GWR – Permanent Way Progress - June 2007

This month we started by continuing extending the railway northwards towards Broadway. On the first weekend (Saturday 2nd), one hundred and twenty three sleepers were laid out from the existing railhead just north of Stanton Road Bridge. On these sleepers we put down eight rails (four pairs) and clipped them up, edging the rail head near to the aqueduct which crosses the line about a mile and a half north of Toddington.

We were up there again the following week laying the last few sleepers off the train (until we are able to get it re-filled at Winchcombe). Two more pairs of rails were also laid and now we are just shy of the aqueduct which is somewhat of a moral booster. If you stand at the end of the line as it is now, you can just about see the B4632 road bridge round the corner – our next target. Whether or not the repairs to the bridge will be done by the time we reach there, we don’t know just yet. If they’re not, we’ll just have to leave a gap and work round them!

On the 16th June, the weekend of the summer diesel gala (which as usual brought the wet weather), the gang were working in Toddington Yard connecting two set of buffer stops to roads 3 and 4 whilst also sorting out track alignments and lengths for other roads in the yard to accommodate the new pits. Some work was also done on the mainline with a few dipped areas being lifted and packed and the alignment in some locations ‘tweaked’ – all to (hopefully!) help make a smoother ride for everyone!

Starting to feel a bit like a yo-yo, going from one end of the line to the other, on the 23rd of June we were back at Cheltenham Racecourse to continue laying the extra siding space in Hunting Butts cutting. In the end, after a very heavy downpour just after lunch which stopped play, four complete panels of track were laid and enough sleepers put down for a fifth.

Just to prove the yo-yo theory, on the 30th of June we met the Fire Department and other volunteers at Broadway station with the aim of clearing most of the old scrub and trees in order to show the locals we’re on our way and we mean business! It was a pyromaniacs dream with no less than three bonfires to keep everyone amused! The foundations of the signal box were uncovered, as were the foundations of the station platforms. Many bricks from these foundations are also in the process of being recovered for re-use at a later date.

More photos of this historic occasion, and weekly updates of the Gang’s progress, can be found on three websites maintained by members of the GWR P-way Dept: http://gloswarksp-way.fotopic .net; http://nigel-black.fotopic.net and http://www.broadwayextension.co.uk