Rock solid support for Rocks by Rail museum

New quarry railway exhibition centre remains on track thanks to a little help from local minerals companies

IN June 2014 Grantscape announced that the Mick George Community Fund had awarded the volunteer-run Rocks by Rail museum a significant grant to cover the basic cost of erecting a new exhibition centre at the museum site near Cottesmore, in Rutland, where a unique collection of quarry railway locomotives, wagons and other exhibits from the local ironstone and cement industries, in particular, have been brought together.

Planning permission for the building, which will provide secure covered accommodation over three rail tracks housing the quarry railway exhibits, was granted by Rutland County Council in October 2014. The building site was levelled during late October and erection of the new building began in earnest in November.

By the end of December the building was approaching completion and the museum’s volunteers’ attention has now turned towards reinstalling the internal rail tracks and fitting out the building ready for its new role.

The building will provide public access to the exhibits and an extensive concrete walkway is planned around the tracks inside the building. To help deliver these facilities the museum volunteers appealed for help from local mineral companies for construction materials to assist in the scheme.

Despite challenging economic climate, the volunteers say the response has been terrific with Hanson providing 20 tonnes of cement and aggregates from their local cement works at Ketton and quarry at Baston, to help the volunteers construct the visitor walkways.

In addition, a generous donation of 40 tonnes of granite chippings from Lafarge Tarmac’s Mountsorrel Quarry will allow the base of the rail tracks to be laid out following compaction of a layer of limestone fill sourced from both Ketton and Mick George’s quarry at Thornhaugh.

Once the fill and granite ballast has been laid, a quantity of rail donated by CEMEX UK (surplus from their rebuilding of the Barrington Light Railway) will form the new display track within the building.

A number of other offers of assistance have also been received which will help to maintain progress on the project towards its projected opening by the middle of this year.

Museum trustee Robin Bickers commented: ‘We are very grateful for the support of the minerals industry in furthering our project, which aims to highlight the heritage of the role played by railways in past quarrying activity in the east of England. We look forward to welcoming their representatives to view the completed project later in the year.’

Stewart Jones, manager of Hanson Cement’s Ketton works, said: ‘We are delighted to be supporting the museum project, which recognizes the work of extractive industries, with the supply of both cement and aggregates. We wish them every success.’