The Main Line Preservation Group was an organisation formed in 1968, "to acquire a suitable length of main line, for the operation of steam hauled passenger trains, at realistic speeds". The organisation's contemporary literature and advertising claimed that it was negotiating with
British Railways
British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British rai ...
for 18 miles of the former
Great Central Main Line
The Great Central Main Line (GCML), also known as the London Extension of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR), is a former railway line in the United Kingdom. The line was opened in 1899 and built by the Great Central Railw ...
between
Leicester
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city l ...
and
Ruddington.
[Advertisement on page vii of The Railway Magazine for October 1969]
In time, this stated ambition was largely achieved in the form of the
Great Central Railway (heritage railway).
References
External links
Early days of the MLPG
Rail transport preservation in the United Kingdom
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