My Visits: Great Central Railway (Loughborough)
With thanks to the kind staff of Great Central Railway for directions around the station and information on some of the locomotives.
On the 11th May 2025, Me and Jayden went to Loughborough to pick up my ELECO HW-853, which I had bought from eBay. I also gave myself enough time to visit various installations of street lighting around Loughborough, and visit the Great Central Railway. In 1969, following the closure of British Railways, a group of volunteers opted for the line to be preserved and turned into a heritage railway. The first locomotive to be spotted was this British Railways Class 2 2-6-0 on Platform 2.
It had yet to connect to the carriages it would be pulling.
A dormant train was situated on the opposite tracks (of Platform 1) and it did not move in the roughly two hours we were there.
At the end of the train sat a Class 45 Peak D123 diesel "Leicestershire and Derbyshire Yeomanry" locomotive. This locomotive was built between 1960 and 1962, with 126 being made by British Rail at Derby and Crewe Works.
The platforms around the station are all fitted with enamel-reflector lanterns, perhaps of REVO design.
On the opposite wall are a Coughtrie SW.10 and a Coughtrie SW.6. The Coughtrie SW.10 is likely a newer replacement. Both (as well as probably the Coughtrie PW15 Lantern Installations) are fitted with 9W LED GLS lamps.
At this point, a steam locomotive emerged from a puff of smoke in the distance:
It turned out to be a British Railways Class 5 4-6-0 No.73156. It is one of the 172 constructed by British Railways between 1951-1956, with this particular example dating to December 1956, in Doncaster.
Another steam locomotive was attached to the other end, and the train departed the same way it came from.
The smoke was sufficient to cause complete blindness of whatever locomotive was causing it!
After a few minutes, the smoke began to clear, revealing a British Railways Class 2 2-6-0, which departed soon after.
After some lunch, we emerged from the Café to see a Class 37 had pulled in to the station. This locomotive was built in 1961, and underwent it's conversion to 37/7 in 1998.
At the end of the platform are two SUGG Rochester Gas lanterns on ornate cast-iron columns, both of which have been electrified.
The first of these has lost it's shade and glass, but four nozzle-positions on the remains of a cluster burner are present inside.
The second installation is in great condition!
This installation would also have had four nozzles in it previously - before electrification.
We then turned around to see a GWR Modified Hall 4-6-0 No.6990 chugging it's way down the track.
Continuing up the tracks, more locomotives were sighted.
The wooden column nearby has a Falks (or later made by Thorn) railway lantern on it, fitted with an elliptical lamp, likely SON.
A Class 08 No.13101 diesel locomotive was sitting dormant on one of the tracks... This example was acquired by Grand Central Railway in 1984, roughly 29 years after it was built in Derby, 1955.
...Followed shortly by a British Railways Standard Class 2MT 2-6-0:
The last locomotive in the line up to be photographed was this British Railways Standard Class 9F 2-10-0 No.92214, but as you can see, there were plenty more!
Another railway lantern exists at the end of the walkway, this one another enamel-reflector lantern.
A Derby Lightweight single car unit (built between 1954 and 1955 as the first major-production DMU type built by British Railways) arrived at platform 1 just as we were on the way back to the main station.
...Meanwhile, a racket erupted from Platform 2.
As it turned out, No.6990 that we saw earlier was releasing steam. This was so loud that it took me about one hour to fully regain my hearing!
A brief chug occurred, and the train began it's journey!
And with that, the last place in the station to visit was the museum. Outside it was another Coughtrie SW.10 bulkhead:
The first thing to the left inside the museum were a series of railway handlamps.
A signal arm, as well as lots of railway-themed signs are installed on the walls of the museum.
By far the most interesting thing to me inside the museum was this model railway.
On my way out, I decided to picture the remaining (suspended) ex-gas Rochesters. These have also been electrified, but unlike the platform examples, they are fitted with a white reflective plate.
