Loughborough Central railway station



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 ft 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 Railway on 15 March 1899 and was closed on 5 May 1969. It was reopened by the Great Central Railway (preserved) 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 Gap 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.

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 sited to the north, and the three original water tanks are all grade II listed. 

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.