GWSR Broadway Developments

Is Peter Waterman still the President of the GWSR? He doesn't appear to have been involved in the opening to Broadway celebrations.

 

Well he's taken up a similar position as emperor of the Peak rail galactic empire, presumably he doesn't have the time to juggle all of these roles

 

PW has waded in on one side of a rather messy dispute at Peak Rail. I have a feeling he may come to regret not doing a bit more ‘due diligence’ before getting involved.

Robin

 

Meanwhile, work is progressing on the Broadway Station Refreshments Room and preparations are under way for further work on Platform 2 with the removal from temporary storage of many of the concrete cable troughs. More signalling installation is also ongoing.

http://broadwaystationgroup.blogspot.com/

http://gwsrsandt.blogspot.com/


The Refreshments Room fireplace surround etc is due for installation sometime this week. I understand that it was purchased (most parts are new) by generous donations from supporters. I don't know who they are but I extend my very good wishes to them!

Work has also started on the Broadway Station car park site on the other side of Station Road Bridge.

 

Good to see the momentum being maintained.

I might be tempted back later in the year.

Robin

 

Wake up at the back there!

The (financial) support for the new replacement fireplace, and the address of the supplier, came from this very forum .
I had a peep through the window after work at Usk today, and the brand new slate hearth has been put in.
Fingers crossed, but we might be able to erect the rest on Friday.

Broadway was exceptionally busy today. This is unusual (so far most of the ticket purchases have been made at Cheltenham, as there is no parking at Broadway) so that is a bit of a mystery.

We were never sure whether original Broadway had one ticket hatch or two, (no interior photographs exist of any of our stations, and the only person I ever met to have been inside the booking office said she - couldn't remember ) but with the rebuild we decided to go for two windows, and today both were in use, and nonetheless at one point the queue went out of the door and down to the corner of the building.

All in all , passenger figures are settling down a bit, with an average increase of 50% at the moment (after earlier, higher increases).

The car park is w.i.p. but won't be ready this season.

 

I know that the support came from this very forum but I don't know any of the supporters in person! They have been brilliant I would say.

 

Ooh! Looking forward to this, we've potentially got the beginnings of a plan to provide it with some suitable private owner wagons too, hopefully it'll end up looking like a proper little goods yard.

 

The Heritage Herald blog has just been updated with the story:

https://haylesabbeyhalt.blogspot.com/

 

The fireplace in the refreshment room was completed today:


It still needs a bit of polishing - this was it at the end of the day, with the mortar going off, so we didn't want to mess with it too much.
The fender, found buried on site after the 1963 demolition, has been restored and laid in front. The fireplace still needs an ash pan, but we can make that ourselves, it's not a big thing.

I would like to thank the contributors from this forum, who had the idea of the replica, found a source, and who clubbed together to raise the funds for it. We did not let you down.

We could do with a (GWR) dropcase clock to go over it... the booking office one is a great success.

Training for the new staff who have volunteered for the Broadway refreshment room is underway. Yours truly was served a mug of tea by two hopefuls in the Coffeepot at Winchcombe.

 

That looks quite splendid!

 

Lovely

Pity you can't get some more appropriate-looking mains sockets for the wall - unless someone does make some outlets in what used to be described as "coinage bronze" or "Florentine Bronze" finish.

 

or maybe just paint them the same colour as the wainscoting?

 

For a period look you could install BS 546 (round-pin) outlets but that wouldn't be very convenient. However standard BS 1363 socket outlets are available in quite a variety of finishes. See for example https://www.socketsandswitches.com/index.asp?SKSID=832&Colour=Bronze

 

Indeed, or any other suitable colour other than plastic white, or even some varnished wooden enclosures of some description, with brass hinges or whatever. Plenty of options that should enable it to not cry out "modern".

 

I think the sockets and indeed the light switches are a symptom of the heritage / non-heritage currents in this project. We won some battles, lost others. You can buy (brand new) period socket/switchgear but that was not on the agenda of the person that hired the electricians.

 

Breva, that was well worth the wait. as I posted somewhere else, that will look so cosy and inviting on A Winter's afternoon, whilst waiting for the last train back to Cheltenham.
All that's missing now is Alec and Laura sitting at a corner table looking glum, whilst Stanley Holloway and Joyce Carey carry on flirting across the rock buns!

 

there have been so many times over this project when you guys must have felt like Sisyphus pushing that bloody rock up the hill. and still it goes on, and presumably will go on till the bitter end

 

Thinking about real fires, could this be a potential project for the heritage group/ others? Toddington platform 2 is used a lot more now and a fire in there would be worthwhile - I presume it's all there just needs sorting out. Platform 1 waiting room at Toddington, again all there just needs sorting? Winchcombe is a bit more difficult but perhaps with a bit of thought - I understand part of the inner roof of the Monmouth Troy needs redoing at some point...

Just thinking back to the SVR's snowy "Spring" steam gala earlier this year, those real fires were incredibly popular, some of the smaller waiting rooms you had to queue to get in!

 

Unlike some things, sockets and light switches are very easy to change. How many of each are there (in public areas where they show)?