A brand-new railway carriage shed has been built at the Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre, protecting priceless heritage for the future.
Contractors have been working at the Ruddington site since September and have completed the main structure. The remaining work – to lay a polished concrete floor is expected to take place early in 2024.
Andy Fillingham from Great Central Railway (Nottingham) said: “The new building is looking very smart. We’ve worked with two local companies, Intelligent Fabrications and Now Build and the team has kept the project on time despite the storms in October. With sidings laid inside the building, it won’t be long before we are better able to protect passenger carriages from the weather and vandalism.”
£40,000 of grant funding has been awarded to Great Central Railway (Nottingham) Ltd (GCRN) from Rushcliffe Borough Council. It comes from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF), part of UK Government’s Levelling Up agenda, providing funding for local investment. Additional funds came from two supporting charities, the East Midlands Railway Trust and the LNER (GC) Heritage Trust.
Andy Fillingham added: “Before we can fully commission the building, we need to raise additional funds to install a roller shutter door and electrics inside the new building. We have already raised £9,000 from supporters, so we are over halfway to the target. We’re grateful we’ve had support from so many people.”
When the concrete floor is installed, the building can also be used as an events space to expand the popular range of events that already take place at the Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre. It will be a key asset for the heritage line when it is reconnected to the other half of the Great Central Railway in Leicestershire.
Donations to the Carriage Shed fund can be made at lnergctrust.org/ the website of LNER GC Heritage Trust, a charity supporting the Great Central Railway (Nottingham).