GWSR Broadway Developments

That fireplace looks absolutely fantastic.

 

Like-for-like in brown bakelite:—

http://www.periodpattresses.com/epa...ops/es108574_es120039009115/Products/BL2G13AS

When we tackled 9002 at Didcot, someone had walloped some of those dreadful "Georgian" 13A sockets though the original panelling. They were replaced with the floor-fitting type which have a sprung flat cover plate; we got them in brass & then sprayed them with a translucent copper lacquer to blend in with the genuine GWR metal fittings. Toolstation do 2-gang floor sockets for less than £15 each:—

https://www.toolstation.com/shop/El...g+Accessories/sd2633/Floor+Socket+Twin/p70674

Easy enough to retro-fit as, when & if time, money & the desire to do so permit.

Pete S.

 

Yes, it still goes on, but things improved with the change of chairman at the end of last year.

We plod on with the V boards with replica GWR cast letters, while behind us someone installs something like a dozen tv security cameras at Broadway, with, I'm told, the same for all the other stations along the line. Modern picnic tables, a wooden shed, 5 sea containers, a boiler flue in the facade, electric cabling up another, plastic picture frames, modern signage up the drive and on the forecourt, all this in the last 6 months or so. It feels relentless.

People should be asking themselves: How will my action allow us to achieve our stated aims:
In the GWR Trust statutes: 'To create and maintain a railway museum for the benefit of the public', and,
In the brochure we hand out to every passenger: 'we are a living museum' (bottom of page 2)

That said, there are good days too

 

I'm happy to be involved with similar replica fireplaces elsewhere on the railway. I can show the way, but the station group needs to find the money.

 

I'm not sure they even need replicas at Toddington, just a good overhaul, should be relatively cheap and cheerful I'd have thought.

 

I did - eeek!!

I think the Varilight outlets in 'graphite' at £6.78 each from TLC would look okay.

Funnily enough, I found myself looking at a "Belling" electric fire catalogue from the 1920s recently and it recommended a particular model in black as "ideal for railway waiting rooms"...

 

I don't chose to comment often , however having watched this thread for awhile ,and seeing the fantastic creation that you have achieved , to see such eyesores ,just seems to be missing the point
its all about the details , and such simple things as those sockets astound me in such a lack of thought ,
if it needs some form financial help to achieve the proper result i would contribute and i am sure others would do again
and as i said it all about the detail
so please keep on plodding along and one day the people who don't see the detail will realise.. i hope

 

I used to work for an electrical manufacturer of these modern ( heritage) sockets and switches, and they are not much more than those white ones, if the box at the back is a standard type, it's just unscrew the plastic white cover and fit an aged bronze finished one, most double gang switches are of a set size anyway

 

As the socket fittings are interchangeable the pragmatic answer is probably for someone to simply go in one day and change them for a more appropriate type.

 

In this case though, easily fixed by refitting with "period type " sockets as suggested by MellishR. If you're thinking of funding replacements, I'll chip in.

 

My next lot of dosh will be for a suitable GWR clock for the chimney breast, if Jo wants to open a fund for one.

 

And so will I: let me know if it's happening.

 

There was an interesting comment on the SVRlive/Bridgenorth-development site -

"A fair amount of the lighting and other period fittings have been amassed via the auction site Ebay by the buildings’ designer Bob Marrows who has diligently trawled through the myriad of items on offer to winkle out the best available for our project." and "a quantity of GWR chairs have been restored and reupholstered ready for the refreshment room and with their GWR “shell” moquette look very smart. Arts and Crafts style tables are under construction to go with these chairs to provide an authentic heritage feel. Patterns have been made for the production of cast iron table and bench ends based on a GWR design used at Stafford Road works in Wolverhampton"

NP members will remember that the SVR also had a period of contemplation over the original design for the Bridgenorth catering development, but they seem to be now going full ahead on what, from the photographs, be a stunning addition to Bridgenorth Station.

So Joe has a shopping list. GWR Clock, Replacement power sockets and light switchs - any thing else?

 

to this point, I hadn't thought about the furnishing of the refreshment room, but one does now wonder what horrors might be foisted upon the station... White plastic picnic tables from B&Q? I may jest, but...

 

How about this?



Video camera - check
B&Q garden light - check
Loudspeaker - check....

On a railway station near you.

 

Before there were security cameras there were night watchmen. I suspect they were phased out because of cost. Even the best supported Heritage line might struggle to attract enough volunteers to give enough out of hours cover.

 

We used to have lights in our garden just like that, but we got rid of them pretty quickly, because they were so bloody awful. Blechh!

 

To be fair I think Cheltenham's platform building is a bit of a lost cause when it comes to heritage, every other station on the line there's lots of worthwhile things to do to improve them but I maintain my opinion that if you want to create a more heritage atmosphere on the platform at Cheltenham the best thing to do would be to demolish the building and start again!

By the way I am in no way decrying the volunteers at Cheltenham who do a wonderful job of looking after the station, it is always very neat and tidy with nice gardens! And the ticket office at the top of the ramp is excellent, but I very rarely have a need to go in it!

 

The highly authentic turn of the century (the most recent one) waiting room on Platform 1 at Cheltenham Race Course has been there since the station reopened back in 2003. It is now part of the GWSR heritage and I'm going to apply to have it listed. Don't even think of having it demolished or altered in any way.

 

I don't seriously suggest demolishing the building at Cheltenham but I presume there must be precedent for something like that at Wootton on the IoW? During my very informative and enjoyable visit there yesterday I learnt that the station building there was built in 2012 thanks to a grant, yet the preserved railway started running trains there in the 1980s, so presumably they must have had something there which they had to knock down for their lovely heritage building.