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

[whole diary]

[Bmblbzzz]

Thieves have stolen thousands of pounds worth of ‘irreplaceable’ parts from a heritage railway in Bristol, just days before it's due to reopen following months of lockdown.

Raiders forced their way into the goods shed at the Avon Valley Railway at Bitton overnight on Wednesday (May 5), stealing specialist parts used in the restoration of the charity’s locomotive steam and diesel trains.

The cost of the theft is expected to run into ‘thousands of pounds’ but the railway operators say the bigger loss is the heritage value. of the items.

Many of the parts, such as gauge glass fittings and heat traps, were original, making them incredibly hard to replace.

Mark Simmons, the railway’s commercial and business manager, said: “This was a very targeted theft by people who knew what they were after.

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/thieves-target-bristol-heritage-railway-5385358

I'm wondering where the thieves' target market is? Other heritage railways? Private collections?

[Ralph Ayres]

...or frustratingly, just melting down the metal for scrap and chucking the rest.

[Bmblbzzz]

It seems to have been targeted in this case. They went for old parts and left other metal as well as power tools.

[infoman]

https://www.bristol247.com/news-and-features/news/exciting-project-unfolding-at-site-of-former-railway-station/?utm_source=Bristol24%2F7&utm_campaign=033d8dd5ab-bristol247_newsletter_250322&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_67a9a4e1bd-033d8dd5ab-38758697&ct=t(B247_newsletter_250322)&mc_cid=033d8dd5ab&mc_eid=86ae7efe71

[infoman]

https://www.bristol247.com/news-and-features/news/the-unlikely-bristol-location-being-transformed-into-a-changing-arts-canvas/?utm_source=Bristol24%2F7&utm_campaign=a48dae26e7-bristol247_newsletter_250622&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_67a9a4e1bd-a48dae26e7-38758697&mc_cid=a48dae26e7&mc_eid=86ae7efe71

[infoman]

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/much-loved-warmley-waiting-room-8665689?utm_source=bristol_live_newsletter&utm_campaign=daily_newsletter2&utm_medium=email

[infoman]

If your at a loose end.
 
Mark Simmons(SPELLING)on Radio Bristol saying it costs £750,000 a year to run

This weekend there are no car parking facilities due to 1940's vehicles using the car park at the station,

parking is near Keynsham station with a vintage bus running between the two points.

Also Warmley signal box is open,and if you have any rail stuff to get rid of books Videos DVD's etc bring em along

[infoman]

at Bitton,various metal track work items,will cost between 3,000 and 4,000 pounds to replace.

Film footage on points west local news on 30 December 

[grahame]

at Bitton,various metal track work items,will cost between 3,000 and 4,000 pounds to replace.

Film footage on points west local news on 30 December 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-67848650

A railway charity says a large number of track materials including cast iron chairs have been stolen from its property over the Christmas period.

Staff at Avon Valley Railway discovered the large theft from the yard in Bitton, near Bristol, on Thursday.

Trustee Joseph Dean said the value the items to the thieves was "nothing" compared to the cost to the charity.

[johnneyw]

Happy Birthday!  50 years old.

https://www-bbc-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-68606236.amp?amp_gsa=1&amp_js_v=a9&usqp=mq331AQGsAEggAID#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=17122410094242&csi=1&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com

[infoman]

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/avon-valley-railway-celebrates-50th-9211737?utm_source=bristol_live_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Bristol+Live+-+Daily+Newsletter_newsletter&utm_content=&utm_term=&ruid=f0b278ea-5d66-4ad7-8064-99d4f2f9d297

[ChrisB]

Why not just tell us who it was so we can make an informed judgement as to whether to click on an ad-filled local newspaper link?

Edit: There also appears to already be a thread on the Avon Valley Railway?
http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=3158.msg331663#new

[The Tall Controller]

The fact that the title doesn't reveal the 'famous' person, means they aren't really that headline worthy and go for the click bait option instead. If it was a genuinely famous person, you would definitely want their name on your headline rather than saying 'a famous passenger'!

For the record, and to save everyone a click (I googled it rather than using that link) - it's Francis Bourgeois.

[TaplowGreen]

The fact that the title doesn't reveal the 'famous' person, means they aren't really that headline worthy and go for the click bait option instead. If it was a genuinely famous person, you would definitely want their name on your headline rather than saying 'a famous passenger'!

For the record, and to save everyone a click (I googled it rather than using that link) - it's Francis Bourgeois.

Who? 

[infoman]

https://www.bristol247.com/news-and-features/news/fraudster-creates-fake-identity-steal-50000-heritage-railway/?utm_source=Bristol24%2F7&utm_campaign=bb48c0fd3a-b247_newsletter_040325&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_67a9a4e1bd-bb48c0fd3a-38758697&mc_cid=bb48c0fd3a&mc_eid=86ae7efe71

Might make a few extra visits over the coming months.