I volunteer at the Mountsorrel and Rothley Heritage Centre and Railway. A frequently asked question there is “Can I catch a through train to Leicester / Rothley / Quorn / Loughborough?”

By donating to this appeal you'll help us achieve this vision!

The Mountsorrel branch of the Great Central Railway (GCR) was originally built to serve the local granite quarry. It was never built for passenger transport. Because of the signalling and points arrangement at its junction with the GCR at Swithland, it's difficult to safely run trains from the main lines onto, and off, the branch line!

The GCR's signalling team has kindly agreed to improve the signalling at Swithland to allow for easier connections. However we need to buy the hardware, which will cost around £75,000.

The signalling upgrade will benefit visitors to both the GCR and the Mountsorrel and Rothley Heritage Centre. The labour element of the project will be provided by volunteers.

We need £75,000 to pay for this upgrade and we've already secured £47,000 of this. We anticipate raising more from other supporters we've identified.

This will leave a balance of £5,000 to be raised. Will you help us please? Thank you!

For more information about the Heritage Centre and the restoration of the Mountsorrel branch line please visit: www.heritage-centre.co.uk