolutely! I must go back to the Heritage Centre, as I didn't really get enough time there to see everything. What I did see was superb!

[@bixanorak]

Caught this video by chance. So glad I did! Congratulations on what you all have done, and wishing you 110% increasing success in the future. It's the veriest heart & soul of railway preservation! 😀

[@sarahnetherton4501]

I can't claim any connection with the tremendous efforts that have restored this piece of infrastructure to its glorious present state but I totally agree with your sentiments. I shall definitely enjoy the fruits of the amazing volunteers labours again, as it's a wonderful piece of heritage restoration.

[@user-pq4qc8tb7s]

Question answered.Really interesting video for me as l grew up in Leicester in the 50’s/60’s and remember the G C R when it was fully functional.Sadly l saw its demise as well.

[@GreenJimll]

Good to see the branch in use. I had a very small hand in helping with the clearance and track laying. A remarkable contrast to one summer weekday evening around the turn of the century when a few of us GCR volunteers, having finished some work on the GCR quicker than expected, went for a nosey down the abandoned trackbed. Despite having iron bars with us we only made it a hundred yards or so due to density of vegetation.

[@sarahnetherton4501]

Agreed - Great to see the line back in use again. If only the access to the branch was a bit easier so it could be operated more often, but I realise when funds are tight there's a limit to what any railway can do. Reunification is of course the priority project at GCR.

[@DemonBalthazar39]

excellent video captured the heritage center lovely too i work as a guard and driver on the narrow gauge railway there its a great place to bring children and other railway enthusiasts

[@isambardtrump468]

Hi - thanks for your kind words. I'll look about for you if you're on duty when I next visit and say hello.

[@sarahnetherton4501]

Many thanks! Didn't manage to fit in the narrow gauge last time, but I'll be back again to give it a go.

[@musketthedog]

Great video and I'm glad you enjoyed visiting us at the Heritage Centre. Very pleased to finally see some video evidence of me driving in the Ruston!

[@sarahnetherton4501]

Pleased to have been of service!! I'm coming back to the Heritage Centre for a longer visit, because I didn't have enough time when I made the video to see everything.

[@sarahwinfield3989]

That was really enjoyable. I have the feeling that some preserved lines are for money; which is of course important; but that others are run by pure enthusiasts. You are definitely in the latter.

[@sarahnetherton4501]

Thanks for your lovely comments. The GCR has been through tough financial times, as have almost all of the heritage lines, so it's great to be able to support their efforts to preserve our transport history. I think the GCR offers great value for money, and I think their volunteers are, as you say, very enthusiastic about what they are doing, which makes for a fantastic atmosphere every time I have visited.

[@brianwillson9567]

Many years ago i walked about a mile from the junction and it was just about passable. I certainly never thought trains would ever return.

[@sarahnetherton4501]

I'm sure you weren't alone in that view!

[@rodsmith3911]

I can remember as a child playing in some old wooden wagons that were abandoned in the cutting near Nunckley Hill. Never thought that the line would be used as a passenger branch line! In my younger days I can recall walking along the towpath of the Grand Union Canal by Frog Island and going under the Swannington Railway lift Bridge when it was still in its rightful place doing the job it was built for. Sad it's not still there but at least it survives in a much renovated condition. It always fascinated me and I spent a long time looking at it and trying to work out just how it operated. It doesn't look quite the same without the canal beneath it and the woodwork was never that pristine! It was a very mucky and murky spot where it stood. I always thought it was a bit spooky!

[@sarahnetherton4501]

Brilliant to have this very local history - Thanks for your comments. Yes the original timbers of the lifting bridge haven't survived, but all of the ironwork is original

[@user-pq4qc8tb7s]

I couldn’t quite make it out but was that a remake of Stephenson’s lift bridge in the Nunockley Hill yard ?I remember the one over the Soar when l was a kid.

[@sarahnetherton4501]

Hi - Glad you enjoyed the "tour". Yes the bridge you saw at the Heritage Centre sounds like the one you remember. I believe it was near Bath Lane in Leicester.