Still Sorting

 Wednesday 31st May 2023

Never trust the weather forecast , because they had said it was going to be a bright and dry start to the Wednesday which turned out to be a pack of lies . It started drizzling then a bit of rain , back to drizzle then by mid morning it finally stopped .

No grass cutting  was attempted.

Monday was another Bank holiday  so no volunteers turned out except for the Invisible Man who cut the grass on platform 2 .

The sort out continued , first wheelbarrow full of old cable sits on Platform 1 waiting to be transported to the Toddington Metal skip.

Ian and Ron recover some wooden steps from the scrap metal ladder , which Peter will use on the Trugs.

The first train of the day was our lift down to Toddington and we put our Barrows in the Guards van. 

Its a quick run down to the skip and a dash back to catch the next train going north !

Back at Broadway, Pat was using the Billy goat to clean the platform .

Brian was testing out the  new strimmer. Then with Ron they went down to the drive embankment to have a battle with the vegetation , which unfortunately is beginning to win !

Time for Pat with the heavy machinery.

Locomotives on duty today were  " Pendennis Castle " and  " Foremarke Hall."

 Drizzle has stopped, just as Pendennis Castle pulls in with the first train of the day ,

Dave

Warm Days

 Week commencing 22nd May 2023

Monday 

A good turnout on a sunny day.

Back to the containers for the majority of us .

 The idea was to move the big rack in no1 into number 3 , first it needed emptying and then we found out it was too long to fit in the space left to use .

Ian , Brian and Dave had to cut about 1 foot of the end and rebuild.

The Trugs are selling like hot cakes , 5 in one morning the other day , so poor old Pete spent most of the morning cutting down scrap wood to make more.

Mike was rubbing down yet another spear fencing panel to repaint.

Chris was down the drive with the mower , the grass is growing well this time of year .

A job we gave to Construction and Maintainace was the the changing of the waste pipe in the urinals, the copper pipes and fittings seamed a good idea at time , but since the opening of the station they had given us various problems . so a modern approach was instigated.

End of the day saw the racking in Container 3 and already being utilized.

Wednesday

Another warm and sunny day.

The gents toilets had been finished and the new plastic fittings don't look too out of place , 

.

Down at the end of platform 1 , Brian was showing Ron and Ian how to use the Billy goat.

Until you get used to its sudden acceleration it can be a bit of a handful , it needed Brian's knowledge and experience to finish the job. 

Guess what Peter was doing ?

Dave finished painting a new leaflet holder for the notice board down the drive..

The two Locos on duty today were the Standard 2 and Pendennis Castle

Dave

Having a clear out !

 Week Commencing 15th May 2023

Monday after the Gala, weather had been kind over the weekend, and I heard while I was doing my Crossing Monitor Duties a lot of positive  comments . Only one negative moan was from a young chap whilst I was at Gotherington Station, who when he asked if he could cross whilst the train was in the platform and I said  " no "  ! all he said that he wanted to get one of Sinita!s curries before the rush .

Hope everybody who turned out had a good day , and thanks for supporting our railway.

Anyway back at Broadway , the grass was at a manageable height , so most left what needed to be cut to Pat.

A couple of problems around the station that needed sorting , one a slightly blocked drain outside the booking office door , the usual needles being washed off the roof were making a nuisance of them selves again . ron sorted. two one of the looks on the Ladies toilets kept coming loose and not locking , David sorted that out.

After the Gala weekend we had managed to sell quite a few Trugs , so Peter returned to trug making !

Chris and Ron did a spot of Gardening on Platform 1.

Big job of the day was the clearing out of container one , lots of stuff, mainly left over from when the station build and we haven't got a use for was taking up lots of room.

Our idea was to make it the container for the storage of the Mowers, etc and the Billy goat with all their necessary paraphernalia .

No 1 has a better ramp,  as you can see for better access , better lighting and more power sockets.

Anything burnable headed to the fire and anything metal Dave took down to the skip at Toddington. Its a big job and a few more trips to Toddington and Winchcombe will be in the pipeline.

Wednesday

Just the 3 of use for a while ,Myself , Ian and Ron.

Bottom of the drive say Dave putting up a poster for the event , the Real Ale Festival coming up in June.

You may wonder what happens to all the old posters ? well Ian and Ron recycled them onto the Heras fencing , mainly to stop everybody looking at the piles of bricks on Platform 2.

It was Southern Loco day on Wednesday with P and O and the U Class on duty.

Julie has asked me to say a big Thank You to  " Andrew , who came to her assistance in her hour of need, her saw that she was upset and needed help and kindly stayed with her till she recovered. 

Dave

 

Gala Preparations

Wednesday 10th May 2023

A Bright start to the the day but by lunchtime the heavens opened up , but luckily we had nearly finished most of the more important jobs , in readiness for this weekends gala.

Just the usual 6 volunteers turned out to make the station ready for our visitors. 

Part of Platform 2 will be open so visitors can visit the open Signal Box. A temporary barrier was erected to stop any body trying to venture onto the future building site !

The lack of Mondays on the run up to this weekend plus the good growing weather, had made the grass suddenly put a spurt on, Most of the volunteers grabbed some form of grass cutting device , above Ron with one of the mowers on the drive way grass.

Below Brian had been stimming the top of the embankment, as P and O awaits its departure time.

Over on platform 2 behind the fence Ian was also on the mower.

Pat was using the brush cutter at the top of the bank behind platform 1 , whilst Dave was below with the mower .

With so much grass cuttings being generated by the mowing and strimming, it was found to be easier using the Billy Goat to pick up the loose stuff from the platform.

This was what the station looked like , from the Signal box steps  at about 11.30 , right behind me was a very black cloud which 10 mins later produced a very heavy downfall

Lets hope we wont have anything like that for this weeks Gala.

Dave

Just a Wednesday this week !

 Wednesday 3rd May 2023

Bank holidays are coming fast and furious this month so it was just the Wednesday this and next week.

Just the 6 turned up on a sunny and warm spring day.

The station staff had noticed that one of the dagger boards had dropped slightly, at the southern gable end !

The reason it was loose is a mystery , but that end of the gable was hit with the jib of a mini digger when the station was near completion , The broken boards were removed and part boards put in , the joins hidden behind the facia board . Any way a nail or 2 must have been missed out , which Pete then put the board back up and then renailed.

Ian in the sun , was painting the top of container 2.

Having got a new tin of Black paint, Dave was able to finally finish of painting the back of the top , of the running in board.

Pat was mowing the embankment , because of the terrain the mower needed a frequent rest.

Chris was caught moving ballast around , container 1 ?

Ian and Ron , after painting the bottom`s of the containers a bright green did a bit of Maintainace on the new flower pot.

Foremarke Hall was out today , here below pulling into Broadway with the first train of the day.

Dave