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The future of main line steam looked very bleak. It was under these circumstances that a group of enthusiasts got together in the waiting room at Rugby Central station. They established 'Main Line Preservation Group' with the aim of preserving a section of main line railway so that locomotives could run 'at realistic speeds' in a main line setting. At that time the Great Central main line was about to close between Rugby and Nottingham. This being the last main line built in Great Britain, designed to accommodate the largest locomotives, seemed the ideal choice. Two sections were considered, one based at Lutterworth (Leicester to Rugby) and one at Loughborough (Leicester to Nottingham). Thus it was that a office was rented at street level at Loughborough Central Station and restoration of the derelict station began. Charitable status was granted in 1971 and the name changed to Main Line Steam Trust Limited.
The purchase price wanted was far in excess of anything that had been charged before to other bodies. In 1976, a public limited company was formed to purchase the track and land. This company later became Great Central Railway PLC. The sums raised were insufficient to save the whole section and in 1978 the single line between Birstall and Rothley and the second line between Loughborough and Quorn were lifted and the ballast removed. This left a single line between Loughborough and Rothley, with no loops or run round facility at Rothley. Initially trains needed a locomotive at each end. The operation of the railway and its assets were transferred to Great Central Railway (1976) Limited (as it was called then) and Main Line Steam Trust took on the role of the charitable volunteer run support body.
The single line to the site of the then demolished Belgrave Birstall station (on the outskirts of Leicester) was relaid and opened with a push-pull steam service in 1988. The platforms of a new station slightly beyond the old Birstall station, now called Leicester North, were opened in 1991 by Michael Heseltine the President of the Board of Trade. A share issue
was launched in 1992 to fund the building of the double track, sidings
at Swithland, the construction of the station buildiings at Leicester
North and various other projects. The line has seen a wide variety of visiting locomotives and now houses an impressive collection including some diesel locomotives. Following an EGM in 2006, the Trust is being wound down. The role of support charity is being undertaken by The David Clarke Railway Trust and the membership body is now Friends of Great Central Main Line.
Main
Line Steam Trust Limited
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Steam
ups and running (under British Railways supervision), initially to Quorn
and later to Rothley began on the line which was still owned by British
Railways. Substantial monthly payments were required to permit this and
to prevent the track (double track Loughborough to Quorn and single track
Quorn to Birstall) being lifted.
Gradually,
runround loops and sidings were added and the loco and carriage fleet
were extended to over 20 locomotives and 100 items of rolling stock.