GWSR General Discussion and Operations

Thanks, I shall pass it on to the author!
Regards, the editor

 

7903 Foremarke Hall & 35006 Peninsular & Oriental S.N. Co cross paths at Winchcombe Station this afternoon.

 

Just a quick question about the Broadway webcam. Is it down at the moment or should I do something extra to try and load the webcam pictures? I normally just go the Friends of Broadway Station blog page and selcet webcam to view activity at the station.

 

It seems to have been down for some days, now.

 

Back from a lovely morning travelling through the Cotswolds with old friend 7903. The train was quite well loaded, there was a tour group that had arrived at Toddington by coach who had a couple of carriages reserved, there was a large group of school children on a WW2 lesson who had another carriage, people joining the train at Cheltenham and Broadway as well as just Toddington. It's nice to see things start returning to a semblance of normality.

 

Thanks! We are beginning to see a few coaches, but COVID distancing arrangements still means pulling empty carriages along for us. (while others are 'full' esp those that are SKs.)

Working on the rebuild of the Usk weighbridge hut at Winchcombe, we can hear the excited cries of children on wartime experiences, which is nice. They are interspersed with the wails of an air raid siren. It's regular and very welcome schools traffic.
A stationmaster told me that some of these school children have never seen a train before

 

A brilliant new idea turned up at Broadway yesterday:


It's a double decker from local company Marchants, completely stickered with a GWSR theme. Foremarke Hall on Stanway viaduct on the sides, a head on shot of 35006 on the rear.
This is good publicity not only for the railway, but for the bus company too, as that bus will make heads turn.

 

Especially those on the upper deck as it approaches a 'Low Bridge'.

No. Seriously. A good 'marketing' ploy.

 

Looks great, and very eye-catching publicity. Is it operating as a regular route bus around the area, or somehow a railway service?
Also, what it the thingo on the top nearside corner? Protection from tree branches?

 

Apparently it mostly does school runs and other services around and between Cheltenham and Gloucester, so a good chance of me seeing it 'in the wild' at some point over the next 5 years.

 

An idea for a certain other West Country preserved railway with bus company connections, perhaps ?

 

Not unbelievable, I've come to the conclusion that a large number of passengers have never set foot in a train.

 

Thanks for the pun.

 

[Image courtesy cornwallrailwaysociety.org.uk]

 

Hi All,
I am looking to visit in early August with my young family.
What would people recommend we as must see and do things, as it been a very long time since I last visited?

We are looking to catch the train from Broadway

 

There is a discussion another railway site about the future Honeybourne expansion. There are parliamentary questions and a comment by the G&WSR, Surprised that nothing is recorded here.

 

Could you point as to where that is please? We've been sent a fair amount of info as volunteers as a "heads up" but I don't know how much is public!

 

I presume...
https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...edundant-track-bed.220243/page-2#post-5238755

 

It makes for interesting reading. Aside from the central issue of overall responsibility for structural maintenance between Broadway and Honeybourne, is the vicious irony that a government which headlines itself on "Rolling back Beeching", is indirectly presiding over the demolition and infilling of infrastructure which has been retained on a care and maintenance basis by the state for over half a century, now.
Perhaps someone with more intelligence than I possess could explain this glaring contradiction to me?

 

"it is now the policy of the DfT that heritage railways are unable to give a sufficiently strong covenant to secure the continuing maintenance of road bridges which cross these redundant lines". Are the current owners, Railway Paths Limited, any more able?