Only one Month to go !

 Week commencing 26th February 2024

With only a month to go before trains get back to Broadway  ( Good Friday ) most of  the closed season jobs have nearly been completed .

Work on platform 2 is going on with the Monday shot showing 1 upright erected and block work ongoing.

Monday

Mike and Peter were persevering  with the rubbing down of the spear fencing.

Down at the bottom of the drive Brian , Dave and Ian finally got the posts concreted into the ground.

Not an easy job getting down to those bottom bits !

Then they started on applying wood preserve to the wooden fencing. 

Late February and the mower is out .

Wednesday

Rain threatened and just the 5 of us , but over on platform 2 a small gang appeared and quite a lot got done , below the start of the day , all 6 upright's were up and block work up to damp course at the far end had been completed. 

Vic was in today working on the small garden.

More signs of animal activity around the station.

Brian and Dave applied more wood preservative this time starting from the top. of the drive . in the distance it was Mike and Ian on the fence today.

The hover was out with Pat , its good for cutting up the grass cut on Monday.

Brian half way down the drive , still a long way to go !

Dave

Good News

 Week commencing 19th February 2024

Ian and myself spent most of the morning delivering the new waste bins to their new home at Cheltenham Racecourse Station. Bit of a faff , going to Winchcombe to pick up a suitable vehicle , driving back up to Broadway  to pick up the bins , trying to squeeze them in the vehicle . driving the long way to Cheltenham due to road closures .Finding race course is being readied for The festival  , but eventually we got there and David from the Cheltenham group accepted them.  

Back at Broadway around lunchtime , 2 volunteers had already had gone home, which left the 3 of us.

Monday shot of the new building revealed that the block work had commenced at the far end , and later that day the first of the steel uprights had been delivered.

The 3 of us after lunch headed down the drive and part erected the post into the previously dug holes.

Wednesday 

It  was chucking it down when we arrived , lets head indoors where the running in board from platform 2 was flipped over and was given the first coat of black paint. Its a bit of a squeeze in there so what we missed will have to wait until its outside.

The table had a new back put on it to stop the goods falling through , just needs tiding up.

The repaired bin lid had a top coat of dark stone .

Around the station over the years we have seen various glimpses of wild life , Badgers, Foxes , Stoats, rabbits etc.. Pat had a bush camera so he set it up and in one week we had a few videos !

Hopefully more next week.

Dave

Keeping on top of things.

 Week Commencing 12th February 2024

Cool start to Monday proceedings , and a quick shot of platform 2 shows the footings are in and no hedgehogs are trapped in the ditches !

Dave and Ian cleaned up the bolts that are used to hold up the Platform 2 running board.

Afterwards we headed over to the old wood storage pile over on Platform 2 , wood that was left over and not used in the construction of the station building etc had been stored just in case .

But the covering had long since rotted away and the pile of wood had just become a large home for hundreds of wood lice. 

Meanwhile Brian was painting the container 2.

Pat and Ian were trying to start one of the temperamental mowers.

no useful wood headed to the fire.

And Mike joined us to rub down yet more spear fencing panels.

Wednesday

Damp sort of day and just the 4 of us.

Brian had finished the doors on number 2

Under the cover of the canopy one of the bin lids had a fresh coat of paint.

And in the dry of of the ladies toilets the Running in board had the back repainted.

The table outside the Broadway Shed had long since rotted away , so one of the benches which had to be moved because of the new shed was converted into a useful table , Ian trying up the modified bench against the side of the shed.

Later 2 men were seen with a large post on a sack truck ?

Dave

Good News and Sad News

 Week Commencing 5th February 2024

Car park was unusually full when we arrived on Monday morning which meant one thing . The Platform 2 gang had organized the concrete for the footings  and many hands were required to help.

The first thing on Monday  a shot of the building site and a small gang were waiting for the lorries to turn up . more information is on Jo`s Heritage site.

Mean while the Broadway gang were busying them selves around the site.

Vic was in the small garden  , and Peter K below was removing flaking paint off container 2. 

Dave and Brian were applying primer to all the bins , some had grey primer some white !

And Ian was sorting out more donations in the Goods Shed.

What Red Oxide paint we had , Peter applied to the bare patches.

Wednesday 

A view from the camera of the new footings of Platform 2 building.

The 7 Waste bins which are now ready to be delivered to Cheltenham Racecourse Station , were put undercover up at the station.

Pat was down the embankment at the south end of the station tackling the area the remote control machine couldn't get to. 

Next big job was the refurbishment of the platform 2 running board., Dave and Ian with the aid of electric sanders soon had the back done. Some water run offs were fitted to bottom . Considering the Board is in an exposed position its doing rather well after over 5 years.

And then the board was flipped over , the edging removed , rubbed down and new primer applied.

Brian was in the warmth of the ladies lettering up the new board for the bottom of the drive

Peter was still working on the container !

Edging strips which had been removed were taken down to workshop for refurbishment . 3 good ones but 1 probably needs remaking ?

Our sad news was the passing away of Jim Hitchens , Jim had worked on the construction of the station before moving on the C and M , he was an enthusiastic and committed volunteer to the railway and we will miss him. Condolences to his family.  RIP Jim

Dave

Pottering on.

 Week Commencing 29th January 2024

January almost over and the odd jobs list is getting smaller . 

6 volunteers around on Monday , as usual a look at what Neal and his gang had been doing on platform 2 , looks like all the trenches for the footings have been complete  and an access bridge had been erected over the tracks. 

A quick look at the hole on the cutting revealed more activity had occurred since last week .

Brian was back at the sheds , firstly completing the bottom of the ( other shed ) and then a bit of touching up on the goods shed .

And then back on the sales shed he painted the galvanized conduit black 

A dry day saw Peter K with " Billy " doing a few laps of the drive.

Brian was back in the Station Masters office , putting a back on the Ticket holder.

We have a new sign for the goods shed ! Dave constructed 2 runners so it could be removed easily at the end of the day.

Mike was rubbing down the tops of the spear fencing.

Wednesday

Bottom of the drive by the post box was a bit of a mess , Brian , Ian and young Dave were on the job.

Dave was getting to the end of bin construction , all lids had been fitted by lunchtime , painting them  started in the afternoon.

Pat was down the track having the yearly battle with the young Ash trees.

Chris was having a go at clearing out one of the drains.

The lads at the bottom of the drive completed their task and left it looking a lot tidier !