Weather Beats us Again

 Week Commencing 13th March 2023

Monday

The few who turned out faced one of the strongest winds that I could remember at Broadway , Most could see the trees swaying and decided not to go anywhere near them !

Pat and Dave headed down to Toddington, where the rakes of coaches that we being used for the race trains were in need of a few gas bottles changing. Below shows the gap we have to work in .

Four bottles on rake one were changed before we headed back to Broadway.

Where Vic had tidied up the bottom garden.

It was too windy for painting , ( that's a first ) so we had to find other work to do.

Ian had been around the metal skip and found 4 off large castor wheels, Dave then created a trolly for moving the bins etc. around.

Wednesday.

A bitterly cold start to the day, so after the Monday winds there was a lot of debris around the Station.

Friday will see a train leaving from Broadway to Cheltenham for the racegoers, So  Dave, Ian and Brian got out the brooms ( too wet for the Billy Goat ! )

By midday the rain had started again but we had given the area a good going over..

At the front of the station building a few paving slabs had been broken , usually by the coaches not staying on the road when they were dropping off and picking up the passengers !

Our friends from Construction and Maintainace soon sorted them out with replacement  slabs. Later they went over to platform 2 and fixed the spear fence which needed attention .

After the Dinner break the rain had set in and we couldn't find anything useful to do outside so we called it a day. A very weather driven 2 days hopefully things will get better as the year goes on.

Dave

Next Project

 Week Commencing 6th March 2023

Another cold  day in March ! 

Dave, Brian ( our new head honcho ),Ian , Vic , Chris and Pat all turned up.

Time for a tidy up around the station auxiliary buildings . First lets see what paint we have !

Just a small tub of dark brown wood preserver was found , just enough for Brian and Ian to do the edges of the Sales hut.

Then it was on to bigger things , all the containers on platform 2 are looking a bit grim.. we found some old grey paint and a tin of brownish paint, But first they needed rubbing down,

Ian and Brian looking at the task in hand ,

Pat took this rare photo of Me using mechanical assistance rubbing down the office , better than a scrapper I thought !

Elsewhere Chris was on the barrier having found a can of  brown fence life. Viv and Pat were doing stuff with the vegetation.

End of the day saw the Office fully rubbed down with the bare patches now covered in red oxide paint , but we could do nothing about the holes , they will have to stay !

Wednesday

Another miserable day , only myself and Ian turned out.

Too wet to do most things , but we put the resharpened blades on the Chop and Table saws, sorted out some more unused kit out of container 1 and donated it to the Construction and Maintainace guys doing the tarmacking on platform 1 .

And then as it started to rain yet again we decided to go home.

Dave

That time of Year Again !

 Week Commencing 27th February 2023

A cold damp day in February saw the usual turn out on the last week before the new season starts.

As the numbers who turn out on every volunteering day varies , it was decided that , as more usually turns out on the Monday that it would be better to put the station furniture out that day

Not that it really matters nowadays , Dave had made a handy castor trolley that makes moving the benches now a 2 man job !

One of our volunteers Peter was working for the other side today ( RCS ) in getting the Kitchen and Café ready for the weekend. Inside were a large team from the RCs giving the whole area a good deep clean.

Vic was putting the waste bins out in there usual places. After the benches were positioned it was now the heavy and awkward stuff..

The 5 seats were placed in their area next to the shop , moving of the lamp hut has given the area a bit more room .

Vic had tidied up the small garden by the Kiosk and removed the frost killed Yucca plant. 

The refurbished bench on the grassy area was reinstated and fixed down.

Pat was continuing pressure washing of the drive pavement.

 Whilst following him down the drive were Brian and Ian  mopping up the heaps of debris.

Wednesday

Another cold and wet Morning .Just Dave ,Ian and Pat left.to do odd jobs.

One odd job that needed sorting was the gate down to the Signal box locker room , it wouldn't open  ! it had dropped a few cms a washer or 2 on the hinge put it right.

Pat was trying to get rid of the moss , spraying it with soapy water if anybody asks !!

On Platform 1 a gang from Construction and Maintainace were sorting out the lip between the tarmac and platform edge , over time a slight tripping hazard had appeared which needed attention before the new season .

All starts again on Saturday,

Dave

A smell of Tarmac in the air !

 Week Commencing 20th February 2023

The previous week we had had a visit from the Tarmacking gang who had applied the first lay of tarmac on Platform 2 in front of the signal box.

This is what was done when we arrived on Monday morning , also below , the concrete slab that had been removed had been replaced by top soil , now ready for re seeding.

New trees had also been planted to the north of the station.

Around the Station , Dave gave the station front a bit of a tidy up.

It was time to return the refurbished running in board to it rightful position .

Peter , Brian , Pat and below Chris were about to give the area a general tidy up.

Wednesday

The laying of Tarmac on Platform 2 was nearly finished.

Peter did a bit of Strimming around the post on the drive.

With the new sales shop arriving in the near future and room at a premium in that area for benches etc., it what decided to move the tool shed to underneath the foot bridge stairs . 

It sort of killed two birds with one stone as they say. . there was a tripping hazard where the slabs met the tarmac which needed the requirement of warning cones , plus it stopped people using it as a short cut and sometimes banging their heads on the metal work. 

All this came out of the little shed , most not needed any more or having too many items of the same thing. A sort out was required and any excess moved to Portakabin 1 , ( any body from Construction and Maintainace reading  this please come and take away our excess )

Pat was doing an excellent job on the pavement and on platform one , pressure washing the area which had been covered in Bird droppings.

Down at the far end of platform 1 , the gap between the slabs and existing tarmac had been filled , Ian was removing the rubbish left over .

Next week it all has to come together as we open for another season on the $th March.

Dave

2 Weeks to Go

 Week Commencing 13th February 2023

5 today on a reasonable spring morning. 

Still too cold to paint  , just yet, but the sun will soon be up .

Last week saw the removal of the concrete base , this is all thats left just needs a fair bit of top soil and it will be ready for re seeding . Brian and Pat will hopefully be mowing it by next Autumn !

The Panels by the Station Kitchen entrance catch the weather and were looking a bit faded. Mike gave them a rub down in readiness , for a fresh coat of paint.

Pat tends to do an area with one bit of machinery 

And then move to another area with another bit of kit !

Brian finished cutting his new tops and gave them a severe rubbing down.

Ian was in the sun giving the edge of the lettering a final tidy up. Dave finished off the Waste bins and put them out under the canopy.

The running in board should be ready to go up next week , just in time for the station re opening on the 4th March.

Meanwhile by the afternoon the sun has risen and it has turned into a pleasant afternoon , enough for Mike to give the paneling a fresh coat of Light Stone undercoat.

I'm afraid there wont be a Wednesday edition due to my visit to the Hospital , which is a pity because as I'm writing this I see men in Fluorescent tops heading to the southern end of platform 2 . 

The Tarmacking has started !!

Sure enough , Pat sent this photo of what they were up to on Wednesday.

Dave