Severn Valley Railway - heritage line, Kidderminster to Bridgnorth

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Rail Accident Investigation Branch:

On 28 September 2009, a derailment occurred on the Severn Valley Railway heritage line between Kidderminster and Bridgnorth.  The tender of a steam locomotive hauling a passenger train became derailed as it approached Hampton Loade station.  There were no injuries.

The immediate cause of the accident was the flange of the leading right-hand wheel of the tender climbing over the right-hand rail.

The causal factors were that a spring had been replaced on the tender with one which was not of the correct type and the track had become distorted without the track maintenance staff being aware of the problem.

The RAIB^▸ (Rail Accident Investigation Branch) have made five recommendations to the Severn Valley Railway concerning its safety management system, its engineering procedures, communication of safety related information to its staff and volunteers and its audit process.

Full report:
https://assets.digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk/media/547c8ffae5274a4290000197/100408_R72010_Hampton_Loade.pdf


Moderator note: This post was accidentally deleted by bignosemac. Re-uploaded. Sorry Chris. 

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Severn Valley Railway says it has let 12 members of staff go due to the economic downturn and a reduction in visitor numbers.

It said it had made five compulsory redundancies and seven people had not had their contracts renewed this winter as they had reached retirement age.

The firm runs a steam train from Bewdley in Worcestershire to Bridgnorth in Shropshire and employs 150 staff.

It said visitor numbers fell by about 10% in 2010 to 250,000 passengers.

Visitor service manager David Mee said he expected to welcome about 205,000 visitors in 2011.

He said the posts that had been lost were in administration, cleaning and in the shop.

He said he did not expect to make any further redundancies and staffing levels would not affect the 1,500 people who volunteered for the railway.

The tourist attraction reopens for the summer season on Saturday.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

The Severn Valley Railway is celebrating 150 years since the first train left Worcestershire for Shrewsbury.

Kidderminster Railway Museum is showing films to mark the anniversary.

David Postle, from the museum, said: "A lot of the railways have disappeared - there was a big cull in the 1960s - so it is important because not many that were closed have reopened."

He said some 250,000 passengers still used the SVR each year.

The SVR line was built between 1858 and 1862, and ran for 40 miles linking Hartlebury, near Droitwich in Worcestershire with Shrewsbury in Shropshire.

Mr Postle said that on January, 31 1862, a special train ran to mark the formal opening of the railway and public service on the line started the following day.

He said: "It has been preserved by a group of volunteers and enthusiasts who have rebuilt it into what it is today - a tourist line from Kidderminster to Bridgnorth.

"It's a fantastic achievement that the railway's still going."

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Shropshire Star:

Severn Valley Railway diesel maintenance depot work to start

Construction of a ^300,000 diesel maintenance depot is set to begin at the Severn Valley Railway.



Groundwork to sink foundations for modern the two-road steel-clad building, which will be fully equipped with lifting jacks and inspection pits, is expected to get under way by early autumn.

Diesel locomotive owners at the 16-mile Kidderminster to Bridgnorth line have been trying for more than 20 years to get the work started, which will take place at Kidderminster station following approval by Wyre Forest District Council.

The cost of the new depot is being shouldered chiefly by seven diesel groups ^ the Diesel Traction Group, The Fifty Fund, The Western Locomotive Association, The Class 08 Society, the Ruston 906 Group, The Class 11 Group, and Somerset Traction Ltd ^ and also the railway^s members organisation, the Severn Valley Railway Association, whose locomotives are residents at the SVR.

The new depot, which will be completed in two phases, will bring relief to the SVR^s diesel-owning groups who, since the late 1970s, have had little choice but to repair and maintain their locomotives in the open.

The railway^s fleet of privately-owned diesels, notably ^heritage^ types long-retired from front-line service on the national rail network ^ many of which are more than 50 years old ^ has expanded over the years to 12 ^main line^ locomotives and eight shunters.

Many have had to be sent away to railway engineering facilities in other parts of the country in the past for heavy maintenance work, such as the lifting of locomotives from their wheels.

