Sunny Days

 Week Commencing 28th April 2025

2 sunny and warm days this week .

Over on platform 2 more brick laying and the utility room has had a small window frame fitted .

Also in the trees on platform 2 , 4 young Ravens have all fledged, they nested on top of the tall tree on the right and their test flights were quite amusing to watch. 

It was a test day for the new battery powered mower ! Its ideal for the platform 1 with its small slopping bank , light as a feather to push uphill , and has a very good cut . it soon filled the barrow up .

 

Later it was tested on the top of embankment behind platform 1 , and that was a different story , back to the petrol mower !!

Kevin did a bit of weeding in the gardens, Ron was on the drive mowing the grass . And the  emergency pull in the disabled toilets got fixed.

Locomotives on Wednesday duty were , Foremarke Hall and 3850

DAVE

New garden Project !

 Week Commencing 21st April 2025

Monday

Easter Monday so a non attendance day .

Wednesday

6 around today on a damp start day , so unable to mow the grass !!

Over on platform 2 , the brickwork continues to rise at the rear and side.

A little sort of project we had in mind was to change the surrounding of the driveway garden.

previously it had been built with Cotswold stone blocks  , but time and a few hits with the mowers and Strimmers it had started to fall to pieces !

What we have on the railway are a few old sleepers , firstly the removal of the blocks and then digging out a ditch to sink the sleepers into . easier said than done.

Whilst at the bottom of the drive and a look at the last bridge safety barrier strike .The lumps of wood are still there to be seen !

By the end of the day sleeper had been bolted into place and the bit of soil re filled , now on the hunt for more decent soil to top it up and then we can replant it . Maybe we should have pulled the sign up.

Locomotives on duty today were Foremarke Hall and 3850

Dave

Temperamental Machines

 Week Commencing 14th April 2025

Monday

Grand total of 7 were out today must be the weather ! or the company ?

Ron was seen on the platform bank cutting the grass trying to keep away from the many Primroses and now Cowslips .

Wind was just right for a bonfire .

One of the lighter of our brush cutter was being worked on by Peter , we have two heavy Stihl petrol machines and two relative lighter models that are better to use on the banks. Just need to get them going.

Mike undercoated the spear fencing before moving onto cleaning the edging on platform 2 .

On returning from Toddington after a bottle change we noticed that there had been a rapid growth in vegetation down the bottom of the drive . Time to test the Strimmer out .

Less than an hour with the Petrol Strimmer all had succumbed .

When they stopped chatting Ian and Kevin followed me and raked up the debris.

Wednesday

Over on platform 2 Brick laying continued .

Peter had got the small yellow brush cutter going .

But the driven lawn mower started playing up . This mower is one of our favourites as it doesn't need to be pushed up the drive slope, it can pull itself up and the operator !!

Kevin was at the bottom of the drive trying to find a soft spot to plant a donated tree , 3 holes later !!

Locomotives on duty today were Foremarke Hall and 3850

Pulling the afternoon train back to Toddington was 47105

Dave

Mowing Season all go !

 Week Commencing 7th April 2025

Monday

None attendance by me , but from last week Chris and Dave put up a bird box on the rear of the mess hut . Hoping for a passing swallow or swift .

Ron returned from the far east to help Kevin with enclosing Julies small tree in a wooden surround , it should stop the mowers going over the edge and chopping the heads off the plants. Mike was on the spear fencing , applying a top coat of paint.

Wednesday

All this good weather has seen plenty of action over on platform 2 

windows and door frames all put in place now , brickwork continues between the frames and at the end of the building.

Out of the way of the customers platform 2 saw its first cut of the season

Up on the bank over on platform 2 the remaining bird box was placed on a frame and erected in the hedge row.

Ian followed me on platform 2 and strimmed round the spear fencing.

I started on the driveway grass before young Dave took over .

The mowers now need regular maintenance and Peter K had a challenge getting this one to fire up , eventually it decided to play ball and go.

On a warm sunny day we had P and O on duty with the Bubble car.

Dave

They're Back !

 Week Commencing 31st March 2025

Monday

A bright sunny day for those who turned up .

Over on 2 , window and door frames with some of their surrounding brick work have been fitted.

 Whilst the 3 of us were away last week on a Brush Cutter and Strimmer Course , Mike decided to give the pebbles a coat of white masonry paint , Kevin on Wednesday replanted some of our Primroses to fill in the gaps around the outside.

Word must have got out about our dislike for posters  ! 3 appeared when we weren't around , this one at the top of the drive on the fence , 1 over the road on the Caravans fence and 1 opposite the public car park !

Monday was a sort out day for scrap and stuff were not ever going to use. Jo turned up in the flatbed mainly to take a number not used signalling troughs away , also an old weighing scale plus a lot of scrap metal was taken down to the skip at Toddington.

Wednesday

Sunny day again so its the first cut of the season , Young Dave had the task of doing the drive way area .

Whilst his dad Chris removed the weeds from the edges.

Newly painted hose reels were fixed back onto the spear fencing by Ian and Dave

The small garden at the bottom of the drive received attention from Chris .

Kevin was also cutting the grass on platform 1 not with the petrol mower but with a battery trimmer due the number of primroses and daffodils he needed to go around. No such niceties for myself down the drive , I've had the course and I can now use the petrol version !!

A welcome return of the locomotives to Broadway station this week with the running of the Blue Timetable. They included the Bubble car and " P and O "

Dave

Around the Station and a Training Day

 Week Commencing 24th March 2025

Monday

5 around on Monday plus some of the Platform 2 gang .

Over on platform 2 there has been a lot of activity after this photo had been taken, see next weeks blog.

A bit of a change on one of the gardens , rebranding ?

A visit to the the suppliers gave Mike the chance to finish off the platform edge.

Chris was on the station garden.

Mike having finished the platform edge moved on to the spear fencing.

Kevin and Ian were at the bottom of the drive giving it a good tidy up.

Afternoon saw Ian and Myself clearing the track bed at the end of platform 1 , only the 4 wheel barrow full this time !

End of the day shot (or 3.40 pm ) shot 

Wednesday

A non attendance day for myself , Ian and Kevin . we were on a course on how to use and maintaine the petrol Brush cutter and Strimmer.

God help the countryside now !!!

Dave