GWSR on a more positive note. Broadway platform looking great

for anyone interested in the goings on this website is mostly updated on a wed and sat every week.
http://broadwaygwsr.blogspot.com/

 

Yes, you beat me to it! Despite the awful things that have happened to the GWSR over the last 12 months, all of them due directly or indirectly to adverse weather conditions both long and short term, the work at Broadway station continues apace. The volunteers here are doing a magnificent job (and no, I'm not one of them, sadly!) and much of the material being used is scavanged from old building sites where suitable imperial bricks, both blue and red, are needed. Whilst this all costs money, its nothing like paying for brand new imperial size bricks of the right type (if you could get them) but there are loads of bricks still needed! The new platforms will have to be much longer than the original ones as Broadway hopefully will be a much busier station than it was in its previous GWR and BR life. However, work is now well underway and, with the extension to Laverton opening on 2 April, there is much to be pleased about despite the current adversity. Go and visit the GWSR when it opens and give as much as you can!

 

Latest update on the Broadway Blog shows more excellent progress and clearance work has now begun on stage 1 of the platform extension (the new platform will be longer than the original to cater for longer trains as one might expect with what will be, for a while at least, a terminus). Talking of the end of the line, further north at Honeybourne, the old Honeybourne Line Island platform is being completely rebuilt now as part of the Cotswold Line redoubling (I feel most vindicated to have lived long enough to see that happen!) and remains of the old water column have been unearthed. I trust the remains will go to the GWR! It would seem only a matter of time and money before that famous sign "Honeybourne Junction, change here for Stratford, Broadway, Cheltenham etc etc" can be put back again! What say you?

 

Lots of questions here (apologies!)

Is Stratford a realistic ambition? I understood the line from Honeybourne - Long Marston was likely to be used for the foreseeable future by NR. What is the status of the trackbed beyond Long Marston - is it privately owned/council owned/GWSR owned or Sustrans owned? Is there a suitable site around Stratford for a station terminus with all the usual car park, toilets, shop, cafe etc? Looking on Google maps the trackbed seems to have been wiped out beyond Long Marston and there is an airfield nearby - possible stumbling blocks?
Who owns the trackbed from Broadway to Honeybourne? I seem to remember there were issues with the council and Sustrans regarding this stretch - has the issue been sorted and does it leave the GWSR in a position to buy or lease enough land when the time comes to extend to Honeybourne?

Thanks in advance to anyone who can shed a little light!

Keith

 

Anybody seen photos of the work at Honeybourne -I have read that brick work is being salvaged for use at Broadway and that the points giving access to the Branch are moving to the Country end of the platform. will a cross over be included in the double track or just access from the new Up line?

 

The trackbed from Long Marston to Stratford is now the Greenway cycle path (http://www.sustrans.org.uk/sustrans-near-you/midlands/easy-rides-in-the-midlands/stratford-greenway) which at the Stratford end runs where the Honeybourne line met up with the SMJR. The rest of the trackbed up to Stratford station has disappeared under a road which could be problematic if reinstatement was ever considered.

With regards to Honeybourne, I know there is a lot of work underway at the moment with the reinstatement of the double line on parts of the Worcester-Oxford NR line and I believe allowance for future use by the GWSR of Honeybourne has been made in these developments (please correct me if I'm wrong!).

I'm not sure what the state of play is with Broadway to Honeybourne but no doubt others on here will have the answer.

 

See this excellent Flickr site for a photographic record of the Cotswold Line redoubling, including all the work at Honeybourne. What a pity the original buildings were demolished. However, Honeybourne Station was totally closed for a while and I believe only reopened in 1981. So what we are seeing now is long overdue.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/willc2009/5862909725/in/set-72157624136810327/

There is more than mere tacit support for the reinstatement of a heritage line from Broadway to Honeybourne. The new bridge under the Cotswold Line at Honeybourne Jct even has a track panel laid alongside the path to give a clear statement to all; We'll be back!

 

Sadly, I believe that Stratford is a much less realistic ambition as it was when the GWSR was formed in 1979 to try and save as much of the Cheltenham Stratford line as possible. However, with each passing day, the Honeybourne-Cheltenham line becomes much more achievable and Network Rail appears to have acknowledged this (I'm not privy to documentation etc of course, just physical clues on the ground). One might argue that without a link to the National Network all heritage lines are ultimately doomed as noone will have the money to drive to them! However, that's perhaps for another thread!

 

Leaving aside Honeybourne to Stratford (which clearly has been hit by the relocation of the group dedicated to relaying that line) how achievable is an actual link up to the network at Cheltenham? Im aware a Bridge in Cheltenham has been removed, and part of the original trackbed has a building across it (though still room for a relocated single track), but is that desireable or even achieveable? I could see NR would be keen for it to happen, since it would make cross cotswolds services available from Cheltenham for the first time since the 60s (and certainly simplify raceday specials). I am aware that Cheltenham council have mooted a tramway project for at least part of this line however.

Im just curious was the GWRs long term plan is. Will there be perhaps a mainline link there too one day, or will we be looking at a terminus style station? Racecourse station is of course a delightful place, but at least a halt in the centre of Cheltenham Im sure would do wonders for the popularity of the line.

Congrats to the chaps at Broadway I might add. Been following their blog for a long while and they really look to be achieving wonders there. Good to see the line is begining to turn the corner after its recent troubles.

