Saturday 21 December 2013

Saturday 21st December 2013 - 12 Santas Little Helpers!

The last  official volunteering day at Broadway before Christmas and the New Year. 12 Volunteers were on site and spirits(non alcoholic) were high!

John S doing the dragging...
There was a great bonfire going, consuming all the hawthorn from Brian M's hard work on Wednesday.  John, Roger H and Jo were doing the dragging and stoking. It was a cheering site and all of the debris was gone by the end of the day!

The brick cleaning gang kept plugging away at the Myth reds  - Robin, Peter and Tilly at the helm.



John in seventh heaven with  a trowel in one hand
 and a buttered brick in the other.....




On the Signal Box site John C and Steve managed to get another course on the rear of the box. Great care is being taken to make sure we have a perfect alignment of the foundation courses.

In the car park Vic continued with his landscaping job, which is progressing well. No pics today but its coming along a treat.







Is that a whip in John Baldestone's hand?
John Balderstone called in by today seeking some help with digging two inspection holes by the foundations of Little Buckland Bridge. Well we never refuse to offer some assistance if we can - Jo, John and Ron  T went along in the afternoon to see what could be done. Unfortunately their best efforts did not reach  the footings for sure. John S came to something pretty solid at  a metre down. Time  and energy ran out before the job could be completed to their satisfaction, thereby leaving it as a job for another day.

Ron, home from Hong Kong for a Christmas
 break must have wished he'd stayed at home
 wrapping the presents!






However the footing cannot be a lot deeper and the job remains for another day.


Well loyal followers, that's it for this year - a Happy Christmas and Peaceful New Year to you all! Please continue to support us in whatever way you can. I sense things are moving forward for the GWSR now, but your enthusiasm still drives us all on.

2014? Bring it on!
Bill



 

7 comments:

richard said...

Bill, wishing you, the team at Broadway and especially all of you families a very Merry Christmas
A stunning amount of work done in 2013.
Thank you for such an informative blog
Richard

mack said...

Yes, merry Christmas! .. Going to miss my weekly broadway blog update. It was great to see work starting on the first bridge at little buckland. This looks like a big task, I've looked at the estimates and this is almost the most expensive repair.. Will the bridge need to be lifted out? It would be good to get some bridge update blogs alongside the station build.. But then I'm sure you've got a station to build, not trecking round the railway all day taking pics for the blog!

Toddington Ted said...

Well done to the Broadway Team. What you have achieved this year is nothing short of amazing, a quick look at the blog with the station site snowbound in late January 2013 and no sign of a signal box confirms how much work has been done! I'm really looking forward to seeing more construction in 2014 as no doubt are you! As regards the bridges, I'm sure the "Boardroom Blog" and the GWSR's own website will keep us up to date but the great thing about the Broadway Blog is the way you keep us informed on many other things on the railway. Well done to you all.
Regarding the bridges, Station Road bridge is, I believe, estimated as the most costly to repair but, for its size, Little Buckland Bridge is in the worst state. I believe that it may have started to "move" many years ago, even possibly in BR days. It was unfortunate that this bridge wasn't replaced in BR days, unlike the structure north of Hailes, which is a relatively modern bridge, put in not too long before the line closed if I recall!

Anonymous said...

Thank you Bill for your excellent blog posts through 2013. It is truly wonderful to see the enthusiasm of the Broadway volunteers come shining through in your posts. I'm looking forward to seeing the signal box take shape in the coming months. I might even get to visit the railway in 2014 - it'll be the first time since doing the sponsored walk in 2010. Best wishes to all the Broadway volunteers,

Nigel

Charles said...

Happy Christmas and New Year to all at Broadway and thank you for the greeting!

Anonymous said...

Graham & Mal D

Would like to wish Bill & all the Broadway Team a Happy Christmas and a Building good year 2014

With very best wishes
From
Graham and Mal

Anonymous said...

I would like to add my congratulations on the splendid achievements in 2013 and to wish you all a Very Happy Christmas and a Healthy New Year.

David P.