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Oswestry Update

Discussion in 'Heritage Railways & Centres in the UK' started by ilvaporista, Aug 13, 2010.

  1. ilvaporista

    ilvaporista Part of the furniture

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    Sadly the old Cambrian style footbridges are due to be removed as stations are remodelled. Creating ramps/lifts and level access by modifying this type of bridge would leave almost nothing of the nearly life-expired structure. A better design can be had starting from scratch.

    Luckily one has already been saved and is in store at CHR. One day it will rise again.
     
  2. Ploughman

    Ploughman Part of the furniture

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    If NWR are having to replace old Footbridges with new around the country.
    How can heritage sites get permission for installing old bridges in a new location?
    As they will need to be to the same sort of public access standard.
    I assume that they will be for actual public use and not as a historic stand alone structure.
     
  3. ilvaporista

    ilvaporista Part of the furniture

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    The footbridge to be erected at Weston will be in addition to other means to cross the line.
    However that is still some way off as first we need to build a one platform station before thinking about a second platform and passenger access.
    The footbridge is safe for now and waiting it's turn.
     
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  4. ilvaporista

    ilvaporista Part of the furniture

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    Talking about the platform here is an informative video update made by local film maker Chris Smith with Ryan Harrison giving you a tour and explaining what is happening. Plus as a bonus some movements at Weston.



    A big thank you to Chris for his work.
     
  5. DragonHandler

    DragonHandler Well-Known Member

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    A very interesting and informative video. I look forward to visiting the CHR again, it's a small detour on my route to the F&WHR, but a very worthwhile one!
    (Of course with the current situation it's anyone's guess when that might be!!)
     
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  6. ilvaporista

    ilvaporista Part of the furniture

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    Like all attractions we are waiting for the opportunity to welcome visitors to view progress. We really are just a couple of minutes off the A5 so ideal for a leg stretch, bite to eat and a quick fix of steam on your way to North Wales.
     
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  7. weltrol

    weltrol Part of the furniture Friend

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    Would there be any scope to recover the Newtown footbridge and modify/extend it to fit in at Oswestry? I know Oswestry finished off with a GWR pattern footbridge, but the Cambrian lattice have a certain feel to them.
     
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  8. ilvaporista

    ilvaporista Part of the furniture

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    Honestly speaking, no. The work required to modify and then certify would be more than starting from zero. Trying to graft and weld pieces on to an unknown and already life expired part gives structural engineers nightmares.
    It will be a long time before the second platform at Oswestry will be usable by passengers so to use an old phrase badly, we will cross that bridge when we come to it.
    If by any chance we do find a suitable footbridge that spans three tracks we could think about it. For the moment there is plenty to be getting on with.
     
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  9. Breva

    Breva Well-Known Member

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    We have some GWR footbridge experience at Broadway.

    The one we recovered from Henley in Arden was usable in the end only for the centre span, and that with costly repairs. The two towers, the steps, the sides and the 3 roofs are all new. We considered another second hand one for Cheltenham Race Course, but, given the money, it would be easier to have a new one built. The advantage with that is also that it will fit your site exactly. The length of the HIA footbridge at Broadway, and its position, were badly managed and we now suffer the consequences.
     
  10. ilvaporista

    ilvaporista Part of the furniture

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    Work continues at Park Hall and hopefully I will be able to upload some drone shots tomorrow to show the extent of the current work. The blog currently has a couple of photos from ground based positions.
     
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  11. ilvaporista

    ilvaporista Part of the furniture

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    There has been significant progress at Weston recently. I am overdue by a few blog posts to show you the pictures. In my defence I have worked all spare hours on finishing a new passenger trolley and sorted out a few issues on one of my locos before driving 5 hours to join in the biggest event in the Italian miniature railway calendar.

    Here is the first section of the GWR style platform in place with a passenger waiting for the first train.
    110069584_3056985567688296_2103113678806133051_o.jpg
    Thanks to CHR for the picture. More photos are in Facebook.

    With regards to the delay to reopening it will allow us to dedicate more resources to work at Weston and to other projects so that when we reopen it will be a different railway. Due to the limited number of volunteers and age profile, running of trains at the current time would have been difficult and unpredictable. In this case a cautious approach was considered best.
     
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  12. jnc

    jnc Well-Known Member

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    When I first saw that image, I thought it was wooden beams underneath, but now I look closely, I see they are concrete pre-forms. Nice system!

    Noel
     
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  13. ilvaporista

    ilvaporista Part of the furniture

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    The drone photos of Weston are visible on the blog. Now you can begin to get a clear picture of the station layout at Weston.
     
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  14. ilvaporista

    ilvaporista Part of the furniture

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  15. weltrol

    weltrol Part of the furniture Friend

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    Seeing such progress makes me think about rejoining the Cambrian. 23 years ago there was not much in the way of progress after obtaining Weston Wharf.
     
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  16. ilvaporista

    ilvaporista Part of the furniture

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    Things have moved on a lot. The real 'unlocker' was the transfer of ownership of the line from BR to Shropshire CC. Since then a lot of hard work went on out of the public eye with the TWAO and grant applications. I can't stress how vital these unseen activities are for a healthy future. Other lines may wish to take note... ;-)
     
  17. weltrol

    weltrol Part of the furniture Friend

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    I was part of the 'team' that got the original Light Railway Order for the Oswald Road site. Sadly, others were not too appreciative of efforts made to keep Oswestry alive in those days.:(
     
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  18. ilvaporista

    ilvaporista Part of the furniture

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    My first visits started in the mid 1970's and I would spend hours playing around the station and watching Foxcote Manor slowly being restored. I thought it was great when the cattle dock shuttles started and thought it would be easy just to connect to the main line and off we go. Then other interests took over, my grandmother passed away and Oswestry was out of my thoughts for many years. Now I live far away but I still return filled with boyish hope and enthusiasm! I salute the early pioneers who kept my dreams alive and hope that now with real progress being made that they look on with pride as to what has been achieved.
     
  19. ilvaporista

    ilvaporista Part of the furniture

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  20. ilvaporista

    ilvaporista Part of the furniture

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    Here is a picture that I hope will please a lot of people who have supported and donated to CHR. The platform at Weston is now to length and the fencing to the rear has started. Photo courtesy of CHR. The blog will be updated over the weekend.

    118159350_3164111506975701_3810398143832864517_o.jpg

    Another important step achieved on the way to opening the new station at Weston.

    I know that some people are disappointed that the railway has not yet reopened. We will get there. The main issue is the shortage of operating staff. We have a very limited number of people, many of whom have a few miles on the clock and require safeguards in place.
    If you would like to volunteer we would be pleased to welcome you and many new faces have appeared recently, including from some distance.
    Thanks once again to all who have supported CHR, it really has made a difference.
     
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