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GWSR Broadway Developments

Discussion in 'Heritage Railways & Centres in the UK' started by Breva, Aug 1, 2014.

  1. Mark Thompson

    Mark Thompson Well-Known Member

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    Come on, folks, please dig down deep- this would put the cherry on the cake of all that campaigning for a café- the alternative is presumably just a hole in the wall, and would devalue all the group passion that went before.
     
  2. elo10538

    elo10538 New Member

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    Hi, Breva. Although I've never posted before, I've followed the GWSR BAG blog for years, and more recently followed the Extension blog as well. Fully agree with the aims stated to return Broadway to as close to the original looking station as possible today, and I would like to donate towards the cost of the slate fireplace surround. I should be able to cover the cost of the grate so if you could let me have specific details of whom a cheque should be made out to and exactly which is the right address to send it to, I'll get it the post to you. If the total cost of the new slate fireplace cannot be raised, can the money I donate be used towards other Broadway Station costs?

    elo10538
     
  3. toplight

    toplight Well-Known Member

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    I am not sure if this question has been answered but if the Slate fireplace and screens were originally at Toddington, why didn't they just leave them in place there ?
     
  4. Kinghambranch

    Kinghambranch Well-Known Member

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    Because, in the case of the toilets, the original gents toilets in the station building were closed and replaced by a new toilet block next to the Flag & Whistle café. I'm not sure, but I believe the original gents toilet area is now used as a store. I can't help you regarding the fireplace but I presume it was in the room which is now occupied by the shop. My apologies if I'm incorrect but that's what I recall.
     
  5. Breva

    Breva Well-Known Member

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    When the GWSR took over the building in 1981 the gents toilets were intact, with 2 cubicles. Today the room is bare, and is used for storage. Everything has been ripped out. I don't think that storage should count more than history. After all, it is in our statutes to 'create and maintain a railway museum'. An Edwardian slate urinal is part of that; you don't have to use it of course, just see it and gaze in wonder. A small toilet block was built a few yards away, but there is no attempt at heritage except that it was built of red brick. The interior is not of the 'timeless' type, but more of the 'pub' type. I think we will do better at Broadway, where after some lobbying we are now putting in heritage flooring, walls, pans and basins. For the urinals and cubicle dividers we were too late, although there is hope for the 1970s beige cubicle dividers that are going in, as we think we can hide them behind a GWR cladding during the next winter season. At the moment all efforts are concentrated on opening and getting the station ready at least at a minimal level, as the timetables are already printed. You need to have somewhere to buy a ticket, and go for a pee.

    Re the fireplace surround, I think Kingham branch is correct in that it probably came out of the former stationmaster's office/ticket office. The wall between that and the booking hall, where the ticket hatches would have been, was knocked down at some stage. This created a larger room, which is the shop today. Prior to the GWSR's arrival in 1981 the station was already out of use as such, and the garden centre next door was using it as a store. Who broke down the wall with the ticket hatches is not known to me.
    On arrival in 1981 and with no ticket hatches remaining, the nascent company put a new hatch into an outside platform window, which is where all tickets are sold today. So people queue up at the platfom, which is not correct. Also, there is only the one window, so queues form.

    What I would like to propose for the future is a new building in heritage style on the other side of the drive, opposite the station building, in the place where the portacabins stand today, and possibly even the wooden Flag & Whistle building. It would need to represent a GWR goods shed or some similar plausible building in red brick. Inside would be the new bigger shop, (and the cafe?) and upstairs all the admin offices. This would release the original station back to what it once had: A booking hall, a ticket/stationmaster's office, and most importantly, a first class waiting room. Yes, Toddington was unique along the Honeybourne line in having a first class waiting room. I suspect the reason was to accommodate the family needs of the nearby Stanway estate. How wonderful it would be to recreate that.
    The only room at Toddington today that is anywhere near original is the ladies' waiting room, from which I took the photograph of the original fireplace. It is still there. Once there were 4 fireplaces at Toddington.

    Toddington 1905ab resize.jpg
    In this 1905 opening picture you can see the arrangement of the rooms as they were.
    Notice the suspended gas fed canopy lamps. Someone has generously sponsored exact replicas for Broadway - isn't that wonderful?
     
  6. AndyY

    AndyY Member

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    How about some genuine gas lamps? It can be done, the K&WVR are the experts!
     
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  7. 30854

    30854 Resident of Nat Pres

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    The folks at Tywyn could give you some pointers as well.
     
  8. flying scotsman123

    flying scotsman123 Resident of Nat Pres

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    There's been a further posting regarding the Broadway car park on the boardroom blog:

    Dear Fellow Supporters of the GWSR,

    I am pleased to say that the correspondence I have received, both here on the blog and by email, about the car park is overwhelmingly positive.

