Need
Few people in and around Mountsorrel know the village used to have its own railway, built to serve the nearby granite quarries. Children and young people, especially, are being denied the opportunity to learn about their industrial heritage.
Solution
The Mountsorrel Railway will be rebuilt as a working museum and a unique industrial branch of the nearby Great Central Railway. Visitors will see the important part the railway and the quarry played in village life.
Aims
To rebuild the Mountsorrel Railway
Activities
» Clear and widen the trackbed ready for ballast and rail
» Lay ballast
» Lay rail and fittings
» Run trains
Success will be when people can travel on trains from the Great Central along the Mountsorrel Railway
Impact
Local people, especially children and young people, will know more about their local industrial history. People disembarking at Mountsorrel would be able to visit the village, benefiting local businesses - particularly Stonehurst Family Farm, an attraction close to the end of the line.
Risk
There was a risk that the relevant permissions might not be obtained. We have obtained all the relevant permissions, and the project is fully supported by Lafarge (who own the quarry), the Great Central Railway, Mountsorrel Parish Council, and the local MP and MEP.
Reporting
Funders of this project will receive monthly e-mails detailing progress, and would be regularly invited to visit the project.
Budget - Project Cost: £130,000
| |
Amount |
Heading |
Description |
| |
£100,000 |
Rail and fittings |
Lengths of rail, sleepers, fishplates, track bolts, rail chairs, other fittings |
| |
£30,000 |
Haulage |
Hire of a low loader to transport the rail |
Current Funding / Pledges
| Source |
Amount |
|
| Local companies and trusts |
£8,000 |
Guaranteed |
| Other local support |
£7,000 |
Guaranteed |
Location
The Mountsorrel Railway will run between Swithland Sidings, on the Great Central Railway, to Bond Lane in Mountsorrel. See map here: http://maps. Google. Com/maps/ms? Ie=UTF8&hl=en&om=1&msa=0&msid=100607756646078695093. 000451a76e971d7352942&z=15
Beneficiaries
Local children and young people, and to a lesser extent the local older population, will benefit from learning about their industrial heritage.
Why Us?
About half of the land the railway will run on its leased by RVP, and the other half by the quarry owner Lafarge Aggregates (who are fully supportive of the project).
Read more about the Charity running this project.
People
Steve Cramp
Steve is the volunteer who coordinates the project, meeting the project partners and organising volunteers to do the work.
