Відео

The question should be, "Whats left in Leicester" ?

I never fail to be amazed at the bridges on the GC line. That bridge over the Avon reminds me of the lovely huge arch over Thurcaston Road in Leicester at the bottom of Mowmacre Hill now sadly gone. It was like one of the wonders of the world to me as a child. Whenever we went under it I would look up at the brickwork and marvel at the skill of the bricklayers who built it. The scale of the construction of these structures is still impressive in the days of motorways and concrete, but to see the sheer amount of brickwork is amazing. The size of the GC bridges is truly that of giants. The only other brick structure to match this scale is Larpool Viaduct near Whitby which also stirs up awe and wonder when I look at the work involved in its building. It is fantastic what man has built by hand using bricks and mortar! So sad that the trains have been gone for over 50 years. Thanks for another great video showing what still remains.

Sometimes Youtude does recommend the right videos. Loved watching this. +1 sub from me

Great to watch this again , so nice to see that most of the infrastructure is still in situ . Have to get up to this and walk it for myself .

Good to see you doing this stretch once again & the little dog loves it I would think?! It's right on my doorstep & I have'nt visited for a while.Favourite section,old Central Station to Onley Lane.Someone has said you can't go any further but I have! Before the farmer put a gate up you could scuttle down his driveway & then quickly access the trackbedabove & from there you could get all the way down to the M45 bridge &,yes,I've been over that as well & on down towards the prison! There's a bit by the car wash & the former station masters house at Willoughby where you can still get up to the trackbed but overgrown. The familiar bridge recess just below where Willoughby Station was can still be seen & then before the line crossed the Oxford Canal there was a viaduct.Happy exploring!

You should have continued a little further to the end great scenery over the countryside, you cannot continue after the end of this section to Onley Lane

I enjoyed that video, great footage of the train, i did not realise that there was so much of the GCR still around. None of our railways should have been destroyed in the 60s, 70s and 80s to think how useful they would have been now makes me feel so mad, they did not even save that much by getting rid of them. I have visited the GCR once but i did not get off to explore the Leicester station, i will have to do it again.

They said the upperton road viaduct was unstable, I went to the meeting that was a lie they just wanted to develop the land, put student accommodation up and a housing estate.

Enjoy watching, always very interesting. Should do one on Rugby's old railway infrastructure. Shame they went to great lengths to destroy this railway.

The concrete trough at 39:30 looks like a sand bin.

Ah so I have seen this before in 3 parts...I was going to say, I remember you being here before! The recess after the 5 arch is the site for a proposed signal box that never actually happened, I believe. Gorgeous infrastructure. Still looking magnificent after 125 years and graffitti vandals.

I recommend getting hold of a copy of Mac Hawkins book, the Great Central Then and Now. It has all the major landmarks of the line in photographs. Fascinating read.

Wasn't the five arch bridge at Newton completely buried up until fairly recently? Great explore Pete 👍👍

The great central railway should never have been shut down what a great peice of engineering and built to last. Such a shame that most of the infostructher has disappeared forever.

The feature at the 3.00 min mark was the proposed site for a signal box that was never built.

A good explore, but saddening and maddening to see the state of the remains, and that even more will be lost to *progress*. Nice ending though on the preserved section. Looking forward to the reunification.

My old company 'Cundy ltd' shot blasted and painted the bridges along there back in the early 80's. Starting with the Bow Road Bridge on St Augustine Road ( old river Soar) (That is still in it's original paint from when we refurbed it 40 years ago)All along to the Bowstring bridge and ending up at about Briton Street/ Western pub. Took around 2 years to complete. Fantastic job. Even better was, I was living at Roman Street at the time. Took 10 minutes to get to Bow Road bridge furthest point to work at from me house... even quicker when we worked our way along back up the river . With a beer each night afterwards at the Western. Pump and tap also got it's fair share of visits too. Good pub that was. Decent folk went there, known as a bikers pub. Criminal it got knocked down for a leisure centre..Anyway... Great video, Brought back some good memories.

Shame water tower cant be more secure so the vandals dont reck it anymore than it is... Yes be nice to see some before and after pictures faded in if possible.... cheers for your efforts mate

I live in Leicester found this video very interesting thanks for showing.

I am going to combine this with the Morcott Tunnel as a circular walk. 👍😉

Google "Vic Berry" for scrap yard pics.