The new building, measuring about 160ft by 45ft, will accommodate up to four locomotives at one time. A third road, enclosed under a ^lean-to^ roof attached on the western side of the main building, measuring 330ft in length, will also be built at a later date.

Jonathan Dunster, Chairman of the SVR^s Diesel Committee and co-founder of The Fifty Fund, which owns or manages four ex-British Rail English Electric Class 50 diesels, said: ^The practice of diesels hauling passenger trains on the main line these days is actually extremely rare, so they are quite an attraction on ^heritage^ lines like the SVR.^

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Severn Valley Railway shares worth ^1.3m sold


The Severn Valley Railway attracts about 200,000 visitors a year

Shares worth more than ^1.3m have been sold in a heritage railway in six months.

Officials at the Severn Valley Railway are holding special events this weekend for existing shareholders and to encourage more investors. They want to raise ^3m towards projects such as a new heritage centre and an engineering training academy.

General manager Nick Ralls said there had been an "amazing response" in the scheme so far. He said people had to invest a minimum of ^100 but would receive benefits including free and discounted tickets on the line.

The 150-year-old, 16-mile line follows the River Severn from Kidderminster, in Worcestershire, to Bridgnorth, in Shropshire, attracting about 200,000 visitors a year. Train services are hauled mostly by steam locomotives.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Locomotive rededicated to Sir Keith Park


A guard of honour was mounted by 156 (Kidderminster) Squadron ATC^▸ (Automatic Train Control)

A locomotive has been rededicated in Worcestershire to a Battle of Britain hero.

Sir Keith Park commanded RAF^▸ (Royal Air Force) squadrons that defended London and the South East from Luftwaffe attacks in 1940.

Almost 66 years after the original naming ceremony, the Sir Keith Park locomotive was rededicated at Kidderminster railway station.

After 20 years at a scrapyard, it was renovated and became part of the the Severn Valley Railway last year.

To commemorate Sir Keith's achievement in the Battle of Britain, locomotive 34053 was dedicated to him and he named the engine himself on 19 September 1947 at Brighton Station.

At the rededication ceremony in Worcestershire, The Right Honourable Sir Lockward Smith, New Zealand High Commissioner, unveiled the nameplate.

Also present were RAF veterans who fought in the Battle of Britain, Oliver Bullied, the grandson of the locomotive's designer, and Terence Stevens-Prior, great-nephew of Sir Keith.

A flypast by a Hurricane and a Spitfire from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight was also held at 14:00 BST over Bridgnorth in Shropshire, where standards were on parade by the RAF Association.

Clare Gibbard, from Severn Valley Railway, said: "Locomotive Sir Keith Park has been one of the railway's most popular engines since joining our fleet, and we thought that it would be a great idea to mark its return to service after 38 years."

[JayMac]

Here's a picture of 'Sir Keith Park' at Bridgnorth, taken around this time last year when I visited the SVR:



I'll always be a GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) traction fan first and foremost, in particular the Collett era, but Oliver Bulleid designed some good looking locomotives (with or without streamlining) as well. He weren't quite so good at valve gear design though!

Oh, bit of shame the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) couldn't spell the Bulleid family name correctly. 

[ChrisB]

Interesting photo....:-)

[JayMac]

Before anyone else finds it, I have to put my hands up and apologise for also spelling 'Bulleid' wrong elsewhere on the forum. Another topic featuring pictures I posted of 'Sir Keith Park':

http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=11169.msg116564#msg116564

Mea culpa, people in glass houses, hoist/petard, etc... 

[bobm]

I was at the SVR earlier this month and saw the loco under discussion and made a mental note to research who Sir Keith Park is/was and then promptly forgot until now.  Good to see he was remembered.

I was going to post a picture of the loco at Kidderminster but bignosemac's one is so much better I won't embarass myself! 

[bobm]

Severn Valley now planning to restore to running order a loco I am pretty sure I travelled behind during the GW150 celebrations in 1985.

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page)

A locomotive is to return to a heritage railway line in Shropshire and Worcestershire after a 27-year absence.

Severn Valley Railway bosses have announced a ^400,000 restoration of the Hagley Hall locomotive.

They acquired the engine from a scrapyard in 1972. It carried passengers until 1986, when it was withdrawn from service as the boiler certificate had expired.

