Great Central Railway (heritage railway)
| Great Central Railway | |
|---|---|
BR Standard Class 7 70013 Oliver Cromwell leaving Loughborough | |
| Locale | Loughborough, Leicestershire, England |
| Terminus | Leicester North |
| Commercial operations | |
| Built by | Edward Watkin Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway |
| Original gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Preserved operations | |
| Operated by | Great Central Railway Plc |
| Stations | 4 |
| Length | 8.25 miles (13.28 km) (Leicester) 10 miles (16 km) (Nottingham) |
| Preserved gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Commercial history | |
| Opened | 1897 |
| Closed | 17 March 1969 |
| Preservation history | |
| 23 March 1974 | GCR Reopened |
| 1976 | GCR Plc formed |
| 2000 | Double track opened |
| 2012 | Swithland Sidings opened to the public |
| Headquarters | Loughborough Central & Ruddington |
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The Great Central Railway (GCR) is a heritage railway in Leicestershire, England, named after the company that originally built this stretch of railway. It runs for 8.25 miles (13.28 km) between the town of Loughborough and a new terminus in the north of Leicester. It has period signalling, locomotives and rolling stock.
Four stations are in operation, each restored to a period in the railway's commercial history: Loughborough Central (the 1950s); Quorn & Woodhouse (Second World War and the remainder of the 1940s); Rothley (Edwardian Era); Leicester North (the 1960s).
Between 2006 and 2023 there were four accidents involving injury to people, or investigation by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB).