PHILIP SHERRATT PROFILES RAIL OPERATIONS AT TARMAC’S MOUNTSORREL QUARRY IN LEICESTERSHIRE
Loaded at Mountsorrel: DB Cargo loco No 66082 accelerates away from Sileby Junction on the Midland main line on 24 February 2018 with Ermewa aggregate wagons bound for Peterborough West Yard. PAUL BIGGS
The granite quarry at Mountsorrel is one of the largest in Europe. Granite quarrying has taken place in the Charnwood area of Leicestershire for at least 250 years, with the current site, now owned by Tarmac, dating from the 1970s.
The site extends over approximately 494 acres, with the quarry itself covering 167 acres. It has planning consent secured until 2040, and Tarmac is currently in the process of extending the quarry, which will allow further mineral reserves to be accessed and will increase its life by 25 years.
