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GCR Bridge Project

Cowley

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Thanks Phil.
It’s going to be good to see this piece of infrastructure restored to useable condition.
I was also hoping to ask you, if and when you have time and are around the shed area at Loughborough some time. If you might be able to take a couple of photos of either side of shed and post them on here?
I’d be very interested to see what’s been cleared/moved etc since I was last there a couple of years ago.
 
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Flying Phil

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I was due to visit Lbro today so - as requested, I took pictures of each side of the loco shedDSCF8151.JPG DSCF8157.JPG

And noticed a large boom at the end of the shed. So I went to take a look.....

DSCF8154.JPG
The two lattices are being lifted off to go to a firm in South Wales for renovation, the ballast has been removed from the decks and so shot blasting will start soon!
 

Cowley

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Thanks Phil that’s much appreciated.
Is the second photo (with all the grounded van bodies) looking towards the canal bridge then?
 

Flying Phil

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Thanks Phil that’s much appreciated.
Is the second photo (with all the grounded van bodies) looking towards the canal bridge then?

Yes it is. There is still quite a lot of "stuff" there, but much is being moved into the new "container park", which is behind the shed on the East side - which will also act as an "acoustic wall" when the running lines North go through.
AndyY The current shed is approx 12 m wide with three tracks and there is approx 8m width to the West of it, there is also about 4 m space to the East of the shed virtually unused
 

L+Y

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Here is the Lattice-less Canal bridge.

Thanks Phil.

Interesting that the latest issue of Main Line is still talking about the intention being double track at least over the canal bridge.

Any chance of an update at the presumably now fully completed MML bridge?
 

Flying Phil

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L + Y Yes the plan is to go double track over the bridge and some way along the (to be built) embankment. Then it will be single track on the new arches/Reading decks/arches leading onto the MML bridge.
I will try to photograph the MML bridge next week but I don't think they have been moving the spoil heap yet?
The East side of the Canal Bridge seems to be in the poorest condition.DSCF8164.JPG
 

AndyY1951

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There's a new GCR video showing start of the work on the canal bridge here -
I'm not sure I like the caption that 'it's a double track bridge and the plan is to restore one side for trains', that sounds like cutting back the scope of the job.

Andy
 

Flying Phil

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I wonder if the plan is "evolving" ..... I know originally they were talking about double track over the canal bridge and along the embankment for "operational reasons" but that was when the track was to go around the loco shed. As that has changed (and they are clearing containers etc on the West side), could it be that it will now be single track over the canal bridge after all? Obviously that will be cheaper and the embankment will also be narrower and cheaper (that may also be better from the water authority/brook access/flood plain aspects).
 

AndyY1951

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I would have thought it is cutting corners to do anything other than fully restore the bridge to double-track standards whilst the opportunity exists, even if track is then only laid on one side. The plan must always have been for the embankment to taper from double track at the bridge to single track passing Preci-Spark using the ex-Reading bridge spans anyway.
 

Flying Phil

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Hi Andy
Yes the plan does call for double to single track....but "where" is quite significant. The Reading decks are for the far end over the Precis spark car park and Tip access road. So, in theory, the embankment could be mostly double track - but that would be the most expensive option and for how much benefit? If you are only going to use one side of the canal bridge for track then the restoration cost must be significantly less. Using the loco shed route may give another loop siding, in addition to the double track up to the bridge?
 

Flying Phil

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There has been a bit more of a tidy up alongside the shed and the Canal bridge looks to have been examined in a bit more detail. There has been no work done to the North of the MML bridge so there is still a gap to the embankment.
 

Flying Phil

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No change on the canal bridge site as of yesterday, but there is still more clearance of "stuff" on the West side boundary.
 

Flying Phil

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There is a notice to canal users that scaffolding is going to be in place around the bridge from Feb 23rd......So, progress again.
 

AndyY1951

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This is a picture taken by a friend of mine back in 1990, note the embankment is still intact. I'm surprised it was then removed, surely there were long-term plans to close 'the gap' by this date?P90-328 GCR Loughborough Old Rail Bridgedeck + Missing Embankment.jpg
 

Mogulb

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This is a picture taken by a friend of mine back in 1990, note the embankment is still intact. I'm surprised it was then removed, surely there were long-term plans to close 'the gap' by this date?View attachment 59507

That shows what was left by BR after they had removed the majority to build the cord to connect to the MML. If memory serves me correctly BR wanted £50k to leave the embankment,at the time the GCR needed every penny to buy the existing track.
 

Flying Phil

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AndyY I think the photo shows that the top of the embankment had actually been removed and as MogulB correctly states, the material removed was used to construct the chord line from the MML. Also, as MogulB states, the GCR was very much strapped for cash at the time - and several other times!! it is fantastic that the railway is steadily making progress on several fronts.
 

Cowley

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Afternoon folks.
Managed to have a stroll around Loughborough Central on Sunday morning. I could see that quite a bit of stuff has been cleared away since I was there last.
Just a quick question, as you look at the shed, is the plan for the link line to pass on the left or the right as you look at it?
 

Mogulb

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Afternoon folks.
Managed to have a stroll around Loughborough Central on Sunday morning. I could see that quite a bit of stuff has been cleared away since I was there last.
Just a quick question, as you look at the shed, is the plan for the link line to pass on the left or the right as you look at it?

Right hand side,ie the east side.
 

Cowley

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Right hand side,ie the east side.
Thanks for that. I thought it was the right but I asked a young chap who was shovelling muck up in front of the shed and he said that the shed was going to be moved.
I thought that it was going to the right at first and then some time in the future the shed was being replaced?
 

Mogulb

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The original plan was to go to the left and refurbish the existing shed, that does throw up a few problems. My understanding ( Flyingphil should be able to confirm) is that a new shed will be built upto the western boundary and the old shed removed.
 

Cowley

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The original plan was to go to the left and refurbish the existing shed, that does throw up a few problems. My understanding ( Flyingphil should be able to confirm) is that a new shed will be built upto the western boundary and the old shed removed.
Ok. The original shed is starting to look quite tired now.
It was a shame I didn't have a bit longer to look around on Sunday but I bunged a bit of cash in the tin and enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere.
 

Flying Phil

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Hi
As MogulB says, the original idea was to pass the shed on the unused right hand side (looking North). However, as the shed is going to need a lot of money spending to bring it up to a reasonable standard (it was a redundant ex RAF hanger in 1975!) it makes more sense to have a new shed in a position on the West ie on the right hand edge of the site so the tracks North actually follow the original layout and will go through where the shed is now. This will make the signalling easier and have far less disruption of the existing track. It may include a good travelling crane in the new shed. This may seem the most expensive option but there are cost savings which make it overall a better option.....So I believe.
Hope you enjoyed your visit Cowley.......and thanks for your donation.:D
 

Cowley

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Thanks Phil. Next time I'm up I'll make sure I have more time and I'll give you shout.
 

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