Great Central Railway Loughborough Gala

GWR Manor 7821 Ditcheat Manor lays a smoke screen as it takes the Down Loop in the October 2004 Steam Gala. Seen from the footplate of LNER O4 63601on a train that has just arrived at Loughborough station Platform 2, 10th October 2004.

The two signal posts control movements northwards from the Down side of the station. The larger Stop signals are actually fixed and only the smaller subsidiary signals are used. This is because if either of the Stop arms were pulled off trains would be authorised to depart northwards towards East Leake. This could be embarassing, to say the least, as the shed building now straddles the main lines! Hence the subsids allow trains to pull forward but not to proceed beyond the yard.