GWSR Broadway Developments

Is Broadway station road bridge north of Broadway station? "The track laying gang has now laid double track all the way from Springfield Lane bridge, through the station and over Broadway station road bridge." Is this on the way to a turnout and headshunt for running round?

Thanks

Patrick

 

No, Patrick. Springfield Lane bridge is to the north of the station and track, incorporating a turnout and headshunt, has been laid southwards from there, through the station and over the Station Road bridge. In the next couple of weeks it will be joined to the track that has been laid northwards from Lavington.
See the Broadway Blogs at "www.broadwaystationgroup.blogspot.co.uk"

 

Hi Patrick, it can get a bit confusing then there's 2 track laying gangs working concurrently! Most of the views in yesterday's extension blog were concentrated around the south end of the platforms. Immediately after the Station Bridge that the tracklaying gang crossed yesterday, the double track will converge to join the main running line towards Toddington, the end of which is just visible in the distance on the right hand side of the photo in post 1737. There's probably less than 100 yards gap between the two heads of steel now!

 

Thanks both. Excellent work all round.

Patrick

 

Nice of you to like it, Mark. I thought at first it was a poor photograph as it was taken into a very low sun (shortly afterwards it disappeared under the horizon, and it went dark) but on reflection I see what you mean. To take the picture with the sun behind the camera, I would have to have taken it first thing, but first thing there were no rails to see here. So it was this, or nothing. The group photograph, taken moments later, was with the sun, but everything was orange. I even had to 'unorange' it a bit with Photoshop.
Still a momentous occasion. I remember climbing under this bridge with the shotblaster, and rails over it seemed very far away.

At least 3 of the people in the group photograph were with the GWSR on or near day 1, so you can imagine how old they must now be, but still laying track. A number of them have lent me their photograph albums of the day and I'm busy scanning in a selection of each of their collections, which I am posting on Flickr bit by bit:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/73536293@N02/sets/
Two lots are already up, and I've got 2 more to scan and post (kept for those dark, wintery evenings).

I'm also interested in any photographs of our line in service. Broadway wasn't photographed very often, for example.

 

Many thanks, or should I say "baie dankie" for the link ( I'm still not sure if you and Jo are one and the same person!) But I've bookmarked it, and I shall enjoy going through those at leisure.
It's true the line did seem to escape the photographers' attention during it's operating years. Very few of Broadway, and even fewer of Weston sub Edge. such a pity. But Broadway without doubt is going to become THE place for sunset photography in the years to come!
It must be very gratifying to see the blogs getting around 70,000 hits a month now.

 

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;...................

And gentlemen in England now a-bed

Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,

And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks

That fought with us upon the new Broadway

 

...and upon this charge, cry "God for Broadway, England and Saint George!"

 

I've posted a new collection of 'early GWSR' photographs on the Flickr website:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/73536293@N02/albums/72157688740063491
These are by Ivor Dixon, one of our longest serving members on the PWay. Over the last 30 years Ivor drove most of the plant involved in the tracklaying. Prior to that, he was a tank transporter driver in the army in Germany, so there are a couple of shots of that too. What an interesting life.


Ivor took this picture from the trackbed at Broadway in April 1984, 5 years after BR took up the track, and 21 years after the station buildings were pulled down. The view is south; the buildings used to stand on the left where his car is parked.

On 18th November 2017, 33 1/2 years later, I took this photograph from pretty much the same place:
You can recognise the trees; the goods shed is still there of course but hidden by brushwood in the distance. You can just make out where the road bridge is in both photographs.

The new building, in very similar style, is 50% longer in order to accommodate the bigger toilets needed by the much longer trains that will now stop there.

Track laying is bang on schedule, with only the southern turnout to go in now. That's not the end of it of course, there's all the ballasting, aligning and tamping still to come, but as scheduled the main gang will move to Toddington in January to attack the next project due in the non-running months: building a new access to the loco yard at Toddington.

Enjoy Ivor's pictures, and marvel at the challenge of the empty trackbed, accepted by those early pioneers. Where are the nay-sayers now?

 

What a fantastic achievement, hats off to everyone involved. I have just shown the above 'before and after' photos to my wife and she couldn't believe that the 'after' photo was taken recently and the 'before 30 odd years ago! I'm sure there must be lots of folk who would be of a similar view!

 

Looks really good, great achievement, when will the first steam loco be sitting in the platform ? I like the way they have used Bullhead rail and wooden sleepers in the platform, helps increase the authentic feel.

 

For those who haven't been closely following the P/Way photo feed, today was an incredible milestone: the last switch (South of the station) is in!! Yahh!! Congratulations to everyone involved!!

Just a few more lengths of rail to go in, to connect the two tracks through the station to the switch, and it will be possible to run trains into Broadway!!

Noel

 

Here's the remaining gap at Broadway, a mere 43'6":

https://www.flickr.com/photos/gwr_permanent_way_photo_log/39095821981/in/datetaken/

I'm sure somewhere nearby there's a pair of gold painted fishplates!

 

Wow thats hardly any gap, is there time to put in the final lengths in before the track gang move to their next job in the new year?

 

We are on target to finish the basic track laying by the end of the year.

 

A different sort of milestone was reached as well yesterday:



The mess coach made it up to the Childswickham rail head at last. Smiles, mince pies and tea all round .
It was just a short walk from where we were working.

This is the first time that the class 20 made it this far up the extension, we were clearly visible to all the road traffic passing underneath. It whistled away merrily high up on the embankment. The railway is back!

There will be blog post later this afternoon, a bit later than usual due to the late arrival back home last night, after returning in the class 20 in the dark - very atmospheric.

 

It wasn't long ago at all that Childswickham Road Bridge (and most of the other bridges on the extension) were in a poor state of repair and the trackbed was covered in vegetation. Well done to all who worked and funded this soon to be completed addition to a jolly good heritage railway. Even more exceptional is the PWay and other work undertaken during the last few days given the weather conditions only a week ago! A pretty good Christmas present I'd say!

 

What a splendid picture! Excellent progress, well done to all involved!
Andy

 

Great achievement everyone ! Can't wait to visit in 2018 !!

 

Is their any special plans for the first train of any type to run into Broadway, or will the mess coach and Class 20 hold that honour?