Rail enthusiasts on the discovery road
VOLUNTEERS at Caledonian Railway have unearthed part of one of Brechin's original "long and winding roads" as they continue with ambitious plans that will see the Park Road side of the popular visitor attraction completely revamped.
It has been a case of full steam ahead with one eye on the summer season, which will see a new cafe opened at the station and with recycled railings being erected this week, volunteers have quite literally unearthed part of the railway's history and that of a small part of the city of Brechin.
Finance Director Ken Joy explained: "We have been erecting new railings on the Park Road side of the station. Not only will this look much more pleasing on the eye to visitors, it will make a fitting backdrop to the cafe, which we hope to open in the very near future. We already have the planning consent for the cafe and the work is currently under way.
"When erecting the railings this week, we have come across what are obviously part of the original foundations of the old Caldhame Road (Park Road's original name). The foundations are much closer to the old railway station and might have gone back to the dates where horse drawn carriages would drop passengers off at the station, before they boarded a train at Brechin to travel across the country.
"The railings themselves came the common park spaces that run from Montrose Academy towards the west of Montrose. We as an organisation are doing our part in recycling them and putting them to good use and each passer by has commented upon how much better the area looks, since the railings have gone up.
"The work on this side of the station will be part of work that will sees us tackle problems with water, as when we have a period of wet weather, we get a constant roll of water towards the building that will, eventually, house the cafe. The work we are presently undertaking should help us to prevent that problem.
"We recovered these during work that was being carried out to renew the existing railings in Montrose, a project financed by the Heritage Lottery Fund."
Ken said he had no idea when the original road dated to, but what we do know is that the station itself dates back to 1848 and given there would have undoubtedly been an increase in traffic in the vicinity at this time, there is a fair chance the road was utilised at this time. The adjacent Park Road pavement, being a much later addition with the increase in popularity of the car.
He continued: "We are delighted that the plans seem to be gaining us very positive feedback from the local community and we have in fact had the offer from a neighbour who lives near the station to go ahead and paint the railings for us and we are very grateful to him for that offer. That sort of support is the sort of thing we can't put a value on, because it provides us with a very useful service at no extra cost.
"The improvements to the exterior of the station follow on from us receiving funding from Angus Council in the winter to extend the station's platform and we are hopeful that once we get permission, the new cafe will be the next stage of the project. It will mean that we utilise part of what used to be the stationmaster's flat and it will also provide a welcome addition to the facilities that already at the station.
"One of the major problems we have had to overcome is finding decent quality of timber. As you can imagine, the standard of timber which was used in the stationmaster's home originally was of a very high standard and we need to try and replicate that as closely as we possibly can.
"The building is also having a number of windows replaced and once again, we are trying to get the design as similar to the original as we can and that too can be problamatic, given the amount of time that has elapsed between the original windows being erected and the work we are presently doing.The funding received from Angus Council was 37000 for the platform extension and for replacement of windows in the 1848 wing of the station and we have put that to good use.
"It has been a very rewarding experience for all of us. It's hard work, but we are certain that people visiting the station and even those driving or walking up Park Road, will appreciate the work that has been carried out and the end result has even allowed us a little history lesson into the bargain."
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Weather for Brechin
Thursday 09 February 2012
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 3 C to 5 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 3 C to 4 C
Wind Speed: 23 mph
Wind direction: South
