GRES outing to The Great Central Railway

Описание: GRES paid a visit to the Great Central Railway for it's annual outing on Saturday 28th June 2025. This was the second time that GRES visited the Railway since 2011 (engines that day were 48305, 4953 and a class 31). The two steam locomotives running were BR Standard 5 73156 and BR Standard 2 78019. 78019 is one of four preserved tender engines of her class, not only that she became the first member of her class to run on Southern metals when she visited the Spa Valley Railway and the Kent and East Sussex Railway as none of the tender engines worked on the Southern Region of British Railways in steam days, her sister 78018 became famous for being stuck in a snowdrift and had to be rescued. For diesel fans the two locomotives running were Class 55 Deltic 55019 Royal Highland Fusilier and Class 50 Royal Oak, the latter top and tailed with the BR Standard 2 due to fire risk from todays hot temperature. 55019 was named after an army regiment were some of her sisters were named after Racehorses and these engines replaced pacific locomotives like the Gresley A4s, Peppercorn A1s and Gresley A3s in the 1950s and 1960s but in 1982 they were all withdrawn due to being replaced by HST 125 trains and Class 91 electrics, however six Deltics were preserved (seven if you include the prototype). 50017 is named after warship which the nameplate was once carried by a class 43 warship diesel hydraulic D842. The trip to Loughborough was with the Standard 5 73156 (a Doncaster built loco) before moving to take a dining train named The Carolean with a coach that's similar to the one on the Belmond Royal Scotsman so the BR Standard 2 took over the rest of the steam services with 50017. But on the journey back to Leicester North originally Belgrave & Bristall was made by taking the Deltic and she made a awesome sound and took off like aeroplane on departure passing Swithland Sidings and reservoir along the way. Notice the wagons including fuel tanks in the sidings. The GCR was once a through route to London Marylebone from Manchester seeing express trains and fast freights with one coal train named The windcutters and saw different steam locomotives from GCR D11 4-4-0s & class 8K 2-8-0s to LMS Black 5s and BR Standard 9fs. However despite being a key cross county route and a fast freight line it was becoming run down and car travel became King so in 1969 the route was closed down completely and the GCR was no more. The line from Loughborough to Belgrave and Bristall (now Leicester North) was restored to its former glory now becoming the world's only double track steam railway. The railway has gained a reputation for being in films and TV shows including Casualty, Ripper Street, Enigma, The Hours, Shadowlands, Top Gear and Full Steam Ahead. The railway also ran dining trains from Friday evenings to Sunday Roasts, all in all the Railway has a bright future and when the line join it's northern half the railway will rejoin Nottingham and Leicester for the first time since 1969 and crossing over the Midland Mainline at Loughborough Midland hosting all sort of special events and making the line more enjoyable for generations to come.