The Week before Christmas

Week Commencing 18th December

Just the 2 of us on Monday , Peter K and myself , the weather was inclement so we both took to sheltering out of the rain.

Peter was under the Station canopy applying knotting solution to the tongue and grooved boards  that are being used for making the Cheltenham rubbish bins.

Whilst I was down in the container, cutting lengths of wood for the frames.

Wednesday

Up to 5 today , Brian , Pat and Ian joined us for a while

Pat was having a go at removing an old tree stump , Brian was applying Varnish to another Bench in the warmth of the ladies toilet. Ian was in the Broadway Goods Shed sorting out new donations.

Outside Peter was persevering with the Knotting.

And down at the other end, I was cutting the Knotted planks into lengths for the front , rear and sides .

Before we left the Running in board was put in the Ladies to dry out , ready for refurbishment when  we return,

After lunch we sort of said our Christmas wishes and drifted away , end of another year at Broadway Station !

May wishes you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 

Dave

 

Platform 2 start !

 Week commencing 11th December 2023

3 of us braved the weather on Monday , Myself , Brian and Pat .The wind had ripped some of the banners off the fencing , replacing the would have to wait till Wednesday. 

My mission was to move the camera to  a better position to get a view of the start and on going progress with the platform 2 building.

Brian thought it was dry enough to get " Billy " out and clean up the car park and drive..

Whilst Pat was using the strimmer under the hedge .

Wednesday

Looking from the bridge , work had started on the site of the new building the area had begun to be levelled.

A couple more had joined us for Wednesday's session , Chris and his son. plus Vic in the morning., seen below working on the small garden.

Extra hand  allowed us to take down the platform 2 running in board for eventual refurbishment.

The ladies toilet is being used for an area for painting and at the moment one of the benches is in there being varnished by Brian .The running in board is now in the queue !

Chris was spotted down the drive , Pat went off to check on the Gas bottles hoping they would last till the end of the year.

Dave was working on the new bins for Cheltenham , a suitable internal bin has been sourced ,so the letter box hole could be cut and then the wooden bin can now be glued and screwed.

Hope the new position of the camera is to everybody's satisfaction ?

Dave

Cold and Wet

 Week Commencing 4th December 2023

    Just a small number of us on Monday ,weather was wet to say the least ,

First job was to get the new bin which eventually with 6 others are destined for Cheltenham Racecourse station. It was going to be picked up by a member of their group and he was going to find a suitable bin to go inside it . our suppler of bins has disappeared ( Wilko ) !

Brian was in the dry ( Ladies toilet ) finishing of his board , whist 

Dave was fixing all the surroundings to his notice board.

Before he and Pat headed down to Toddington to do a bottle change.

Wednesday

 A very cold start , just Brian and Dave.

Dave to keep warm started to scrape the bank of the many leaves.

And Brian took to the sunny part of th platform to brush up the debris.

Paul visited us to sort out the new router ! ( changed it back to the old one ) and last night I managed to get the camera's back on the blog , so enjoy. Next week camera 2 may be switched off for a while , whilst it is moved to a new position .

Dave

Miserable Days

 Week Commencing 27th November 2023

Monday

It was a why do we bother day , it was cold and it was raining all day ..thoroughly miserable.

Something we hadn't noticed before was a new hole in the hedge , signs of another nearby Badger sett ?

The only person to brave the weather was Pat  , picking up the pine needles from the track bed in the rain . His wet weather gear only kept him dry for so long !

Sheltering and working in the dry were , Brian who was in the warmth of the ladies toilet varnishing one of the benches , and Dave and Ian starting the construction of wooden waste bins for Cheltenham Racecourse Station. 

First the frames.

Wednesday

A bit dryer but still on the cold side.

A newly varnished bench leaves the warmth of the Ladies toilets.

Vic was with us today , working on the small garden.

Pat was at the bottom of the cutting doing the places the Robo mower wouldn't be able to do.

