Today was the day that the new platform 2 running in board was located on its new posts.

Two members of the Broadway gang joined the B&S team from Winchcombe, after loading the rather substantial looking sign. It even sticks out over the end of the van!

With a bit of a struggle the large wooden board was manhandled down the long ramp, and across the track. Well, no, not quite, because when we got to the bottom of the ramp, someone had parked a train in the platform, 7 coaches long. Oh.
Following a smell of freshly brewed coffee, we traced this to the waiting room where £1.50 secured us a large cupful each.
Eventually the train left again, well packed. Good to see! We manoeuvered the board across, and on to a set of supports, ready for mounting.

Can you see what it is yet?
Your blogger, after sourcing, ordering, fetching and planting the posts was understandably a tad nervous - would the board fit as well?

It did!
The fit was perfect, a good example of collaboration between the Cheltenham and Broadway area groups, and B&S, who made the board. Keith, Pat, Pete, Ron and Anon proudly stand by their work.

The letters used here are made of plywood, but a set of genuine GWR cast iron letters has been located since, and will be used when the platform 1 board letters start to delaminate (as plywood eventually does).

For Broadway, a replica set of letters has been ordered from a small foundry, with the help of the SVR who very kindly allowed us to borrow some samples. Thank you guys !

Now let's just check with the original.....

CRC2 in 1966

Yep. That's what it looked like OK.




Back to Broadway for the afternoon, where we noted the following activities:

- Work on the relocated bric a brac shop on the drive. The cabin is now up, and some paving slabs were being laid around it, to make it an attractive place to linger and buy some stuff to help the project. We can't say for sure yet when the stock will be moved from the old building to the new, but one or other will always be open on working days, so do come along.

- Weed removal and strimming to tidy up the site for the Broadway open evening on Friday - are you coming? There will be food and drink, and the opportunity to see the signal box and catch up with the latest news.

- Work on the signal box continued with the placing of ridge tiles, and inside the matchboard paneling above the sliding windows was almost completed (ran out of boards with only 4 left to do!)

- The dumper was back in action at last, delivering 2' x 2' slabs to the new shop area.

- Vic continued his gargantuan task of shovelling Mythe dirt into barrows, and wheeling this out of the car park field, along the road, up the drive, and using it to make up ground under the new steel paling fence behind the new shop. A brilliant effort, Vic!

- More catch pit covers were being painted - the existing ones, only 2 years old, are either delaminating, or have been pushed into their pits by the numerous vehicles we receive on site.

- Members of the BAG committee met during a large part of the day, and another meeting is scheduled for tomorrow, with a large number of issues being addressed. Will we have white smoke on Friday? You'll have to be there to find out... hope to see you there.