    Several important points have been raised by a number of you, so here goes with a general reply;

    1. The railway's right to vehicular access on the west side of the embankment just south of Broadway Station bridge will be retained and available to the GWSR at all times.
    2. The car park will be for 99 cars (2 disabled spaces), the part nearest the station will be tarmac and the further part chippings, like Wychavon's Childswickham Road car park.
    3. The council have budgetted £650,000 for the car park's construction and they plan to have it open in August 2018.
    4. The contract with Wychavon will require that the use of the land by Wychavon may only be for car parking.

    I trust the above covers certain legitimate concerns raised which, for clarity, I had left out of my original post.

    Thanks for your comments.

    Chris

    Chris Bristow
     
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  9. michaelh

    michaelh Part of the furniture

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    I can certainly remember using the slate urinal at Toddington in the early years of the GWSR when Cadbury No 1 was hauling a couple of coaches up and down the line for a couple of hundred yards.

    Its doubly sad when a supposedly heritage organisation vandalises said heritage.
     
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  10. michaelh

    michaelh Part of the furniture

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    The gas lamps at Wharf were a personal project of Chris White. Sadly he died in March 2015.
     
  11. Pete Thornhill

    Pete Thornhill Resident of Nat Pres Staff Member Administrator Moderator Friend

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    I remember it too, with Cadbury. Although I knew it wasn’t open I didn’t realise the toilets had gone to become a stores.
     
  12. Mark Thompson

    Mark Thompson Well-Known Member

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    Broadway down loop 1st train.jpg

    Goings on at Broadway this lunchtime: The loop line gets christened (plus a ballast drop!)
     
  13. Greenway

    Greenway Part of the furniture

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    Post 1931 refers to former toilets being used as a store, the subsequent post 1932 mentions 'christening' of the loop line! :D
     
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  14. 30854

    30854 Resident of Nat Pres

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    Definitely an atmospheric addition to Wharf, which looks lovely at dusk. Shame we've lost yet another "doer".
     
  15. Breva

    Breva Well-Known Member

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    You are a bit too fast, you webcam watchers, with your itchy trigger fingers :).

    Here is a better picture of the train through P2:

    IMG_20180131_115240905_HDR.jpg
    Drawing through under the footbridge.
    You better enjoy these pictures, because once trains are running this view will always be closed off by the rake of 8 carriages in P1 :)

    IMG_20180131_115530040.jpg

    Drawing past the signal box, a copy of Shirley box further up the N Warwickshire line.

    Finally, a quick glance inside the booking hall, where the floor is almost finished now:

    IMG_20180131_133429073_HDR.jpg

    As a Victorian interior, this is quite convincing. There will be a different pattern, of straight lines, around the outside. (see top left)
    The lower walls will have wainscoting in dark brown. The upper walls will be cream. Notice also the dado rail fitted, the skirting board, and the shelf by the ticket hatches.
     
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  16. Greenway

    Greenway Part of the furniture

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    Nice photo with the Shirley replica. I think the tiled floor is looking good as well.
     
  17. flying scotsman123

    flying scotsman123 Resident of Nat Pres

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    Suddenly it's all beginning to feel a bit real; from my perspective there are 2 coaches in the workshop that must be finished by opening day, and I've just got my roster for the opening weekend. Looking forward to that, TTI on train 1 on Saturday; not too upset I'm missing the volunteer specials now! :) Oh, and as an indication of how busy we think it's going to be, I note there are four TTIs rostered per train... train dispatch will be fun with 6 arms up in the air to look for amongst the crowds! :eek:
     
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  18. 46118

    46118 Part of the furniture

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    There has to be great credit to the group of volunteers who have worked so hard on this project, bringing Broadway back to life, and following the project over the years on the blog has been of great interest.
    Sadly, by comparison over on the SVR we have a project to build a GWR-style toilet and refreshment room building that, despite using paid contractors, has fallen behind schedule and is now a victim of winter weather. This situation, together with at times gaps in progress reports leaves one feeling that maybe purchasing shares in the Bridgnorth project was not such a good idea with hindsight.

    46118
     
  19. Breva

    Breva Well-Known Member

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    Don't feel sorry about helping the SVR. They are a great railway. Railway projects always take longer than you think. P&O took 30 years to restore, the Broadway rebuild started in 2009 and in the cabin is a made up picture with a forecast that it would be finished in 2015 :)

    The blog was the idea of a single man, which he launched to get support for the project of which he was leader. It worked so well that almost every department now has a blog. It spawned a lot of sorcerer's apprentices....
     
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  20. flying scotsman123

    flying scotsman123 Resident of Nat Pres

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    Yep, I remember when I joined as late as the beginning of 2013 it was Broadway by 2015, Honeybourne by 2020!
     

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