And Dave almost finished the first bin.

Cameras are still out of action , I looked at the Router trying sort it out , why are they getting more complicated , is it a cunning plan ? Just be patient we will get there in the end , there's nothing to see anyway. 

Dave

More Odd Jobs

 Week Commencing 20th November

Monday

Just the 3 of us on a miserable weather wise morning.

Brian was having trouble with the Gents toilet lock again !.

Dave and Ian were putting strengtheners on the ramp that sits outside the Broadway Goods shed.

An attempt was made to fix the table that sits outside the shed too , but alas it was too far gone and ended up on the bonfire ! one of our not used benches ( made redundant after erection of the new scales shed ) was modified  to fit and sit outside The remainder of the benches have been put into winter storage under the canopy.

Wednesday

Up to seven volunteers were around.

Dave did a trial fit with the surrounds of the new notice board. before taking it over for yet another coat of black.

The repaired bin lid was given a coat of Primer / undercoat.

As were new strengtheners on the ramp.

Main job of the day was giving the goods shed another coat of wood preserver , 3 started the job , then up to 4 and eventually 2 finished the job !

Brian on the bottom bits, whilst Ian doing the high bits .

Elsewhere Pat was brush cutting around the signal on platform 2.

Vic was working in the small garden.

Pat was also seen spraying the moss on platform 1 with moss killer ( aka white vinegar ? )

Dave

Ps Cameras still out of action , IT were on site and unfortunately couldn't   sort it , when I'm in the right frame of mind I will have another look , no promises .

Odd Jobs days

 

Week Commencing 13th November 2023

A sunny sort of day but too wet for most things , and just Brian , Ian , Pat and myself .

Only the Santa special sign left on the fence at the bottom of the drive now , the Broadway Museum sign had been removed.

In container 3 Brian and Ian gave the new signs a quick coating of black paint.

All the benches now dry were put undercover.

Pat was seen attacking a rotting tree stump with an axe.

Wednesday

A different 4 volunteers , Vic joined us to work on the small garden and then over onto the car park side.

Pat was heard in the distance with the brush cutter , whilst Dave and Ian did some bin Maintainace , first bin had a problem with its last piece of tongue and groove  , easily fixed with a few more screws.

The next one was a bit more of a problem, one of the slats had split and water had got in and rotted it away . No spare wood was left so bit of wood had to be shaped , now one will notice with a bit of paint on it !

PS IT guy was on site today , so we are getting there with the cameras going back on line , so more patience required.

Dave

End of the season at Broadway Station

 Week commencing 6th November 2023

That's it for the season for this year at Broadway , the lads are down at Stanway Viaduct cutting us off from the rest of the railway till next year .

So just the 2 off us today  , time to put the station furniture under the canopy to keep them out of the worst of the winter weather.

Where it used to take 4 people to move the benches the trolleys make it now a one man job , first the benches and then the bins.

The morning was interrupted by the little diesel shunter delivering some trucks onto platform 2.

Over the closed season there could be a possibility of the footings for the Platform 2 building being dug out , not being able to remove the spoil the conventional way , it was decided to fill the wagons with the dug out material and depose of it at a later time some where on the railway.

Brian and myself had a little trip to Winchcombe to pick up the scaffolding and use it to take down and remove the none working station clocks.

Wednesday

A few more folk around.

Chris and his son Dave joined us , Chris had a go at removing the Moss that seames to grow under the benches.

Whilst Dave assisted Brian and myself , building additional  racking for our shop

It was too damp to cut grass or brush cut the big stuff , so Pat fettled the existing machinery. 

The previous day he had gone down to Hayles Abbey Halt to give their grass a pre winter cut.

Back on the drive Chris was clearing up the leaves dropped from the garden trees.

The bottom of the drive notice board had its first coat of black paint , before being fully painted I managed to paint a picture of a famous Locomotive !!

Dave

Between Openreach and our IT guys our Broadband is out of action , hence no live camera feed , apologies .