Mince Pies Galore

WEDNESDAY 22-12-2021

A cold and frosty start to the day saw volunteer numbers go up and down all day.

First there was Dave and Ian , then Brian and the returning Ron but they left to do their PTS course down at Winchcombe ( Track safety ).

Terry and Keith had popped  down to Cheltenham Station to finish off the brushing of the dry kiln sand into the cracks. 

They returned mid morning.

Mike S turned up wished everybody a happy Christmas then went home

Chris also appeared , went on the scrounge for various bits and pieces including an old dustbin ! and then he vanished off to Winchcombe.

Breaktime saw everyone break out the mince pies , luckily most of us love then . 

Terry and Keith set about working on the platform ramps. 

With the help of Ron and Ian

 

Dave was working on a new A Board for the Shop and rescuing an existing one for the cafe.

End of the day they had put down quite a few slabs , next time they will start going up the slope.

And that was it for the last working day before Christmas , no " Mince Pie Specials  "next week due to Co - Vid Restrictions so the platform furniture stayed undercover.

But all that's left is for me to say is

That we wish you a Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year from the volunteers at Broadway

Dave

Clocks Back

 Wednesday 15th December 2021

 A grey old day at Broadway Station , but we had 9 volunteers turn up , 2 Rod and Terry immediately left for Cheltenham Race course station. Their job down there was to brush dry kiln sand into cracks of the newly re-laid platform slabs .

That left Vic with his loppers pruning the  trees and bushes in the car park garden.

Guess what the rest were up to  ?

Brian was progressing in his construction of a new sign for the bottom of the drive.

Ian and Peter Q were getting the kit ready.

Down the Station drive Peter Q , Dave , Ian and Peter K  Started to give the area a good brush up.

A few volunteers disappeared after lunch, Rod and Terry returned for afar and carried on with slabbing the ramp on platform 1. Dave and Ian then had a good fire going with the days rubbish.

Ian S had a walk down the far end of the track to see if we had had any more damage on the stored wagons . but on the way back he spotted a fallen tree or two high on the fence line.

Two trees had in fact come down and made a mess of one of the panels 

Terry had a quick tidy up to see what would be needed to fix the problem .Maybe next week ?

And a welcome return of the Clock that resides in the Café , just back from the repairers , prognosis is not good , It does work but for how long ?

Poor thing is getting on ,and its innards are wearing out and in some cases wore out, the fact it was an old North Eastern Railway clock ( someone put GWR on the face ) puts it maybe over 100 years old.

But at least it looks good over the fireplace.

Dave

Storm Barra

 Saturday 4th December

40 Broadway Area Group (BAG) met at the Inn in Childswickham, this was for our annual Christmas Lunch. It was a fine menu enjoyed by all and a number of raffle prizes were scattered around the tables.

A Plum Pudding with a difference half a plum sat on top.

Wednesday 9th December 2021

A bit of a wild one greeted the Volunteers this Wednesday.

A fallen branch nearly took out the overhead span that takes the feed from the camera back to the router in the office.

More fallen branches on Platform 1

All the debris from Storm Barra was being collected. The two Peters, Dave and Brian were busy with the brushes. Pat collecting from the track bed.

Vic was in the shrubbery doing a bit of Pruning . 

At the North end of Platform 1,  Terry, Rod and Keith were continuing the barrow crossing improvements.

Neal was sorting out bits for the footbridge with Dave and the Station Platform was being a paint shop.

Rod, Terry and Keith were at the end of platform 1 ,edging an area that was in need of tiding up , next week they hope to make a start slabbing.

Vic and Dave

Winter Working

 1st December 2021

No volunteers will attend Broadway on Mondays from December until the new year , looking at the Web Cam on Monday you can see why .

Bit chilly to do much.

So to Wednesday .

A most important Job !

Peter Q and Dave were putting up the decorations in the café . although nobody will use the café until after Christmas and the arrival of the Mince Pie Specials we thought that it was better to be ready.

After that it on to the platform and the drive, and the never ending sweeping up of  needles and debris caused by the high winds and rain.

Dave and Ian on Platform 1

Peter  Q and Peter  K down the footpath and then eventually all on the drive.

Ian got on his knees to clean the Drain out .

After Lunch , something different .

Pat and Ian decided to check out the old cement mixers , to see what were workers and if not what bits could be salvaged .

Out of the four only 1 failed  ! so by then a small group had formed and the poor mixer was being stripped of its useful parts , drum , wheels filters etc.

Nothing left to see here.

 The away team appeared near the end of the day , returning some kit they had used down at Cheltenham . They had been helping contractors relaying the platform slabs 

Terry sent a few pictures of the finished area , all that's left was to spread dry kiln sand when the weather becomes a bit better.

Dave

First Frost Of Winter

 Week commencing 22nd November 2021

Bit of a chilly one on Monday , just the four of us , plus the 7 pheasants roaming around the top of the drive as we arrived !

A few Pheasants on the drive and a few in the shrubbery

The frosty weather had caused the Deciduous trees by the car parking area to drop their leaves

Dave and Brian had the brushes out and the big bag.

2 big bags were filled from just the parking area and looking up there were still plenty more on the trees to come down.

Brian had a nice job in the sun, giving the kiosk a spruce up. windows wanted a clean inside and out, handset and imitation telephone equipment a good wipe over and paintwork also given a wipe over.

Pat gave the area a final cut of the year , and Vic was tidying up the gardens.

At the end of platform 1 another tree was dropping its leaves , Dave made a start on the clearing up.

Wednesday

Even less people today just the three of us , Peter, Dave and Pat.

Peter and Dave did a bit of gutter clearing then Peter headed down the drive.

Over on the platform 2 side a number of trees and branches had been removed . not being able to take them away they had been ground down to chippings . a very large heap of them was being racked flat by Pat , this was his second go at the heap it was that big !

And where does all the leaves etc. end up , on the bonfire of course.

Elsewhere our away team were down at Cheltenham station helping the relaying of the platform slabs.

 about 260 slabs had to be relayed, and with the help of outside contractors they virtually had been relayed by the end of Wednesday.

  Day1

Day 2

 Just the fiddly bits to do after Wednesday !

Again no Trains on the GWSR but a worthwhile trip down to Gloucester on the Tuesday gave me an opportunity to see one of the LMS's finest Locomotives .