Work will take between three and four years to complete.

The engine was due to depart from the Engine House at Highley, where it has been for the past five years, to Bridgnorth on Sunday so restoration could begin.

Nick Ralls, Severn Valley Railway's general manager, said: "This is a very important milestone for the railway, along with our shareholders and the Friends of Loco 4930 Hagley Hall Group.

"The locomotive is well-suited to the line and has many supporters. It will be fantastic to see it start on its journey to return to service after more than a quarter of a century."

The restoration of the engine, which was built at Swindon Works by the Great Western Railway in 1929, has been funded by selling shares as well as fundraising by the Friends of Hagley Hall Group and Severn Valley Railway Charitable Trust.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Severn Valley Railway gets grant to restore locomotive 4930 Hagley Hall


The former Great Western Railway locomotive was bought from a scrapyard in 1972

A heritage railway has won a ^95,000 lottery grant to restore a steam locomotive rescued from a scrapyard.

The Severn Valley Railway Charitable Trust said the money will be used to restore number 4930 Hagley Hall, named after a Worcestershire stately home. The money will allow students and apprentices from the railway's training academy, based in Shropshire and Worcestershire, to help with the work.

The Severn Valley Railway (SVR) runs from Kidderminster to Bridgnorth.

They acquired the engine from a scrapyard in 1972. It carried passengers until 1986, when it was withdrawn from service as the boiler certificate had expired.

The restoration of the engine, which was built at Swindon Works by the Great Western Railway in 1929, has also been funded by selling shares and by fundraising by the Friends of Hagley Hall Group and Severn Valley Railway Charitable Trust.

The SVR opened its training academy in September 2013.

[JayMac]

2015 marks the 50th anniversary of the preservation of the Severn Valley Railway.

The Severn Valley Railway Society was formed on 6th July 1965. The first two years were spent raising the necessary funds to purchase the 5 mile section of track between Bridgnorth and Alveley which had been closed by British Railways in 1962. By 1970 this section had been brought back into use and a heritage passenger service began. British Rail ceased operating between Kidderminster and Bewdley in 1970, and further purchases and restoration work by the SVR saw the line extended from Hampton Loade to Bewdley by 1974. Withdrawal of British Rail freight services on the Kidderminster to Foley section of the line allowed the SVR to raise further funds to purchase and extend the line into a former goods yard adjacent to Kidderminster's then BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) station in the early 1980s. Despite appearances, and excluding Country Park Halt, Kidderminster Town is by far the youngest station on the Severn Valley Railway.

I grew up in Taunton so the West Somerset Railway is always close to my heart, but I think for pure GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) nostalgia done just right (with occasional welcome interlopers!) the Severn Valley Railway is hard to beat. My next visit to Kidderminster and Bridgnorth (and points in between) is probably not far off.

[JayMac]

Here's a link to a BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) video news item about the 50th anniversary year of the SVR:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-31998613

A fascinating look at the early work of the SVR Society and the current operation of the SVR is to be seen in the BBC Documentary, 'The Golden Age of Steam Railways'. This is currently (March 2015) available to view online at the following link:

http://uktvplay.uktv.co.uk/shows/the-golden-age-of-steam-railways/watch-online/?video=3801634910001

[JayMac]

I mentioned previously that my next trip to the SVR won't be far off. It'll probably be for this:

From Group Leisure:

Severn Valley Railway Food Festival

This June, Severn Valley Railway will once again host its summer food festival.



Over the weekend of 6th to 7th June, The Engine House Visitor Centre at the Severn Valley Railway will host its annual food festival. 
 
The festival will feature a number of local producers and suppliers including Piggotts Cakes and Puddings, Tipsy Fruit Gins, Hobsons Brewery, The Pie Creator and Box of Goodness.

Additionally, guests will be able to look at displays in visitor centre including the new 50th anniversary exhibition, which charts the railway^s history.

Also visitors will be able to view the railway^s reserve collection of steam locomotives, King George VI^s Royal Carriage and travelling Post Office.

For more information visit www.svr.co.uk/

Was there for this festival in 2014. Got some nice cheese and chutneys.