 

Linking up with the Birmingham Bristol Line at Cheltenham Lansdown Jct would have been relatively easy in 1979 when all the track was lifted. However, the nascent GWSR could not afford to buy the entire line from Lansdown Jct to Stratford (the Honeybourne-Long Marston stretch was still in use and of course still is) and so settled from just north of the Prince of Wales Stadium in Cheltenham (including Hunting Butts Tunnel though which track runs) through Cheltenham Race Course, Bishops Cleeve, Winchcombe, Toddington as far as the first overbridge north of Broadway Station. This was still a very far-sighted vision which has paid off (embankment slips notwithstanding!) but, in hindsight, owning the land to Lansdown Jct would have been great. Or would it? There are many bridges and the line passes through a built up area (many houses were destroyed to build the line in 1906) so I guess we are lucky to be where we are. Broadway is the current "bright star" and trains can't get there soon enough for me!

 

And you are of course right, Broadway (and eventually Honeybourne) should be the priority after sorting the slip. It just opens the question, when that is done, whats next? When they have mainline access it must surely increase the argument for looking at the other end as well some day. I think one recent estimate (which of course may well be much delayed due to the slip) was Honeybourne at the present rate of advance in 12 years. Which isnt that long away when you think about it.

Not that it wouldnt be a cracking railway even if it just terminates at a Halt in Cheltenham.

 

I remember, probably 6+ years ago NR were making plans for the line from Lansdown Jnc through the town to a point just before Hunting butts tunnel where a new section of line would swing North West to rejoin the Midland near Swindon Village. That would be a god send to the GWSR, came to naught of course, more's the pity.

 

It would be interesting to see how it would work with the new Evesham IECC that's being installed soon...

 

IECC? Imperial Evesham Cricket Club?!

 

Something like that! Joking aside I mean the new panel that's going into Evesham (WR) signalbox in a few months time.

 

Ok so not sure how many people read the broadway blog from on here. Its updated every Wednesday and Saturday with progress on the site, they are currently looking to raise 3k to carry on with the platforms. This will enable the "worcester college lads" to continue there help on the site and speed up progress. If anyone wishes to contribute see Steaming to Broadway! on details. Also while your there have a look at the excellent progress being made.

Gavin

 

A team from the Broadway Station rebuild group are down at Taunton today (all being well!) to recover 4000+ imperial bricks (blues and others) from an old GWR site for use at Broadway. Work is about to start on Broadway's Platform 2 (some preparatory work has already been done) but support by donations is still urgently needed so as to continue the work and get Platform 2 completed as soon as possible (Platform 1 - all 8 coach length of it - is almost finished). Clearly the GWSR is using every penny to pay for the landslip repairs at Chicken Curve near Winchcombe so Broadway at the moment has to be virutally self-funding. So, you know what we need now, more cash please! Please see the excellent blog as cited by Gav106 above.

 

How busy was Broadway in the 1950's and 1960's?

 

Well, not very, at least not in the 1960s as the station closed to passengers in March 1960 and being demolished by 1963, the goods shed traffic hanging on a little longer, until 1 June 1964.
Until closure in 1960, Broadway was served by stopping trains from Honeybourne to Cheltenham (known locally as the coffee pot) but most trains consisted of through expresses like the Cornishman and goods trains. The line of course continued to be used for diversion trains avoiding the Lickey Incline until the line closed in 1976. Like most GWR stations on this route, Broadway was busiest before the Second World War. In 1913, 17440 passenger tickets were issued from Broadway but by 1923 this had dropped to 13686 and to 7308 by 1933. There was a similar decline in goods traffic, the exception being parcels which increased in the 1920s (22605 in 1923) before declining again. Like most railway stations, Broadway became busier during WWII itself but the 1955 Railway Strike certainly finished off most of the goods traffic, especially fruit - one of the main commodities of the Line. After the 1955 Strike, all the fruit growers in the area decided that British Railways was a waste of time and everything went by road. Broadway became very popular with tourists during the 20th Century and this popularity has increased ironically since the demise of the Honeybourne Line. Broadway village , known as the jewel in the Cotswolds (unlike RAF Brize Norton which is known as something to do with an orifice but a lovely sight when you come back from sandy places) ranks (I believe) as one of the top 20 places to visit in the UK by overseas visitors and has one of the longest main streets of any English village. This is because it grew in the 1600s as a result of being on a stage coach route from Worcester to London via Oxford. The GWR skirted the village to the West and so its a bit of a walk to the other end of the lovely Broad Way (known as the High Street now). Sorry to answer in a roundabout way but Broadway Station was not a busy stopping place in post war years but it did see a lot of through trains, mainly hauled by Castles, Halls, Granges, 28xxs and Britannias. The great thing is, thanks to railway heritage people, we will see this again!

 

Reaching Broadway will transform the GWSR. I travelled on the current line (Cheltenham Racecourse-Winchcombe only, thanks to the slip) for the first time last November, and this section runs through a lovely part of the country. Winchcombe is a pretty and interesting place, although, like Broadway, it's a bit of a trek to the town from the station. Attractive and interesting as Winchcombe is, Broadway is the real tourist hostpot of the north Cotswolds, and will not only attract people who wish to visit it by train (Parking is pretty awful - double yellow lines everywhere), but reopening the station will also offer a pleasant day out for holidaymakers staying in the village. Thinking how reaching Corfe Castle gave such a boost to the Swanage Railway, I have no doubt that Broadway will have a similar positive impact on the GWSR