00 Gauge A First Great Western & Bristol Area Rapid Transport might have been
Inspired by a combination of the proliferation of tramway systems that have arrived in French cities since the start of the 21st Century and the ever promised reopening of the Portishead Branch. Whilst the reopening of the Portishead Line is still promised, First Great Western has since morphed into Great Western Trains and the Mayor of Bristol is more interested in underground trains than trams. Who knows, perhaps this could become reality one day!
The layout has three distinct operating areas.
At the back, the refuelling point and wagon repair facility, serving the Royal Portbury Docks. This can see EWS, Freightliner & Colas locos refuelling, with hopper wagons and car transporters in need of some TLC.
In the middle is the First Great Western station. A new build, single platform, Park & Ride station served by a mix of pacers and sprinters operated by the Company.
At the front, the Bristol Area Rapid Transport (BART) tram stop, with a regular service to Cribbs Causeway and Broadmead via The Downs. This uses the innovative French APS (Alimentation par le Sol) ground-level power supply, as used in Reims (see The Real Thing Gallery), rather than overhead power line supply, for which planning permission was withheld within the Gordano Valley.
The layout, in a very early stage of construction, has been used to support demonstrations at a couple of local shows and it was interesting to see peoples' reaction when told it wasn't what was going to be delivered by the Bristol Metro project - they all seemed very disappointed!
Some photos from early development and a demostration event:
More details as construction continues!
