GWSR Broadway Developments

The Volunteers announcement I referred to is now posted on the GWSR Boardroom blog, so can be viewed in full here: http://gwrboardroom.blogspot.co.uk/

 

You can check who owns property with the land registry online. All you have to do is create a login and then pay the fee, (only 3 quid for a basic search)

here https://eservices.landregistry.gov....SmtFL1o2XzMyODQxMTQySDgzNjcwSTVGRzMxVDUzMDQz/

There is other websites too, I have only used it to find who owned a house so no idea if it can work for trackbeds but I am sure you could probably find out online who owns the Broadway Honeybourne bit with some digging and probably find out too when it changed hands and for how much too particularly if it is fairly recent. I think you need to request further access if you want documents which can be used in court.

 

Where did I say that lines longer than 12 miles rely entirely on enthusiasts to make their money by doing a continuous out and back trip?

What I said is that people making an all line out and back trip (time spent waiting for engines to run round at each end does not count as a 'break' or continually swapping between trains at passing points on such lines are basically only going to be enthusiasts and that such types are in the minority when it comes to visitor numbers overall. As such railways must be guided in their approch to business in tailoring what they offer to the expectations of most visitors - for whom a long train ride without a suitable break is off-putting. For example why do you think the SVR 'Santa trains (which along with many other Heritage railways contribute something like a 1/4 or 1/3 of their yearly revenue) only do short trips rather than running the entire length of the line? Answer - the short attention span of young kids!

If you get off and go walking for an hour then quite clearly you are not on the train for more than a couple of hours (and probably have travelled no more than 12-ish miles) Similarly if you go round a museum, stop at a cafe for lunch, visit a playground to let the kids run round and expend some energy (they having been sat still on the train for an hour or so) you are manifestly not spending more than 2 hours on board the train. Railways that are longer than 12 miles or so thus tend to have more of a requirement of suitable 'destinations' - be it pretty market towns, stunning scenery, the seaside, museums, playgrounds, etc for people to break their journeys and other railways seeking to operate over long distances need to have a strategy in place that provides such opportunities.

Which is precisely the point the GWSR is making with their 11 mile statement. At present going a little further into Cheltenham or going all the way to Honeybourne will not give them additional 'destinations' to serve, and thus provides very little benefit but increases costs. Whats more talk of extending the line further is a distraction they don't need as even after trains reach Broadway the station will still not be complete built due to funding pressures, while if there is spare cash I'm sure the C&W department on the railway would like to have some under cover storage for the fleet to ease the ravages of the weather of vehicle paintwork.

There is also the point that Toddington at present sort of counts as a 'destination' anyway what with the miniature railway and loco deport being there anyway - the addition of a Highley style 'Engine House there would be a far more worth addition than a few more miles of track if funds became available.

In short, just as with the often mentioned possibility of the Bluebell extending to Ardingly, the GWSR have far more important priorities to attend to on their existing line and it will be a decade at least before they are in a position consider extending further. As such all statements from them, while not eliminating the potability completely are going to reflect that reality and will deliberately poor cold water on any extensions for the foreseeable future with the focus on developing the current line.

 

I don't think Honeybourne has been seriously suggested as a destination. It would be the start point on the GWSR for passengers or through trains arriving from the national network to travel to destinations on the GWSR.

 

@Phil-d259 - what you 'said' was:

It certainly seems to imply that, based on the (still unquoted source) 'respected research', it is not the general public who form the customer base of lines which don't comply with your personal opinion/calculation/understanding of what a line longer than 12 miles requires in terms of 'passenger time commitment'. At 25mph, potentially 2 hours could easily see a 20 mile round trip completed, although examining actual railway timetables show about 2 1/2 as being more realistic, the 'one way' journey being just over the hour for between 16 and 20 miles.

And that is where you seem to have gone wrong, one can only assume perhaps falling foul of the 'I understand what I know so it must be perfect' syndrome. On the longer lines, people do travel for just over an hour (perhaps nearer 2 hours), (and don't tend just watch as the loco runs round and travel all the way back straightaway) and in doing so, cover considerably more than your mythical 12 miles - in fact, I can't think of a line that actually is 12 miles long, although I note that there is one that is 11 miles long......

Believe me, I have witnessed considerable numbers of the 'general public' and their travel plans and habits over many years on a line longer than 12 miles long and which carried millions of passengers in that time, so there is no need to talk down to me about passenger habits - and I will try not to talk down to you!

Steven

 

And I just can't see that justifying the cost. The capital expenditure required may be disputed but operating an extra 5 miles of railway will be too much of a strain and cost IMHO.

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

 

Whom you could probably number on the fingers of two hands each non Gala day.....................with through trains being a rarity.

 

or not, as the case might be. Looking forward to seeing what happens after 2018.

 

If you have read the Broadway Station rebuild blog for Wednesday, you will read that the glass had arrived to glaze the platform side roof.

I wasn't able to attend myself due to illness, but have been informed that the glaziers should be installing these on Friday, Saturday & Sunday, which will mean that the scaffolding can soon be removed to allow the permanent way gang to start ballasting and putting the rails through the platforms.

The kerbing operation is taking a short break until the shop is removed (November?) at which time we can construct the coach pull in drop off area. One of our volunteers has kindly measured everything up and produced detailed plans for this and it fits nicely, without disturbing any of our Corsican Pine trees (which have preservation orders on them!).

In view of this we will start laying the coping stones on the recently built platform, where the gap was, on Wednesday, with the help of Steve and his JCB.

 

Is there room for a coach to turn round, or will they have to reverse back onto the main road? Either manoeuvre sounds rather hazardous when the station is busy!

 

It can be illegal to back into a main road.

Paul

 

Yes there is, we have an area just by the station itself, where the coach can reverse. This has been used on our open evenings by Graham's double decker London bus, and also by other coaches and buses from the bus rallies held at Toddington, when visitors have been brought up to Broadway to have a look at our progress.

 

Station Road/Evesham Road is no longer a main road. It used to be until the by-pass was built.

 

Still a busy road with large vehicles, given the number of bridge strikes!

Modern coaches, like a lot of road vehicles, can be monstrously large compared to the vintage ones I associate with bus rallies!

 

I

I can assure you that this has been taken into account .

 

The scaffolding started to come down (partly) today, and here is a peek under the canopy from ground level:



Most of what is on the right will be removed, to be finished about lunchtime tomorrow.

There's an extension update here, covering work from Monday:
http://broadwayextensionblog.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/getting-our-ducks-in-line.html

 

The canopy looks quite splendid, congratulations to all concerned!
Andy

 

The trackside part of the scaffolding was removed today, lifting enough of the veil that you can now see the full canopy without any of the poles in the way.



At the top all of the glazing bars have been fitted, and just under half of the glass. Soon the building will be completely dry.
Following the removal of the scaffolding legs on the trackbed the remaining pallets of bricks were speedily removed, and now further ballast clearance can resume next week.

More detail in today's extension blog:
http://broadwayextensionblog.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/a-lady-revealed.html