GWSR Broadway Developments

From the GWSR.COM website today:

Broadway - The Last Mile


The 'Broadway - The Last Mile' share issue has exceeded the magic £1 million mark. We've now raised £1,112,500. So, there's less than £140,000 to go but less than 60 days before this issue closes. Buy shares now and help us to get to Broadway!

 

The latest news from the GWSR Boardroom Blog is here:
http://gwrboardroom.blogspot.co.uk/

Current amount raised is now £1,158000 as at 10 March. Amazing but not there yet!

A very busy week for the GWSR this coming week of course with the Cheltenham Festival at the Race Course. (I really must go and look at the fillies there sometime).

 

GWSR website updated showing £1,1750,000 now subscribed so only £75,000 to go, also dated as at 10th March.

 

I've posted two videos on YouTube:

1. Riveting the heritage canopy in the Toddington loco shed:

and
Stressing the first 1000m of CWR track on the Broadway extension:


More details on the extension blog:
http://broadwayextensionblog.blogspot.co.uk/
Trusses 4 and 5 (out of 7 required) were assembled on Tuesday, but still need riveting. A trial assembly of the canopy, two bays in the Toddington car park, should be possible in about two months.

 

The Share issue is now past the £1.2m mark at £1,216,000!! Only one month to go before it closes and only £34,000 remaining. but anything past the 1.25m goal would be fantastic, especially with the additional embankment costs. The first section of Cwl rail on the extension had been stressed and this week also sees the first loads of ballast being delivered to the head a hunt at broadway station. In the meantime the locomotive dept at toddington are pushing on with the manufacture of the new station canopy which is now looking mighty impressive.

 

If the Share Issue hits its target, does it have to close for legal reasons, or can it remain open to raise more?

Andy

 

Last time we raised more than the half a million so I presume so.

 

Ballast at Broadway.

Not strictly rebuild of the Station but the latest "Broadway Blog" (today) shows some images of the start of the big job of re-ballasting the area north of Broadway Station prior to installation of a run-round loop and buffer stops. Love the shot of the dumper alongside Platform 2 and the signal box!

The ballasting might not be as glamorous a job as recreating the excellent Station buildings but it's vital for the extension to open this time next year. This is where the money is going. There is still an embankment to repair and Platform 2 building to fund amongst other things so the total of £1.25m needs to be reached (or, I guess, exceeded) by 30 April.
http://broadwayextensionblog.blogspot.co.uk/

 

Page 13 of the prospectus explains that the company will accept applications in excess up to a maximum of 2.576.079 shares.
I think more money would be very welcome, given the unexpectedly large cost for the Broadway embankment repair.

 

This morning the share appeal reached the initial target of £1.250.000.
Breva was there when the FD received the key application form - happiness all round!

This doesn't mean that the railway wouldn't be grateful for a bit more, as the embankment repair needed was unexpectedly large. You can continue to buy shares, or make a donation to the Trust, with gift aid.

Ballast continues to arrive at Broadway on a daily basis. We reckon almost 1.000 tons have gone into Broadway north so far.
The canopy continues to make good progress at Toddy, with all the trusses now assembled, although not all yet rivetted. The trial assembly is coming into sight!
On Saturday, we all but emptied the track extension supply train, which is needed back at Toddy as more rail is arriving later in the month.

Keep us going !

 

Absolutely brilliant news!
Really good to know we should be on course for that good Friday opening.
Thanks for all the blog updates, even for a volunteer it's hard to keep up with what's going on without them, and it makes my job so much easier when passengers come up and ask me!

Speaking of which, there are of course some folk who worry that extension projects can draw resources away from the rest of the railway. That got me thinking, what else has the railway achieved since we started properly raising money for Broadway? I'm sure I'll have missed things out, but here's what I thought of:

-Staged an incredibly successful GWR175 gala really raising the profile of the railway
-Raised over £1.5million to repair our landslips
-Hundreds of thousands of pounds spent on drainage to prevent similar problems in the future
-Built a brand new Paint shop, woodwork and upholstery rooms for C+W
-Built a brand new platform 2 at CRC
-Relaid life expired track at Toddington and Winchcombe station, 2 sections in between, and the section south of Winchcombe to the tunnel.
-Restored 3 Barry Scrapyard steam locomotives to operation
-Restored at least 1 diesel locomotive to original condition (apologies, likely to have missed significant things out in this department!)
-Extended the platform at Winchcombe
-Built a new "elf centre" at Winchcombe
-Concreted the floor in the David Page shed
-The whole running carriage fleet has at least had a total repaint, with many more receiving comprehensive overhauls/restorations on top of that
-All the wagons in Winchcombe platform have received a repaint at least, plus most in the goods rake and more restored to use
-Brand new station at Hayles Abbey built

All on top of operating a successful railway with passenger numbers increasing for the last 4 years up to 100,000 last year - pretty good I reckon, roll on Broadway!

