Great Central Railway (Nottingham) has used the visit by the world-famous ‘Flying Scotsman’ locomotive to begin a campaign to clean up Stanford Viaduct.
The viaduct carries the line 100 feet above the River Soar below, where Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire meet.
With 11 arches, it is the largest structure not just on the northern section of the GCR, but on the entire stretch of the preserved line.
The 1923-built Flying Scotsman arrived in mid-May for a three-week visit, bringing thousands of passengers to the line and people to the lineside to photograph the engine on the viaduct.
Andy Fillingham of GCR(N) explained, “We had a full survey carried out on the viaduct last year. The good news is that it is fundamentally sound. There are some repairs we want to carry out, the biggest of which is rebuilding a wall that was demolished by vandals. Not only were bricks stolen, but huge coping stones were pushed into the valley below.”
A programme of works has been drawn up, expected to cost £49,000. If enough money is raised, contractors will be engaged this year, and unsightly graffiti will also be cleaned off the abutment walls.
“The visit of Flying Scotsman has proved a catalyst,” continued Andy. “We know the viaduct is a scenic high point of our 20-mile return journey. We want to make it spick and span for passengers and spectators because it defines the local landscape. We want to make sure it gives good service for the next century. Already, we have raised thousands of pounds towards the work, thanks to the incredible interest we have had from the locomotive’s visit.”
The appeal is being run through the East Midlands Transport Heritage Trust ‘Forward Fund’. The trust is the largest shareholder in GCR(N). The Forward Fund encourages people to make small, regular contributions to fund regular maintenance and improvements to the main line. Donations can be made at www.emtht.org by clicking on ‘Forward Fund’.
