On Saturday 6th March 2010 10 members of the IRO, ranging from Fellows through to Affiliates and mainly from the South West Area, participated in an Operations Experience day at the Avon Valley Railway at Bitton, between Bath and Bristol. The preserved railway, which used to be part of the Midland Joint line from Bath Green Park to Derby, covers a distance of 3 miles of single track from Avon Riverside to Oldland with Bitton being the approximate half way point. There are run round facilities at Avon Riverside and Oldland, and a passing loop at Bitton. The line is signalled on the staff and ticket working principle.
The IRO South West had full use of the line and a train plan was devised to operate 40 trains, using a heritage Class 107 DMU and a Class 07 shunter hauling either passenger or freight stock. Diagrams were then produced to give everyone experience of driving, acting as second man, being the guard, acting as Responsible Officer (Lead Signaller) and Signalman’s Agent. We also undertook other activities, such as train preparation, operating crossing gates, using back to back radios for safety critical messages/ signalling, operating points and ground frames, clipping points and struggling with coupling and uncoupling, involving unfamiliar vacuum pipes.
The group assembled for a job safety briefing at 1000, to meet the Avon Valley Railway volunteers who were to be our minders for the day before starting operations. Members of the group were given their own diagramme for the day, in the form of a laminated diagram. We then set about running the railway under the expert guidance of Paul Stanford, the Responsible Officer, who in his day job is a Customer Relations Executive for Network Rail, and Ken Goodway. Initially there was some late running as the group got used to the operation of railway and changed duties whilst operating a very tightly timed timetable over the single line.
By the afternoon, however, things had settled into a pattern as the group familarised themselves with the method of working the line. The staff and ticket working arrangement was particular interesting, allowing another train to operate from Bitton to Avon Riverside when train out of section was received for the previous train from Avon Riverside, operating in a similar way to absolute block signalling. The method of signalling uses back to back radios, which gave the group plenty of practice in Safety Critical Communications. We also practiced running with an unfitted freight, which although not relevant to railway operations today gave us an insight on how things used to be done. The DMU driving also proved useful and gave an opportunity for a couple of members of the group to relive their past experiences.
The day ended at 1640 and after disposing of the trains the Group had a quick debrief on the day. Everyone agreed that it had been a useful experience, especially for the IRO Degree Students who participated. It will certainly be an event that the Area will consider repeating, with possibly a different format.
Thanks go from all participants, and from the South West Area, to Paul Stanford and Ken Goodway for arranging the event and for ensuring the a safe and educational time was had by all who took part.