 

Great news to hear all round! Not long now till 35006 is pulling into platform 1 of Broadway!

Though after all the years working on this project, one wonders what the Broadway team will do with themselves once the station is finally done... move on to Bishops Cleeve perhaps?

 

Well that won't be for a little while yet - remember there won't be a P2 building, a completed footbridge or carpark when trains first arrive! Unless of course, the last month of this share issue is remarkably oversubscribed....

 

Ah well then I can understand that, must get Broadway fully completed first, certainly as most images of it do show the station to be a rather good looking one when in it's complete form. Indeed I hope you do get more money for that, it'll be the pride of the line no doubt when finished.

Though you say not for a while yet... would that imply then that there is possible consideration in rebuilding Bishops Cleeve in the future? It would be nice to see the railway with ALL it's stations along it's route restored.

 

Ahha, I was merely referring to the "once Broadway is finished" no comment on Bishop's Cleeve! I'm in two minds over Bishop's Cleeve station, setting aside practical issues like land ownership for a minute. On the one hand the housing estate there is growing rather quickly and may be a growing source of passengers. I shan't tempt certain people and start talking about provision for commuters/people doing shopping liking up with bus etc because even I accept that's a bit of a dead end. But nonetheless it would be an extra source of normal passengers.

However, it is where we get virtually all of our stones thrown at trains problems, and I'd be keen to have trains there for as little time as possible, stopping at a station makes us a much easier target sadly. Whatever station we build there would have to be heavily security concious which may compromise any heritage desires.

Personally, I think the priorities after Broadway should be sorting out Winchcombe yard, and giving Toddington signal box some much needed TLC.

For more daydreaming ideas, I'd sooner have some nicer signal boxes at CRC and Gotherington and some double track before we think about Bishop's Cleeve.

All personal opinions, not board policy as far as I know - yet!

 

That's easy, the GWSR needs a carriage & wagon secure storage shed for at least some of its stock. Given the excellent work that the C&W team does, at least some undercover storage for their efforts is vital to extend times between overhauls etc if nothing else . If a specific fund for a C&W storage shed was to be started once the Broadway extension shares issue was closed, I'd happily chip in. Congratulations to everyone who has put their money into achieving the £1.25 million total ( and yes I have bought some more shares in case you're wondering). Regarding Bishops Cleeve, (and the chavasaurus problems sometimes encountered - see FS123's post above) I believe that there is no room for any station facilities as the station site and yard area was sold by BR for development many years ago, before the GWSR bought the line. I am happy to be corrected on this though.

 

Yes it is a great shame that, having vandals once again spoil it for everybody with their nuisances... I tend to have the mind set though that such issues as that shouldn't hold back such ambitions, if of course there is a good case for reopening said station. An deserted station is always more likely to draw trouble then a busy one. Really I say catch the devils and fling them in a goods van for the night, that'll soon teach them! (Though not strictly legal...)

Oh yes some doubletrack would be great to have I'd say, though one wonders which section of the line would be most ideal for such a plan.

Though as Kinghambranch as pointed out, the railway could really do with with a good sized coach shed for the carriage rakes, preferably all of them.

Also, wasn't the loco shed designed with having an overhead crane installed at some point in mind?

 

Well done on reaching the Target of 1.25million Pounds.

Now to sell some more shares and pay for that embankment.

Cant wait for next Easter!

 

Absolutely no idea! First I've heard but I don't tend to have much call to go in Toddy shed all that often. They have got some nice jacks in there now though capable of lifting locos off their wheels so not sure what the additional use would be?

 

I can assure you that an overhead crane is a great asset and would get used continuously. Shifting heavy lumps around as you get older is not much fun and I have not come across much on a loco that is light..