Volume 7 Number 46 GREAT CENTRAL RAILWAY WEEKLY NEWSLETTER November

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1 Volume 7 Number 46 GREAT CENTRAL RAILWAY WEEKLY NEWSLETTER November Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal. This year my wife and I offered to sell poppies for the annual Poppy Appeal. The lady who has sold poppies on the train every year, and who was known by many people on the railway, has had to retire because of ill health. We allocated collecting tins to Ellis's Tea Room and Rothley Tea Room and also two ladies offered to sell poppies on the train. A grand total of was collected over a period of about two weeks. We have received a note of grateful thanks from the Royal British Legion for everyone s efforts. Roy Emmett TEAM EMPORIUM As Christmas approaches it s time to think of what to buy for the railway enthusiast who has everything. We probably have the finest collection of quality goods that we have ever had due to some brilliant donations. How about these: 2 framed prints of Butler Henderson at Worksop in each. Railway jigsaws (as new) normally priced at around 15 - our price 5-7. Model buses, cars etc band new. Days gone by/yesteryear all competitively priced. Graham Farish N gauge brand new. Retail price our price 85. Models available are: A1 - North Eastern and Jubilee - Hong Kong. Have you read the December Railway Magazine? There is a review of the book DIESEL MORNING by David Percival. This is a limited edition publication and we are lucky to have a small stock of this book priced at This is just a small selection of what we have available. Call in soon. Chris Shilliam and the team Page 1 / 5

2 FoGCML Fleeces With Christmas on the horizon, and the arrival of the colder weather, what better way of keeping warm and supporting the railway than wearing your very own personalised Friends of the Great Central Main Line fleece? Each high quality black fleece costs and is available in a full range of sizes and is supplied with your name embroidered on it. We can only offer these fleeces to paid up members of the Great Central Railway's supporting organisation - Friends of the Great Central Main so if you are reading this and are not yet a member of the Friends please follow the "Join Us" link from the GCR website and check out all the other benefits of membership - there's still time to join at 2012 prices! To order, Andy Bennett at andycbennett@talktalk.net (note the "c" in the name!) or text or call on (calls after 6.00pm please). Just quote your Friends membership number, your chest size in inches (bearing in mind the fleece is intended as an over-garment) and the exact spelling of your name to be embroidered on the fleece. Your fleece will be delivered to Loughborough Station Booking Office for you to collect and payment is only due when you call to pick it up. Andy Bennett "Films Now Showing": Home Movies of Steam Railways on the Silver Screen. Mick Lang is presenting a selection of home movies in Ellis Tea Room on Friday 30th November at 7.00pm. Films include Austrian Narrow Gauge, Welshpool and Llanfair Railway, Old Leicester and Leicestershire plus many more with 'Full Supporting Programme'. Tickets are 10 (10% reduction for members) available from Ellis Tea Room and include admission plus Faggots and Peas and licensed bar. Telephone Funds raised will go towards Rothley Vehicle Preservation for carriage restoration. The show will probably include films not shown last time when the show was curtailed half way through to enable everyone to get home, because of a very heavy fall of snow. Roy Emmett Christmas Fayre at Greenacres Saturday 8 December We are busy preparing for the Christmas Fayre at Greenacres and have a number of stallholders coming along with their hand- made crafts, so an ideal opportunity to purchase some original Christmas presents. The Platform Café will also be hosting some stalls, including a book, toy and cake stall, with a donation going to Loros. So if anyone would like to donate books or toys that are in a good condition that we could include on our stalls please let me know, or just pop into Greenacres and we will be glad to take them off your hands. Page 2 / 5

3 This will be our first Christmas Fayre and we look forward to seeing as many of you there as possible and appreciate all the support we have had so far. If you are coming along and bringing some little people with you, there will be a certain you know who there! Main Meal & A Mince Pie December 5 and 10 The Platform Café are now taking bookings for their Christmas Party Menu but would like to invite all of GCR (including volunteers, members & staff, plus partners) to join us in celebrating the festivities at The Platform Café, Greenacres, during two special evenings reserved for GCR. 10th December is quickly getting booked up so please let me know if you would like to join us. A Christmas Main Meal & a Mince Pie, with a choice of; Traditional Turkey meal with all the trimmings Premier Nut Loaf with Honey Roast Parsnips & Cherry Vine Tomatoes Winter Vegetable Medley & Brussel Sprouts with Chestnuts served with all meals Home-made Hot Brandy Mince Pies served with Vanilla Ice Cream 9.99 per person Wednesday 5th December or Monday 10th December at 7.00pm, Entertainment from 8.00pm. This is a ticket only event, reservations and tickets will need to be booked and a 5 deposit paid for in advance please, by contacting Lesley Allardyce on (01509) or All cheques payable to Great Central Railway PLC please. Page 3 / 5

4 Leicestershire area group December 14 Main Line Steam, 2012, on Video PSOV The usual superb footage from Karl and Dave. January 11 The Final Years Roger Jones Images of the last five years of B.R. steam nationwide. February 8 Steam in Scotland, Part 4 Perth to Carlisle Chris Banks From Perth, over the Forth Bridge to the Edinburgh area, and finally the Waverly route. March 8 Steam in the Snow Les Nixon Wintry scenes from pre-60 s to the present century in the U.K. and worldwide. All meeting are held at St. Bartholomews Church Hall, Church Lane, Quorn, near Loughborough, starting at Free admittance, although donations welcome to defray costs. Refreshments available during the interval. Any enquiries to John Calton on , Keith Satterly or Peter Hack Northamptonshire area group December 5 GCR behind the scenes Tom Ingall GCR at the movies featuring clips from some of filming on the railway January 2 Steam in action GB Productions Preserved steam in action on and off the mainline. February 6 GCR steam David Putt Slide show of all the locos that have run on the preserved railway March 6 Last years of BR steam Roger Jones Slide show from the last 5 years of BR All meetings are held at Weston Favell Parish Hall, junction of Booth Lane and Wellingborough Road, Northampton, NN3 3EP, starting at 19:30. Free admittance, although donations welcome to defray costs. Refreshments available. Any enquiries to Tony Hemmings Shed news In an effort to keep the old bones dry and warm I have been doing a bit on His Majesty King Edward II, and in the process satisfying a boyhood dream. This was to get in the cab of a King, little did I realise I would end up in the firebox! It is majestically vast, probably ranking as the largest narrow body box designed, you can stand upright within, possibly leaving room to wear a top hat. Truly, a cathedral of steam. To all those thousands of GW enthusiasts out there, I can confirm that work is progressing well. Alongside on Cromwell, all superheater flue tubes that need to come out, are out. Some the elements behaved as if they wanted to stay in, but a chain and the JCB soon sorted that out. Alen Grice tells a (no doubt apocryphal) tale of Nottingham shed where they tried to get an element out of a 5XP with a chain block and ended up pulling the large tube out by its roots, despite of course being screwed into the firebox tube plate, the loco was then sent away to shops! In LMS corner, the steam test of the boiler of 5643 has been completed, and the boiler was due to be returned to its owners later in the week. Attention has now turned to the Page 4 / 5

5 foundation ring of the boiler of Austerity 3890 prior to building it, together with a brand new and undrilled steel inner box, into its outer. You have a few stay holes to drill there, David. Santa Specials start this weekend, with two in steam, namely the Jinty and Ivatt 2. David Mathews If you have any news or photos you d like included in the weekly newsletter, please forward to martin.ward@gcrailway.co.uk by 10.30am Wednesday. GCR Plc Page 5 / 5