I'd love to think that the Quainton Road people could get permission to take over some of the line down toward Aylesbury, but I believe it will be modernised and connected into EWR, it's certainly in the proposals if nothing else.

You've got the answer. The old way in with field car park brought visitors in under the bridge. HS2 is the line coming close by Quainton Road's site, East West Rail meets HS2 a little further North, down the line near Calvert.

Vic Berry's scrap yard was always an amazing site. My dad referred to it as asbestos central.

Leicester was once a thriving lovely place now its the puts ran by robbing councils who only pump money by the shedload into none uk things the amount of community centres oap centres extra closed ...lack of money.. as for the city itself they don't spend or keep the past alive its such a shame Iv lived in leicester all my life but the last few years its so gone down hill.great inside tho our once great past 😊

The pub was the Gt Central Hotel .As a teenager I use to climb along the bank under the Slater st viaduct to fish behind the hosiery factory (where my mum & Gran worked as machinists)on frog island. I lived in (now demolished) terraced house on Abbey Gate next to St Leonard’s church ( also demolished)until I was 5 yrs old. My Gt Grandad was a signalman at the bridge signalbox off Fosse Rd / hospital lane.

Fantastic day mate... loved it.... cheers for your efforts

fantastic video middy and good to see all platforms and foot bridges still intact after all these years

Thinking of commenting ? don't bother mentioning places where more information can be found you will be deleted

It's not called redevelopment - it's called ' must obliterate every remaining remnant of the GCR'. Well done Leicester Council - it's a pity you didn't use tax payers money on more important things.

See how they purposely build houses etc on railway land which ensures the railway will never be reopened. This country is SO Anti Rail.

What mentality to destroy our heritage!

The City Council and DeMonfort University acted despicably over the demolition of the Bowstring Bridge and the Pump & Tap pub. I still hold a grudge over it. That tin shed of a swimming pool is hardly anything to be proud off. The pub is under the swimming pool 😢

You timed that well the train you filmed was visiting for the autumn gala.

Interesting how things change over he Years - W😮W 5:06 - What a Lovely Bridge - Yes shame the took it down 🙁 Good that you are recording it for the Future. All that time & effort to build the Lovely Railways & for what - Just for decades later for then to close the line just so they can tear them down!!! 🙁 Thanks for sharing 😉🚂🚂🚂

Soon PJ you'll be able to go from Leicester North - Ruddington! (Edit:- I said this before you said it in the video DOH) so I think this line could be the very first Preserved railway that could use the "Inter-City" name. Keep up the excellent work Sir Middy of Leicestershire

It would have been cheaper to reinstate the G.C. than the HS2!!

Great video and Channel...I have Subscribed 😊😊😊

Where do you access the tunnel entrance from...is it by the white horse pub? And how did u manage to scramble the middle fence? I plan to do this and then walk down to the aqueduct southerly from it.

The REAL reason the Bowstring bridge and indeed all other GCR infrastructure has been obliterated, is because Leicester council didn't want the GCR to be reinstated.

I used to go fishing with Bob Berry. One of his brothers as fars as i can remember.

There used to be a large signal post and gantry on top of the arch by the entrance to the Jewry wall museum. I worked on the museum building around 20 years ago when I saw it. Vic

I'm guessing the signal post on the arches was the former distant signal for Abbey Lane Sidings.

Hi, Thank you for sharing your video. Just to say that Boulby Potash is actually near Staithes and not Redcar. Near the viaduct was onc a farm called Marske Mill, and water was controlled from the waterfall to be channelled alone to control the mill that was at the farm.

I was a student living at Frog Island in 1983 when the Slater Street Bridge was taken down. The Vic Berry scrapyard dominated the city Centre with piles of trains.

The Last Arch should be Listed as it is of architectural & historical significance. Perfect example of the excellent GCR brickwork.

Good video any one reading this were you a member of the cage brigade ? you will know who you are

Should make what remains Grade 2 listed before the b***rds rip it down. Your GCR videos never disappoint.

Fantastic video again. Makes me want to visit Leicester with a set of ladders and get up & walk along the remaining track bed. Thank you

The blue brick bridge abutments are still present on Devonshire Road, Blackbird Road, Beaumont Leys Lane and Thurmaston Road. There are some amazing old photos of this as well. The 'single arch' wasn't single, when the previous business (caravan sales) expanded, the blue brick arches from the river upto what you seen now, were demolished. This happened I think in the early 00's.