Скачать или смотреть UK: Riding behind a pair of British Rail Class 20 locomotives on the Great Central Railway (N)

Two clips taken onboard the return leg of the 1330 Ruddington - Loughborough - Ruddington on the Great Central Railway (Nottingham). The train was hauled by a pair of British Rail Class 20 locomotives D8048 & D8007 (with Class 20 D8154 on the rear).

Both clips recorded 20th October 2007.

Clip 1 - Leaving the trains reversal point at Loughborough which forms the lines current southern operational limit.

Clip 2 (0:18) - Leaving Rushcliffe Halt passing another service hauled by Class 25 D7629 with Class 47 no. 47292 on the rear.

The British Rail (BR) Class 20, otherwise known as an English Electric Type 1, is a class of diesel-electric locomotive. In total, 228 locomotives in the class were built by English Electric between 1957 and 1968, the large number being in part because of the failure of other early designs in the same power range to provide reliable locomotives.

The locomotives were originally numbered D8000-D8199 and D8300-D8327. They are known by enthusiasts as "Choppers", a name derived from the distinctive beat that the engine produces under load which resembles the sound of a helicopter.

Designed around relatively basic technology, the 73-tonne locomotives produce 1,000 horsepower (750 kW) and can operate at up to 75 mph (121 km/h). Unusually for British designs, the locomotive had a single cab. This caused serious problems with visibility when travelling nose first, though in these circumstances the driver's view is comparable to that on the steam locomotives that the Class 20s replaced.

The Class 20 saw only limited service on passenger trains, their use was limited to summer relief services, particularly to Skegness often under the adopted title of The Jolly Fisherman starting from various places including Burton-on-Trent, Stoke-on-Trent, Derby and Leicester. Also occasionally other holiday resorts on the east coast of England, occasional duties as a pilot, and short distance diversions of electric-hauled trains over non-electrified lines.
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The Great Central Railway (Nottingham) (formerly known as Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre) is a heritage railway and Transport Museum on the south side of the village of Ruddington in Nottinghamshire. The route consists of almost 10 miles (16 km) of the former Great Central Railway Main Line from Loughborough South Junction (with the Midland Main Line) to Fifty Steps Bridge and the site of Ruddington's former GCR station site, plus a branch line from Fifty Steps Bridge to the Ruddington Fields site which is located on a former Ministry of Defence site next to Rushcliffe Country Park.

There are stations open to the public at Ruddington Fields (within the main centre site) and at Rushcliffe Halt. The GCR(N) aim to re-open the former station at East Leake in the longer term.

The railway is currently not connected to Great Central Railway (at Loughborough Central in Leicestershire), although there are plans well underway and work has started to reunite the two preserved lines. This is a major engineering project that is expected to be completed during 2024 - 2028. Some 5.5 miles (8.9 km) of the line is used by gypsum trains serving the British Gypsum works at East Leake.
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Rushcliffe Halt is a railway station on the former Great Central Railway London Extension from London Marylebone serving the north of East Leake, Nottinghamshire, currently in use as part of the Great Central Railway (Nottingham) heritage railway.

The stations was built as a later addition to the railway, opening in 1911 to serve the adjacent Rushcliffe Golf Club. Later, sidings were added to serve the nearby gypsum works. The station closed to passengers in 1963, although freight continued to serve British Gypsum until the early 1980s.

The station is the only surviving example of a Great Central Railway twin platform configuration; 'island' platforms were the standard on the route.

During the 1990s, the line and station entered preservation. In 2000 freight trains to the gypsum works resumed and in 2003 Great Central Railway (Nottingham) introduced a weekend passenger service between Loughborough junction and Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre Ruddington on a preserved section of the line.
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