Avon Valley Railway Updates and Videos

This is the Dean Forest timetable that you've mentioned. I can't see anything confusing myself. <BJ>

 

This is no doubt one of those things that depends on what you're used to. If you're adept at the traditional sort of timetable with separate Down and Up tables, this format can take some getting used to. For the average traveller who wants to arrive at Bitton (or Norchard), do a round trip and go home, this format is probably clearer, even though almost half of the round trip opportunities are not immediately obvious.

Timetables are not always obvious. I am prepared to bet that the average enthusiast would find a 1930s GWR working timetable (where arrival and departure trains are in separate columns) confusing the first time they see one, as nobody has used that format since 1948 or so

 

Don't see anything particularly confusing about those timetables. At least no one in this country publicly uses graphical timetables. On my first visit to the Blonay Chamby railway in Switzerland, they were handing them out for a gala. The one below is simple compared to what was issued! Different colours for each loco, some trips not going full line, reversals at the end of the line into the museum - all very confusing when you've never seen such a timetable before!

 

We've used these on the GWSR on the odd occasion, some people seem to prefer the graphical representation of where everything is at a particular point in time. I don't find it any more helpful personally.

 

Blimey, that's some steep gradients.

Taxi? That'll be for me, if it can get up the hill.

 

One benefit of path diagrams like that - from an operating point of view - is that it makes it dead easy to spot where someone has messed up and written a timetable that's impossible to operate!

I wonder what their software is like. I have been writing some software to print nicely-formatted timetables on and off for a few years, but one of its aims is to produce printed output with a suitably vintage look and feel to it. As I have limited free time, development progress is slow.

 

Do you have an example of one of these - I'm struggling to see how the Avon Valley/Dean Forest format is confusing or how an alternative may offer more clarity

 

I think the issue is, as I tried to explain above, Bitton lies in the middle of the line, and trains go in one direction and then come back through Bitton. If you don't realise this, the time table may look odd, but it suits the line.

 

The first that springs to mind as an example: the SVR's spring gala is this weekend. Here's the timetable leaflet: https://www.svr.co.uk/pdf/Special Events/SVR Spring Gala WEB.pdf

You can see the timetable for each day is clearly split between Down trains and Up trains (labelled as "Northbound" and "Southbound" respectively). Historically, this is the way most train timetables have been published.

 

What I find is it’s much easier, especially with multiple trains, to see what’s going on. With the timetables not geographically centred it looks like a train terminates mid way through the journey.

The only situation where I think it makes sense to use this format is on the Bodmin and Wenford due to the unique layout and consequentially the way the line has to be run. However it is still complex to track one working.

 

Will a shuttle bus be running from Keynsham Station to Bitton AVR at the weekend for the industrial mixed traffic gala?

 

Just a comment on the timetable layout. If you attend one of our events where we run an intensive timetable (one of our galas or 1940s weekend) then yes, we do split the timetable into Up and Down services. However on the standard running day timetable, if we were to do this, it adds an extra 6th column to the timetable to account for the last northbound service coming from Avon Riverside and terminating at Bitton. Space is at a premium in the leaflet, hence the current layout. I will admit that there could be a little more clarity in terms of being able to start a round trip on a southbound run, so there is scope for some formatting tweaks there. We have been using this format for years, and this is the first I've heard anyone comment on it! When the day comes that we reach Bath, and more stops to be called at, then an alternative format may well be the way forward.

 

What are the long term aspirations for AVR in terms of extending?

 

The ultimate aim is of course to reach Bath, though this will realistically be a two step process. First extending to Kelston, the next original station along the line, and then onto Bath. Newbridge is the most likely location for a terminus in Bath, as it gives us a good opportunity to work in conjunction with the Park & Ride so people are able to complete their journey into the centre of Bath. Extending further in to Weston, and certainly Bath Green Park, are very unlikely to happen.

As for going north, Warmley is pretty much as far as we can get, and is one of those "never say never" things. Considering the history with local residents being reluctant to see the railway return, it might be more difficult than we would like if we do decide to pursue a northern extension in the future.

 

I thought that the Mixed Traffic Gala was very good. There was a fair amount of action at Bitton and it was good to see the visiting 0-4-0T.

Well done to the Avon Valley Railway. <BJ>

 

Avon Valley Railway Industrial Mixed Traffic Gala, a big thank you to all involved, for all you dedication and hard work, I had a very enjoyable day
Hudswell Clarke 0-4-0ST No 1742

 

Good to see a number of people around yesterday, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, despite the wind! The timetable more or less ran to time for the most part, a bit of time was lost at the end of the day with the failure of 70043 'Grumpy', which ended up with the final train getting in around 25 minutes late.

Here's my video from the day.

 

Damn. I must have missed the Brit. Also not too happy about the renaming of Lord Kitchener. <BJ>

 

So how long will this make the line in the end? And what is the route like? Will it basically be similar to the journey now, single track with the footpath following the full length? Don't know much about your place sorry, though I do think Bitton has been restored quite well, and the café has been done well.

 

The timetable isn't, of itself, confusing, what could be confusing is that trains start running from a station in the middle of the line rather than at one end. But it's a lot easier to understand than the timetable they had on my first visit, where they had Norchard High Level and Norchard Low Level shown.
One thing I find that does help to understand a timetable is a route map of the railway, even a very simple straight line with the stations marked on it can help especially if you've never been to a railway before. But very few railways put route maps on their websites.