It was difficult to know what to headline today - the cleaning of the last brick on site after 5 years of determined slog by the gallant few, or the setting up of the footbridge for ongoing work.
Lets start with the bricks. The piles of uncleaned blue and red bricks have been gradually dwindling over the last few weeks and today the last one was clean by master brick cleaner Robin Elliott. I'm not sure whether Robin will be please or sorry that the last bit of mortar has been chip off! My guess is that he'll have had a tear in his eye, or was that a bit of brick dust!
However, as we treated Robin to a new wire brush today I think maybe I will follow up the 60 tonnes of Paddington Station blue bricks on offer - we can't waste a wire brush!
Now back to the footbridge - what a monster structure it is. The game plan for today was to build some steps up to the footbridge floor and to cover the floor braces with wood to make a safe surface to walk on.
This was a slow painstaking job to ensure an absolutely stable surface to work from.
Here the waterproof flooring is cleansed of old screws and nails ready for installation.
It really is worth coming along to see the span - it may look forlorn in its current state, but the excitement it engenders for the future restoration of the bridge and the completion the station is palpable among the volunteers. Just look at the faces of the chaps above...
Brian used to live in
Broadway and became a loco fireman based at Worcester. After the end of steam,
he was second man on various diesels, including up and down our line. He was a
regular spotter and photographer from the horse dock at Broadway station, and
was kind enough to let us use copies of the many pictures he took – see http://www.broadwaystation.co.uk/scrapbook2.htm
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| Jo shifts the last of the reds behind the 2C wall In the background Robin is cleaning the last few.... |
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| John S measuring the correct size bricks for laying behind 2C |
However, as we treated Robin to a new wire brush today I think maybe I will follow up the 60 tonnes of Paddington Station blue bricks on offer - we can't waste a wire brush!
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| The stairway to heaven and good humour abounds. Jim(left) has been eating and sleeping this bridge move.... |
Now back to the footbridge - what a monster structure it is. The game plan for today was to build some steps up to the footbridge floor and to cover the floor braces with wood to make a safe surface to walk on.
This was a slow painstaking job to ensure an absolutely stable surface to work from.
It really is worth coming along to see the span - it may look forlorn in its current state, but the excitement it engenders for the future restoration of the bridge and the completion the station is palpable among the volunteers. Just look at the faces of the chaps above...
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| Embankment clearance (above Johns head!) |
There was a sterling effort at clearing the eastern embankment beyond 1C today. Steve B, Ron, and Vic kept the loppers going and it really is looking impressive.
A welcome visitor today was Brian Parsons.
It was thanks to Brian’s careful notes that we discovered
the date the station was demolished – November 1963. We are very grateful to
him for his recollections and photographs, and it was great to see him in
person for the first time.
6 comments:
Great work as always. Is there any particular order for erecting the buildings.
Logically if the signal box side buildings and the footbridge, with the platform gap completed, were finished first, the track could be laid and the station functional whilst the main building was completed.
Hold on a week and you can plobkaly start on what was the good shed platform from Winchcombe. C&W have now demolished the office and store room that was on top of it. We just have to move the timber and you can knock the bricks down and start on them.
I don't know, but I imagine that it will take a good deal longer to get the track to Broadway than to get the station built.
Peter P
My curiosity about the mention of the Drott on a number of occasions was satisfied this evening by Wikipedia. That 4 in 1 bucket is such a clever mechanism. As with most things mechanical, there will be a club & the Drott is not to be left out.
http://www.freewebs.com/internationaldrottclub/
http://www.earthmoversmagazine.co.uk/?p=4938
Firstly the current plan is to finish all construction before running trains. In order to do this we will find the most efficient sequence of using the various trades involved. For instance to complete all the steel frames in one hit then move on to the roof fabrication and so on......
Sixty tonnes of bricks from Paddington is an interesting comment. Is this on a par with Avonmouth or much much more ?
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