into the Bitton Railway Co. Ltd. and the laid track reached Oldland Common in 1988. By 1992, however, the city of Bristol had expanded greatly, with houses encroaching upon the former railway line, and expansion north to Warmley and Mangotsfield was no longer considered practical. The line thus began to expand south out into the valley of the River Avon. By 2004, it had crossed the Avon and a new station was built to service the Avon Valley Country Park — a large picnic and recreation site — along with a river wharf to provide visitors with connections to river barges and river boat trips. Building of a new buffet and toilet facility at Bitton station began in 2007 to replace the current buffet and toilets and to increase space for the railway's gift shop. Work continues to extend the railway south-east towards Bath (potentially as far as Newbridge). As a tourist attraction, the Avon Valley Railway now handles 80,000 visitors per year. The AVR provides round-trip steam train travel from Bitton Station north to Oldland Common then south to Avon Riverside station. The line is open to travellers on most weekends. Incidents On 24 July 2018, during a shunting operation at Bitton station, two empty coaches ran away for 43 yards (40 metres) on a down gradient until they collided with a level crossing gate closed across the track. The coaches, which had no handbrakes, overrode chocks placed against two wheels. There were no injuries. Motive power Resident Steam locomotives Resident Diesel locomotives Previous Resident Locomotives References External links Avon Valley Railway — Official site London Midland Society, restoring LMS 4F No. 4123 Rail transport in Bristol Heritage railways in South Gloucestershire District