Avon Valley Railway and the SS Great Britain

MinZaPint · June 19, 2015, 05:39:18 PM

Stayed a couple of days with an old friend who lives in Saltford between Bristol and Bath, knowing I liked trains he suggested a trip on the AVR which is just round the corner from him, spotted this little fellow

with it's history

The Station with a nice little shop

motive power for the day

and from the front

coach from "The Pines Express"

We also went to Bristol, these trucks are used to carry passengers when the dock railway is running, we had to walk!

and so to one of Brunel's finest

If you should go do visit the "Facilities" appropriately in the bowels of the ship!

I obviously have no idea of what was provided for the ladies!

and from the bow

A very interesting ship well worth a visit but do allow plenty of time as there is a lot to see and the free audio guide is a bit of fun

ChrisWV10 · June 19, 2015, 06:18:20 PM

Never think of Bristol as somewhere to visit but hadn't thought of the SS GB ... I can feel a weekend excursion coming on...

C.

simong · June 19, 2015, 08:14:00 PM

Great walks along the line side towards Bath too.

Papyrus · June 19, 2015, 09:07:33 PM

Wow! I am very impressed.

I've seen SS Great Britain once, literally the week after it came back from the Falklands, still covered in seaweed from the South Atlantic. It was my one and only visit to Bristol. Looks like I need to go and have another look. Thanks for the post!

Chris

Newportnobby · June 19, 2015, 09:38:56 PM

Great pics, David

In the second one - why would they want to collect tin

cjdodd · June 19, 2015, 09:45:39 PM

Bristol is an amazing place to visit, ok I am slightly bias but hey

Railwaygun · June 19, 2015, 10:25:13 PM

Is the Sentinel shunted a fireless loco ? Otherwise it looks a bit odd!

ozzie Bill. · June 20, 2015, 06:40:31 AM

There is just so much of Brunel in and around Bristol. Think Temple Meads, Box tunnel and Clifton Bridge. I still think a fictional line running from Avonmouth, between the new cut, past the floating harbour and the Great Britain, through Temple Meads then on to London, perhaps with some GWR wide gauge historical would be a fabulous line and a great homage to an incredible engineer.
Course, I might also be a bit biased, being a Bristol kiddie myself!
Cheers, Bill.

Bealman · June 20, 2015, 07:06:48 AM

As we have come to expect from you, David, great stuff. I for one always enjoy your travelogues.

George

trkilliman · June 20, 2015, 07:34:28 AM

Another Bristolian here. We now live in Cornwall but spent 52 years in our home City. It is awash with Brunel designs, especially in the Central part of the City. I spent many years at Royal Mails main sorting office adjacent to Brunels Temple Meads Station. There is a whole network of tunnels underneath the station that were used for transferring mail between platforms for the TPOs. Such a sad day when the TPOs ceased. Anyway, the central area of Bristol is a great place to visit, albeit short on model shops that cater for our scale to any degree. So, ther thee biss my luvvers.

Bealman · June 20, 2015, 07:42:45 AM

Stopped briefly at Bristol back in August 2013 with the intention of seeing the Clifton Bridge, but couldn't find it so had a pint in a pub in the CBD instead...

D1042 Western Princess · June 20, 2015, 08:27:06 AM

The AVR is on my 'to do' list, but can fully endorse the SS "Great Britain" as a MUST DO when in Bristol.
We had a fabulous day there last year and still didn't see everything in the ship.
The nicest, although probably not the fastest, way between Temple Meads and the ship is by the frequent water buses which pick up just outside the station and drop off at the ship.

D1042 Western Princess · June 20, 2015, 08:28:15 AM

Quote from: Papyrus on June 19, 2015, 09:07:33 PM
Wow! I am very impressed.

I've seen SS Great Britain once, literally the week after it came back from the Falklands, still covered in seaweed from the South Atlantic. It was my one and only visit to Bristol. Looks like I need to go and have another look. Thanks for the post!

Chris

I saw it then too. Yes, it has changed - enormously!

Calnefoxile · June 21, 2015, 05:28:33 PM

Quote from: Papyrus on June 19, 2015, 09:07:33 PM
Wow! I am very impressed.

I've seen SS Great Britain once, literally the week after it came back from the Falklands, still covered in seaweed from the South Atlantic. It was my one and only visit to Bristol. Looks like I need to go and have another look. Thanks for the post!

Chris

Another piece of trivia is that my cousin was the tug boat skipper that towed the SS Great Britain up the Bristol channel. He knows the channel like the back of his hand as he was also the skipper of a minesweeper during his Naval reserve days.

Cheers

Neal.

D1042 Western Princess · June 21, 2015, 05:44:01 PM

Quote from: ozzie Bill. on June 20, 2015, 06:40:31 AM
There is just so much of Brunel in and around Bristol. Think Temple Meads, Box tunnel and Clifton Bridge. I still think a fictional line running from Avonmouth, between the new cut, past the floating harbour and the Great Britain, through Temple Meads then on to London, perhaps with some GWR wide gauge historical would be a fabulous line and a great homage to an incredible engineer.
Course, I might also be a bit biased, being a Bristol kiddie myself!
Cheers, Bill.

Slightly off topic (sorry Mods) but passengers were amazed when I would tell them that in 1848, with the Broad Gauge, trains would get from Paddington to Didcot (53 miles) in around 48 minutes. The time in 2014 was 45 minutes!
A Broad Gauge line, with Rovers and Fireflys, rather than the silly overhead 'knitting' (I've never been a fan of electric trains - other than model ones) might not be such a bad idea!