Loughborough Central railway station
Encyclopedia
Loughborough Central Station is a railway station on the Great Central Railway
and the Great Central Railway (preserved)
serving Loughborough
.
The station is built to the standard GCR arrangement of having an island platform
set between the two main running lines, however the station buildings themselves are unique on the preserved Great Central Railway. The station canopy itself is the longest station canopy in preservation, and is currently under restoration to its original condition.
The platforms at Loughborough are 400 feet (121.9 m) long, and are capable of accommodating the usual consist of 3-7 coaches and/or mail vans, though they may be extended in the near future. Train services currently run south from the station to Leicester North, but in the future are expected to run north from the station to the Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre at Ruddington.
on 15 March 1899 and was closed on 5 May 1969. It was reopened by the Great Central Railway (preserved)
in 1974.
has been bridged, the shed will need to be demolished and replaced, due to the current position intercepting with the future double line to Ruddington. The replacement is a 10-road from Workington
in Cumbria
, which will be rebuilt brick-by-brick into an 8-road shed which could, supposedly have enough storage for sixteen large tender engines. The brownfield site it will eventually be built on will include the shed itself (half of which will be converted into a workshop), a second carriage works, storage sidings and an education centre for school groups.
The station buildings, original GCR signal box
sited to the north, and the three original water tanks are all grade II listed. http://www.charnwood.gov.uk/environment/loughborough-statutorylist.html#loughborough25a
The station has appeared in many film and television programmes, chosen for its retro aesthetic, such as Enigma
, Shadowlands
and Cemetery Junction
. The station and Great Central Railway line were also featured in the fourth episode of the 17th series
of BBC
's Top Gear programme, shown on 17 July 2011 during a train/car feature, which was filmed in June 2011.
Great Central Railway
The Great Central Railway was a railway company in England which came into being when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension . On 1 January 1923, it was grouped into the London and North Eastern...
and the Great Central Railway (preserved)
Great Central Railway (preserved)
The Great Central Railway is a heritage railway split into two adjacent sections, one in Leicestershire and the other Nottinghamshire.The Leicestershire section is currently Britain's only double track mainline heritage railway, with of working double track, period signalling, locomotives and...
serving Loughborough
Loughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
.
The station is built to the standard GCR arrangement of having an island platform
Island platform
An island platform is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange...
set between the two main running lines, however the station buildings themselves are unique on the preserved Great Central Railway. The station canopy itself is the longest station canopy in preservation, and is currently under restoration to its original condition.
The platforms at Loughborough are 400 feet (121.9 m) long, and are capable of accommodating the usual consist of 3-7 coaches and/or mail vans, though they may be extended in the near future. Train services currently run south from the station to Leicester North, but in the future are expected to run north from the station to the Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre at Ruddington.
History
The station was opened by the Great Central RailwayGreat Central Railway
The Great Central Railway was a railway company in England which came into being when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension . On 1 January 1923, it was grouped into the London and North Eastern...
on 15 March 1899 and was closed on 5 May 1969. It was reopened by the Great Central Railway (preserved)
Great Central Railway (preserved)
The Great Central Railway is a heritage railway split into two adjacent sections, one in Leicestershire and the other Nottinghamshire.The Leicestershire section is currently Britain's only double track mainline heritage railway, with of working double track, period signalling, locomotives and...
in 1974.
Station facilities
Station facilities include a book and gift shop, a museum, a refreshment room, ladies' waiting room and power room, general waiting room, gentlemen's toilets and an emporium. The station also plays host to the command centre of the railway from which the Duty Traffic Manager organizes all movements which take place on the railway from the Station Master's Office. In 2009, a £20,000 grant allowed the station to have new toilets and a lift in the entrance hall to be installed for the benefits of the disabled. All the surviving parts of the original station building have been restored to 1950s condition to match the condition of much of the railway itself.Running shed
From a long fenced pathway alongside the northward line, the running shed can be viewed. This large 3-road building has to accommodate both residential and visiting motive power, as well as serving as a workshop. Unlike most other railways, it is possible to go inside and see "most" of the steam locomotives in various stages of completion. Only the third road is inaccessible to the general public. At some point, when the Loughborough GapLoughborough Gap
The Loughborough Gap is a short, disused section of the former Great Central Main Line in the northeastern corner of Loughborough, England, between the northern and southern sections of the present-day Great Central Railway. The formation originally consisted of an embankment and three bridges: two...
has been bridged, the shed will need to be demolished and replaced, due to the current position intercepting with the future double line to Ruddington. The replacement is a 10-road from Workington
Workington
Workington is a town, civil parish and port on the west coast of Cumbria, England, at the mouth of the River Derwent. Lying within the Borough of Allerdale, Workington is southwest of Carlisle, west of Cockermouth, and southwest of Maryport...
in Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
, which will be rebuilt brick-by-brick into an 8-road shed which could, supposedly have enough storage for sixteen large tender engines. The brownfield site it will eventually be built on will include the shed itself (half of which will be converted into a workshop), a second carriage works, storage sidings and an education centre for school groups.
Station era
The station at Loughborough, like all stations upon the preserved Great Central Railway, is set in a specific era; at Loughborough this era is the 1950s. Many artefacts around the station aid in this atmosphere, including original and recreated British Railways posters, British Railways totem poles, a 1950s TV showing 1950s transportation films in the general waiting room, and a display of 1950s platform trolleys and bicycles.The station buildings, original GCR signal box
Signal box
On a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetable...
sited to the north, and the three original water tanks are all grade II listed. http://www.charnwood.gov.uk/environment/loughborough-statutorylist.html#loughborough25a
The station has appeared in many film and television programmes, chosen for its retro aesthetic, such as Enigma
Enigma (2001 film)
Enigma is a 2001 British film about the Enigma codebreakers of Bletchley Park in World War II. The film, directed by Michael Apted, stars Dougray Scott and Kate Winslet. The film's screenplay was by Tom Stoppard, based on the novel Enigma by Robert Harris...
, Shadowlands
Shadowlands
Shadowlands is a 1985 television film, written by William Nicholson, directed by Norman Stone and produced by David M. Thompson for BBC Wales. Its subject is the relationship between Oxford don and author, C. S. Lewis and Joy Gresham....
and Cemetery Junction
Cemetery Junction (film)
Cemetery Junction is a coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. The film was released in the United Kingdom on 14 April 2010.-Plot:...
. The station and Great Central Railway line were also featured in the fourth episode of the 17th series
Top Gear (series 17)
The seventeenth series of British motoring program Top Gear began on BBC Two and BBC HD, on June 26, 2011, with the usual presenting team of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May and The Stig.-Episodes:- References :...
of BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Top Gear programme, shown on 17 July 2011 during a train/car feature, which was filmed in June 2011.
See also
- Loughborough railway stationLoughborough railway stationLoughborough railway station serves the town of Loughborough in Leicestershire, England. Situated on the Midland Main Line, 20 km north of Leicester, the station lies to the north-east of the town centre....
- formerly Loughborough Midland.