GWSR Broadway Developments

You may well have, unintentionally, fallen into the trap of forgetting about the GWSR as a "whole railway" and not taking into account that the whole estate requires funding to ensure that we don't end up with a sparkling Broadway extension and a degraded line and infrastructure south of Toddington. The GWSR has, as far as I can ascertain, made it clear that Broadway Station would not be "finished" in March 2018. Given the length of time it has taken to achieve the levels of completion at Winchcombe, Cheltenham Racecourse and even Toddington, I believe that Broadway will achieve a relatively completed state quite soon after 2018. I'm quite well aware, of course, that this depends upon continued funding and both volunteer and some paid labour to get there.

 

Tarmac is the compromise between paviours/sets on the one hand and gravel on the other. I wouldn't suppose Broadway adjoins any land of particular environmental sensitivity but an impermeable surface does allow run-off water to be passed through hydrocarbon traps.

Quite recently, I was told of a noticeable reduction of atmospheric dust being blown into a house as a result of a gravel car park being surfaced with tarmacadam.

PH

 

I quite understand your point, that GWSR is a whole railway, and that Broadway will take years to finish.

My only concern is about the relatively cheap but important heritage things that Jo highlights from time to time, such as a Victorian fireplace or granite kerbs outside the booking office, might be sacrificed so that political brownie points are scored elsewhere on the railway.

Is the Finance Director up for relection soon?

 

Most NT properties I've been to recently have, from memory, used unsurfaced car parks, apparently without issue. Not so long ago, I happened to look at the online reviews of one particular property near me - one of the most popular, and with its key busy period being in the Autumn when presumably it is wet underfoot. Of well over 1,000 customer reviews, the only ones that mentioned the car park unfavourably were about its distance from the property: I can't recall one that made reference to the surface. So I think the issue of customers wanting tarmac can be overplayed.

I might be wrong, but I thought there was a general feeling in planning circles against large areas of tarmac because of the impact on flash flooding: a porous surface allowing water to escape to ground more gradually.

Tom

 

Ah, I share this concern, and that wasn't what I had in mind in my first post you quoted.

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There are always a lot of "good" reasons put forward to avoid spending money regardless of how beneficial to the user such work would be. Planning authorities (which all vary) appear to be just as anxious regarding hydrocarbons entering into watercourses as to the volumne of surface water. Hydrocarbon residues are, or course, free to enter sub-soils through permeable top layers.

PH

 

Resources are finite, and not everyone agrees as to what priorities are. It's no use having the world's nicest stations if they are cut off because the embankment the rail runs along collapses because the drains haven't been maintained.

Noel

 

So, you apparently don't think resources should be provided to those who are doing crucial things elsewhere on the railway?

Noel

 

There is a compromise which no one's yet mentioned, and that is to resin-bond the gravel.
Back in 2010 when Sheffield Park had its up platform resurfaced, this was used as it was as near to the original surface as practicable. It help "lift" that side of the station, certainly in contrast to the drab tarmac on the down side.
And it looks far, far better than the awful block paving in the station drive, which is just redolent of "suburban new build"

 

Originally the surface was probably yellow Cotswolds stone gravel. This does not last well, but when digging a ditch across the forecourt we did find a yellow level about 9 ins down. I would also recommend tarmac here.
The pavement in front of the station was 6 ins higher than the forecourt, bordered in granite kerbs, and surfaced with the same slabs as on the platform. It would be a shame to tarmac it, as that is rather modern.

The same 12ins x 6ins granite kerbs are still in place at Hall Green.

 

Tar spray and chip (eg http://esc-surfacing.co.uk/surface_dressing.html) is an economic and low-maintenance alternative to resin-bonded gravel, and far more aesthetically pleasing than tarmac. It's the stuff Highway engineers use on the approach to traffic lights.

 

I was just going to say the same thing. I think that's what the NNR have used to surface some of Holt station? It looks great in phtoographs.

 

Fair point. If you want to put yourself forward for the job, or any of the directors' positions, go for it.

 

Would love to but a) I live over 100 miles from the GWSR ,and b) I volunteer full time for a sailing charity.

However If I was the Financial Director and could find 300, 000 for the loco department, I am sure I wouldn't begrudge Broadway a 300 quid fireplace.

 

I'm sure @Breva will correct me if I'm wrong, but I'd have thought something in the magnitude of £300 would be below the responsibility of the finance director and would be handled by someone in the Broadway department? We certainly don't go to the board every time we want a paint order, and that can be well over £300 on occasion! Things like price options for the canopy and the drive way, and whether to cafe or not to cafe are more at the level of the board I should think, but I'm only comparing to how C+W is run.

 

To cafe or not to cafe! Well put, and will in any case decide the fate of said fireplace.

Has white smoke emitted from the fireplace at Toddington to signal a decision yet?

 

I should imagine we won't hear until tomorrow, board meetings tend to be evening affairs IIRC. I remember hearing tales of board meetings going on until gone 3am many years ago before my time, when certain directors were well known for their loquatiousness!

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How much track is still to lay between Broadway and Laverton? Maybe if you have a mile or two left over you could double Winchcombe to Toddington

 

Steady on now!

 

There is a new item on the Boardroom blog saying that there will be a cafe at Broadway, link here: http://gwrboardroom.blogspot.co.uk/

I am sure that this is the correct decision and we can now get on with completing as much of the station and site as possible in the time remaining before the opening in March 2018.