num_pages: 208
description: The Great Central Railway's London Extension was the last main line built to serve London, being opened from Marylebone Station in 1899. The Title Great Central was chosen because the route cut through the centre of the English Countryside, northwards to Nottingham.This line was the brain child of Sir Edward Watkins, an entrepreneur with the ambition of linking the major trade centres of England with the Continent via a channel tunnel. The extension to London from the former Manchester, Sheffield &amp; Lincolnshire railway system was a vital component of this grand scheme.The author has made a specialised study of the Great Central over many years and is the curator of the Great Central Railway Museum at Loughborough Station. The story of the 'last main line' is told from inception, through construction and operation up to its closure in 1966, a victim of the infamous Beaching 'axe'.However, a great many people were not prepared to let the line be lost into history and so plans for the retention of a major section were soon instigated. The progress to date of the new Great Central Railway is detailed, this already having become established as a major tourist attraction in the area. Proposals for extending steam operations further are also outlined. These will ensure that the Great Central London Extension will, at least in part, once again be an important rail route through the centre of England.
language: English
title: Echoes of The Great Central
publisher: Greenwich Editions