Thursday 11 January 2018

Busy As Usual

Wednesday 10th January 2018

A much more pleasant day greeted 22 volunteers today. Once we got into our chores it felt decidedly  warm until lunch at 1pm,

Before I cover Wednesday in pictures, here are a few from Monday 8th Jan. Mondays are now regarded as normal working days at Broadway, along with traditional Wednesdays & Saturdays.


The first of the two gate posts is lowered onto it's pad, which was prepared on Saturday. There will be double entrance gates at the rear of platform 1, south side of the station. 


 More 3'x2' backing slabs were installed, and you can see Rod, Tony & Brian preparing the trench in which the slabs will sit, supported by concrete haunched front & back..


Onto Wednesday:

The Tilers


                      Our contractors were with us all day laying floor tiles in the gents toilet.


The Painters

Mike S & Mike T were busy in the warmer morning air, priming panels which will go under the dado rails in the café .

The Carpenters

David H, Peter Q (he of Wooden Spoon Fame) & Brian T are busy in the café preparing & fixing batons for the panelling under the dado rails.

 Brickwork

Bob W started the brickwork which will provide a three sided wall around the telephone box. So happy in the sunshine able to work on his own, without too much hindrance from yours truly.




Spear Fencing & Support Slabs

Much activity from a team gathered by Terry & Rod. The first picture shows Terry with the auger preparing a hole for the legs of the penultimate panel of spear fencing. The final panel, a short length, is will have to be fabricated.



                      With the panel bolted in situ, a trench is prepared for more support slabs.

     Support slabs are being set in concrete which will also secure the legs of the spear fencing.

                                       Mid afternoon Terry boring hole for wooden gate post.

Later we see Brian at the front, Rod & Keith at rear, haunching the support slabs with more concrete.


Preparing for Second Gate Post


 John C dug out the necessary hole for the second gate post. We see John C, John S & Keith S checking the depth of the concrete base so we end up with level gate posts. Copious amounts of strong mix concrete had been carefully emptied into the hole & levelled until the correct depth was achieved. Four anchoring bolts, attached to a spacer plate were then sunk into the fresh concrete, at the prescribed distance from the centre of the installed first post.

Drainage preparation & Excavations, Road Side

Clive continued preparing a gulley for installation of drainage channel section.



John C went searching with the Bobcat for original granite edging slabs, and he was rewarded by so far finding 6 intact slabs. The pictures show JC recovering two of the slabs.


 That's it folks until Vic's Saturday Blog.
Paul C

11 comments:

  1. Well, from the pictures, it is the spear topped fencing and gate posts that are the stars on Wednesday. It may be that the real advances are other things but , as I said, from the pictures.... Anyway, well done on getting the various jobs done in this inclement season. S&T are making great advances with the south ground frame and P Way re doing wonders with the track aligning. Regards, Paul.

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  2. Thanks for the update. I live over 200 miles away, so your pictures are a real inspiration.

    I remember Broadway from the old days. There was no M40, no M42, no sat. nav. (no mobile phones, etc., etc.) I remember driving from Southport (where I lived then) to Oxford in my old MG. I always travelled through Evesham, (in those days a notorious bottleneck), and on via the old A44 under the bridge, through Broadway and, through its lovely old high street, up its famous steep hill out of the Vale of Evesham and into the Cotswolds proper. No by-pass in those days ! Beyond lay Bourton-on-the-Hill, Chipping Norton and such places, and, eventually, Oxford. So there you are, a main road from the north-west to the south-east, right through the heart of Broadway. The railway was still open (to freight trains) right through to Cheltenham. The station was gone, demolished, but the bridge over Station Road was still there and O.K.

    Well, enough of my memories. This is just to say how wonderful it is to see Broadway station rebuilt. And the line rebuilt. Here's hoping things go well with the bridge repair.

    Meanwhile, I can see you lot really are progressing, both inside and outside the station building. And is that the last of the platform railings installed on platform one ? I can see you will need to set them in concrete, and thereafter need a little profiling of the ground. Yes ? ? And a bit of grass seed? I don't know. With the installation of the screen, it's going to be almost finished, isn't it? My, it will look very fine. And with old stone kerbs outside the station building.

    Well, go to it, brave volunteers, and be proud of what you've done.

    Good luck.

    Peter Wright

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  3. The spear fencing against the station building is beautiful; it's really coming together and starting to look like a real GWR station, rather than a building site! I can't wait to see what it looks like with the slabs down on the platform.

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  4. Hard hats just to lay floor tiles in the gents toilet??? Are they afraid of the ceiling falling down on top of them?

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    Replies
    1. To access tools and materials they have to come and go through a construction site where hard hats are mandatory. As soon as they step outside there may be people moving materials about on the roof space above them. I guess it gets tiring having to take hats on & off!

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  5. The new Lady that is Broadway station is really starting to look the business. Keep up with the reports and pictures. well done to every one who are working against the deadline that is the official opening, time just seems to be running away, but we are sure that the building work and all the other "fiddly" bits will be done in time for the start of the running season. BTW, will there be provision for hanging baskets of flowers to be put up to give that real country station look to Broadway? We would like to donate two baskets of flowers to be hung up when we visit. Will that be OK?
    Regards
    Paul & Marion

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    Replies
    1. All the archive photos I have seen of Broadway Station show no evidence of hanging baskets. Platform flower beds are another matter. I always think hanging baskets look like decapitated heads anyway. Toddington Ted.

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    2. Oh Ted,

      What's so terrible about some hanging flower baskets ? It would look a lot better than red , white and blue bunting strewn from lamp post to lamp post, as so many heritage railways do, for one reason or another.

      I think it's a charming idea. And the gift should be accepted.

      Peter Wright

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  6. Yes!.The station,is really coming together,in leaps,and bounds,now!.When finished,and (Eventually),with the footbridge stairs,and canopy extension in place.I'll look,like it's allways been there!.Incedentually,I,too remember the original station!.I,used to work through it,on the footplate!. Anthony.

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  7. Great news that Wychavon council have agreed to provide and run the car park at Broadway station on the strip of land running towards Childswickham bridge. There is a possibility that it will be operational by August 2018.

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  8. Re the car park decision. Whilst I feel a pang of regret to lose ownership of some of our land, there is a lot of sense to the rationale. As long as non-rail users dont use all the spaces! Can we ensure that the car park is screened by trees so it doesn't impinge on the view from incoming trains? Can the council provide a tight mini roundabout at the entrance to prevent hgv's striking the bridge? Post also placed on the boardroom webpage

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