GWSR Broadway Developments

Quite so. I am sure I speak for all of us when I say that our admiration for your and the teams dedication to this monumental task is unbounded. Speaking personally I haven't missed a blog since the first reclaimed brick was laid!

 

GWSR website now showing £900,000 raised as at 22 November, so only £350,000 to go!

 

We have two spare pilaster cap stones, measuring 5ft x 2ft. They are from a MR bridge near Tewkesbuy. One is inscribed 'Recstr. 1910'.
If anyone is interested, send me a pm.

 

This morning (6 Dec) it's showing £925000. Getting there!

 

The Broadway Volunteers had their Christmas dinner at the Broadway Hotel on Saturday, probably 50 there (including partners). Lovely meal, good company, everyone enjoyed it. No work done at Broadway on Saturday, due to this, but the bricklayers should be working Monday, weather permitting.

 

GWSR website today (24th Dec) showing £940,000 raised.

 

GWSR website now showing £955,000 raised as at 12th January.

 

Slowly inching towards the magic million mark. Good news.

One interesting point which occurred to me about the Broadway extension is that it is actually bringing trains back to a place which currently doesn't have any. Quite a few recently completed and proposed extensions have brought or will bring more trains to a place that already has some. For example, Bluebell to East Grinstead, Spa Valley to Eridge, GCR "Bridge the Gap", KESR/Rother Valley restoring the Bodiam/Robertsbridge link and (if you can call it an extension as such) the Swanage Railway's forthcoming trial service to Wareham.

Along with Broadway getting some trains again next year, Corwen has just done so and Grantown-on-Spey will hopefully follow soon, but it is quite notable in recent years how many extensions are link-ups rather than returning a railway from a place from which it has vanished.

 

The GWSR.com website has recently been revamped and I am still finding my way around it, so have only just discovered that the "News" section is now to be found under the "Blogs, Links and Feedback, Press Office" tab.

On there I found the following news item: GWR Volunteers celebrate best year ever.
The link to this is: http://www.gwsr.com/news/Press_Office/GWR_Volunteers_Celebrate_Best_Year_Ever.html So rather than copy the whole document here, which is very long (a lot of good news!), have a look at this on the GWSR.com website. There is also another website - http://www.gwrt.org.uk/ for the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway Trust, which I have only just become aware of, which you might find interesting.

 

I actually am not too fond of the new layout, specifically the blog bit, the time stamp is not very easy to read on each new blog post, it would be good if it was a little more like the old one, I get that it will probably be rectified though in due course with it being the early stages of a website revamp and all that. One benefit I will mention is the links to all the Flickr pages for the drainage gang and extension gang are up now. That's a nice touch

 

I have to agree about the blog format. The previous one was much better and I hope they do alter it to the previous format.

 

I agree, you have to look carefully to check what has been updated, whereas previously it only needed a glance. It is amazing how a slight change in format seriously affects the user-friendliness of a webpage!

Andy

 

Might be worth sending a message to the webmaster? I'm not sure who reads this, but it'll definitely get noticed if you get in contact that way.

 

Some new information on the boardroom blog today: http://gwrboardroom.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/from-boardroom-there-have-been-another.html?m=1

 

Just read the boardroom update on the web site.Apparently their saying not enough signalmen available to operate Broadway box on the proposed opening day in 2018.Can you honestly believe that.How about this;- no point having a bobby in the box if its not ready to use because the timescale was unachievable in the first place with an s&t dept of only volunteers.
And now they have to find another wedge of finance to cover the cost of stabilising the embankment only for single line track .
Why not do the whole width, because in hindsight they'll regret it later, and delay the opening .
I feel sorry for the guys that built the broadway box in a record time.Absolutely stunning piece of craftsmanship like everything else at Broadway.
Rant over. ( ex GWSR signalman)

 

I read the item and don't remember seeing any mention of seeking new funds for the embankment, in fact the item only calls for donations to meet the original £1.25m
Why would they regret repairing the embankment to single line width? As I understand it, there are no plans to double track the line so cheaper (relatively!) single line repairs make complete sense. There is also no mention that the repairs could delay the reopening.

Keith

 

Why spend £200,000 more on a double track embankment that won't be necessary in the foreseeable future? It's an entirely sensible and realistic decision.

 

A rant is an illogical emotional outburst and probably not helpfull to our debate here.

First, as an ex GWSR signalman you will be well aware that safety has to be the prime consideration, and if there are not enough volunteers at present, then Broadway Box, not matter how lovely cannot open until there are. Crew operated points served the Blubell well until they had a signalling solution.Also the whole railway is volunteer only so no point in railing against the S and T Department.

Second, do you have a spare 200k to give the Railway for the extra expense of fixing the embankment to double width. Thought not. This is an unbudgetted , unlooked for expense and not covered by the share issue. The cheapest option has to be taken so that extras revenue can flow as soon as possible to pay back any loans that may be needed. In the future another share issue may raise enough to double the embankment at a later date.

Thirdly I think it is admirable that the Board have been so open about their problems. It shows why we should help them to achieve their aims by subscribing to buy more shares before the offer ends in April..

 

True, though in the case of Kingscote north points (pre-East Grinstead) and the whole of East Grinstead itself (after the extension), loco crew operation of points was always the planned solution and preparations were made accordingly. I suspect a late change is less desirable, depending on how much of the signal box infrastructure (interlocking etc) has already been designed and implemented.

That said ... it's still over a year to planned opening so there is time to train new volunteers (probably through promotion of existing porters and then back-filling with a new intake of porters). Adding half again to the length of the line was always going to require significant increases in resources - an extra signal box to man every day may be the most visible, but there will also need to be an extra carriage set, and extra loco, another station to man, all of which take money and people. The important point to me seems to be that the board recognises that sufficiently far in advance to make plans.

Agree with all the above. Again, the Bluebell extension is an example of where future doubling is precluded (at least without significant expense) due to a section of about 200 yards just north of Kingscote where only half the formation is owned by the railway. There is no great clamour or operational necessity to re-double that, or any other, section of the line.

Tom

 

Indeed so. Also. it has been well publicised on various GWSR blogs that part of the embankment south of Broadway Station was surveyed some time ago and a need for repairs (thereby involving finance) would have to be met before the reopening. So it hasn't come as a shock (or shouldn't have done). As regards volunteers to cover the 'box at Broadway, then all the GWSR can do is try to attract sufficient new blood asap but, as others have already written, safety is paramount. I agree that the GWSR Board have been very up-front with this and a rant is not necessary.

It could be argued that rants should perhaps be reserved for situations which have allowed 400000 people to die and a city in Syria to be turned into the 21st Century equivalent of Dresden all because an ex-KGB Colonel has a big stick and has no problem using it to protect one of his acolytes who runs a country like his own personal property - that's a "rantable" subject IMHO.