Avon Valley Railway - heritage line, Bristol towards Bath - merged posts

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Diesels?  Pah! 

You want some proper engines - Tornado, for instance. 

Diesels have proper engines ... if you want something that's engineless, try an electric, which merely has a transmission system.

[swrural]

First's Service 332 from Bristol Bus Station is your best bet, calls at Kenilworth Drive junction in Willsbridge, 400 yds from Bitton station. Service 42 terminating at Cherry Gardens is also pretty close to Bitton station.


EDIT: Ah, blakey just beat me to it. 

Thanks both.  I had actually looked with GE and SV to see where the stops were nowadays.  The funny thing is, I posted my complaint, as I thought them much too far away!

As I lived in Hanham for my first 20 years, my comments about Bitton were made with local knowledge.  Still, others reading here will have found your bus info useful reading, so you did not waste effort.. 

[anthony215]

I would very much like to go to this except on saturday 13th I will be visiting the acton depot open day.

[swrural]

Did I ever relate that, as a schoolboy, we had a school trip to London from Bitton.  Because Kingswood Grammar School's catchment was the area to the east of the Bristol border, the special train began at Bitton and called at Oldland, Warmley and Mangotsfield and then somehow gained the GW^» (Great Western - used as an abbreviation for the area / lines under the Great Western franchise, as opposed to FGW which includes "First", the company operating them too. For tickets - about).  I think we must have reversed at Bristol TM^▸ (Train Manager, or possibly Ticket Machine, depending on context) but I don't remember doing that to be honest.  Nice to have a non stop run from there to Pad though.  I got on at Bitton, as the bus to Bath from Hanham went past the station.  It was about 1958 and must have been an early start.

[Rooke]

End of season gala with guest engine GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) 7822 Foxcote Manor
Further details at www.avonvalleyrailway.org/gala

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Bristol Post:

Avon Valley Railway sees record passengers step on board for its Santa Special

Record numbers of passengers enjoyed a festive ride on the Avon Valley Railway this Christmas.

Another cracking season has seen Avon Valley Railway's Santa Specials run at more than 90 per cent capacity.

The festive train rides, which ran from November 30 until Christmas Eve, carried thousands of passengers along the heritage railway line from Bitton.

The special services, during which each passenger meets Santa and his helpers as they pass through the carriages handing out gifts to young visitors, have seen their popularity grow for five consecutive years.

Commercial manager Richard Shacklock said: "We would like to thank everyone who joined us to celebrate the festive season on board one of our Santa Specials, making it our best Christmas yet. The Santa Specials are a magical experience for passengers of all ages, whether it's receiving a gift from Santa himself or enjoying some festive nostalgia on board our steam train.

"Families return year after year to travel with Santa, and we see plenty of new faces too as the popularity of the Santa Specials just keeps on growing. Even though the way the calendar fell this year meant we were running two less days than in 2013, average numbers per train were up. It^s been incredible.

"This is testament to our volunteers' hard work in creating a truly memorable day out for visitors, many of whom send us thank you letters. Record-breaking passenger numbers are, of course, more than just figures - the Santa Specials bring in vital funds for Avon Valley Railway, which couldn't survive without its volunteers and visitors."

The heart of Avon Valley Railway is Bitton Station, an original Midland Railway station, which like the locomotives, carriages and track, has been restored by a team of dedicated volunteers.

Without the volunteers, the locomotives wouldn^t operate or be restored, tickets wouldn^t be sold and the site wouldn^t be maintained ^ but thanks to them and those that visit, the railway is being restored for the delight of current and future generations.

For more information on Avon Valley Railway visit www.avonvalleyrailway.org or call 0117 932 5538

[Rooke]

 2015 Gala Lineup is:
GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) 5700 Class No. 5786 "L. 92"
Metropolitan Railway E Class No. 1
GWR 4575 Class No. 5521 "L. 150"
Austerity WPR No. 15 "Earl David"
That's three London Transport themed locomotives, but the London feeling doesn't stop there. The addition of some heritage London road vehicles too means we're bringing the capital right to Bristol, albeit in vintage fashion.
The gala will feature one of our famous intensive timetables on both days, including passenger and freight trains and all kinds of unusual workings.
The main event is Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th October but keep your eyes peeled for further "big smoke" steam action a bit nearer the time.

[johnneyw]

A bit of jolly news. After more than 60 years out of use and following restoration the Sentinel Shunter that used to work at the Frys Chocolate Factory in Keynsham is now running again on the Avon Valley Railway.
Here's the link:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-bristol-47998414/historic-chocolate-train-steams-again

[Celestial]

Maybe it could run some Double Decker trains?

[Lee]

Or perhaps it could give the IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan)) a Twirl.

[grahame]

Maybe it could run some Double Decker trains?

Two carriages available - both in need of a lot of restoration.  One in Kent and one in Northamtonshire.
Facebook group has 1767 members - https://www.facebook.com/groups/630365910333531/

Yes, I know you were asking in jest!

[grahame]

Or perhaps it could give the IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan)) a Twirl.

Or what is the flakiest stock around??

[johnneyw]

A Ripple of applause for these groanworthy puns!

[JayMac]

The new old loco should give the Avon Valley Railway a boost. I might take some time out and head over there soon, perhaps make a day of it with a picnic lunch.

[chuffed]

With all this hot weather about, it may be appropriate to remember the chocolate Treats that 'melt in your mouth....not in your hand'!