Christmas roundup

Monday at Broadway.

A nice dry working day, just what we needed.

Neal worked on the sides of the steps, John on the temporary supports for the P1 steps roof extension, and yours truly on painting the temporary roof sheets, as in the picture here.

Mid morning Neal had put up several of the timbers he had cut to size of the last few sessions, to see what they looked like.

We like !

We have saved a number of key pieces from the original HIA woodwork, and one essential item to copy is this curved transition piece, which sits between the intermediate landing and the lower half of the steps.

Neal has now copied this curved piece, and attached it to one of the timbers. What do you think?

John has been beavering away in one of the containers, to make the temporary uprights, and their clamps.

Today they were ready, and one is about to be trial fitted.

Just as well, as the trial showed that it didn't fit.

Back to the container for a bit more grinding and welding, but the second time it did fit, and we moved on to the de-rusting and primering stage, which was completed at the end of the day.

Mid afternoon Neal had also been doing a bit of trial fitting, to wit all the upper timbers along one side.

As you can see they fit well, and it's with a well deserved smile that Neal slowly walks down the steps, like a famous guest singer on a talk show.

We were lucky to hear a faint toot while using the angle grinder on the metal supports, and we were surprised to see the class 73 light engine enter the station.

Hopes for that long sought after glint shot rose higher...

After a quarter of an hour at the north headshunt, the class 73 re-emerged with the rake of Dogfish and a bogie flat in tow, purpose unknown. No doubt something to do with the winter works, which start on Jan 4th on Stanway viaduct.

The class 73 and its train of Dogfish swept past, unfortunately a few minutes too early as the sun was still high in the sky and no glint was available. So near!

This was the best possible shot, with the sun too high in the sky and making a plume that looked as if a bomb had dropped. The ideal time looks to be around 15.30 with an incoming train required. Maybe later in the week, when the post Christmas trains run until the end of the year.

Other interesting bits.

As there is no Wednesday Usketeers session (Christmas day, let them have a well deserved break), here are some other tidbits from the last few days that might interest our readers.

This is the latest situation with the mess room extension to the goods shed.

The roofing felt is on. There will be slates made of fibre, which simulate the look of the real thing.

In the loco shed the two tops for the two 13' 8'' high yard lamp posts have arrived (a platform lamp is just half this height above ground).

We saw photographs earlier, but failed to realise the magnificent size of these replica tops. To give you an idea of the scale we photographed this one again, using a tail lamp to give the relative sizes.





In Toddington yard there is another bit of news, now confirmed in a circular to our volunteers. The lease for the garden centre, which occupied a large part of the whole of the Toddington yard area, has expired and was not renewed. The lessee has just vacated the premises.

This is a view from Stow road. In the foreground is the former garden centre car park, with room for approximately 60 cars. The white buildings in the background are the steam and diesel loco sheds. The width of the garden centre site is apparent.







This is the view in the other direction, with a little slip road that used to be blocked with two large flower pots.











This is the back of the garden centre building, where there is a further large area, once filled with tables of plants for sale.











A photograph of the same area, looking in the opposite direction. The station building is on the left, out of sight.

More or less in the middle is the grey roof of the wooden Flag & Whistle building.

The garden centre has rented this space for a long time, certainly at least since the 1980s, as it appears on a map of the Toddington site that formed part of a publicity leaflet in 1982, reproduced in part below:

Reference points are the station building at the top, and the goods shed top right. The loco shed below it is the old Dowty shed, which was replaced by today's steam and diesel sheds. The curve on the NG was not retained.

The garden centre site represents approximately one third of the whole Toddington site, north of the loco sheds.

It's very early days as to what the railway could do with this opportunity, but a clear and very welcome increase in the car parking spaces available is an immediate advantage. Our car park has proved to be too small since we opened to Broadway.

It is likely that a completely fresh approach will be made to the shape of the whole site. This is a wonderful opportunity - visitors could turn off Stow Road and see straight away: This is a Heritage railway.