GWSR Broadway Developments

Tricky. We had on site 2 dumpers, a fork lift with bucket, a tarmac machine and a roller. That's the machinery.
Then you get the supply of tarmac. This comes in 20T lorries and at one point there were three of them jostling on the drive. In between was a visitor who insisted on driving up to the forecourt, where he did a 3 point turn, and then drove back down through all the tarmac loading activity.

I told you there was no space up there !

My idea would be to build some sort of bridge across, maybe using the bogie flats we have. The dumper could run across them and supply the machinery on the other side.
I said to one tarmaccer ' this must be an unusual job for you', and he said it was not. He thought this was a NR line, he had no idea it was a steam line built by volunteers.
On to the next job....

 

In the light of Jo's comments, deleted!

 

Ideally the bench should be repaired with oak as it looks like that is what the original parts were made with (not softwood)

Have a look at this superb job of a restoration of a Midland Railway bench which is now at Settle Station. (it is in the small waiting room). There is a lot of pictures of its restoration here by the company that did it. Maybe they could finish the one you have ? Have a look anyway for inspiration

http://furnitureworkshop.net/?portfolio=midland-railway-bench

 

I should have known the difference.

I wondered if it was to deal with heritage fundamentalists who were demanding historically appropriate length trains etc

 

Two Birminghams, an Ashbury zipper, one converted QIII guard's van and 80 unbraked empty slate waggons (trad. FR spelling) tacked on the back? Leaking tubes seem to have featured strongly too ..... perhaps 3 hrs to Blaenau, with a few protracted stops to 'blow up' might satisfy historical accuracy ...... though forgive me if I'm enough of a Philistine to enjoy the view from the comfort of a Buffet Car!

 

That is one way of doing it, I would use a Warflat as these have extending props at each corner which can be screwed down onto the rail to steady the wagon whilst loading tanks etc.

On NR I have seen how contractors access island platforms. At the start of the possession they put down large, what looks like, polystyrene blocks on the tracks. These rest on the sleepers and have grooves cut out for the rails. They use two to bridge between one platform and the next and can be one more row wide as required. They then just drive their machines and materials across. At the end of the possession they just lift the blocks out again. Unfortunately I don’t have any other details of this but I am sure other readers might be able to advise further.

Regards

PaulK

 

How have you managed to get away without having tactile slabs along the platform edge to conform to the DDA? After all this is slightly more than a refurbishment, it's practically a new build which would be required to comply.

 

For further reading search for: Jablite Fillmaster Polystyrene Bridge. Jablite.co.uk

 

https://d25vdtyf58uq38.cloudfront.net/2016/02/4.-Poly-Bridge-875x425.jpg

Looks like a useful bit of kit. I gather widths are variable depending on requirements.

 

The old Isle of Wight Railway had something similar at Ventnor donkeys years ago!

 

You can probably get the same result with stacked wood, always amazes me how compressible wood is and the weight that it can take, a lot heavier than polystyrene mind you, but doesn't linger in the environment for thousands of years if any breaks off though!

 

Piece of cake. We ran 8 coaches with 4566 on the SVR for many years and that's with 1 in 100 gradients.

 

An interesting question indeed. Anyone know?

Noel

 

RSP5 clearly states that "..... In accordance with DfT guidance, platforms should be provided with a tactile surface to indicate the edge to visually impaired people. Platform edges (but not platform ramps) should be clearly defined with a strip of a lighter colour."
However, I remember a conversation with HMRI when I was told that they don't insist on it for heritage stations. I think 'should' is the operative word.

 

The railway just featured on the Chris Evans show, in connection with Cheltenham Gold Cup day.

 

Heard the interview with the Volunteer Finance Director.
Got the plug in about Broadway opening on Good Friday but did not hear anything about facilities at the Race Course Station.
Or is that all currently booked up and full?

 

How could anyone not love this Edwardian Beauty, a debutante of such fair proportion as yet unmarred by the wear of life:




All that's missing is a horse and a hack and a few 1904 frocks, as per the well known opening day photograph.

 

I know the forecourt is going to be tarmacced and it would be very expensive, but imagine how cobbles/setts would just set the scene. I still think my recessed uplighters in the stone supports either side of the door is a good future idea

 

We worked every day this week as the platform slabbing had to be finished before the first train arrives on Wednesday and the remaining work area fenced off.


On Monday and Tuesday, whilst the tarmacking was being done, we continued slabbing the forecourt side of the station.


From Wednesday we went back to slabbing the platform up to the newly laid tarmac , and were able to finish this by Friday


We will now continue with the slabbing on the forecourt side tomorrow (assuming the snow has melted), and try to complete it, however this isn’t critical to being completed before trains start running. Here is a picture of the finished platform slabbing:

 

I know which platform surface I prefer!

Tarmac is such boringly ugly stuff, and must cover half of Britain...............