Severn Valley Railway Timeline 1980

Article under construction This article is currently under construction. Further data will be added shortly.

1980 timetable

This page provides a timeline of events on the Severn Valley Railway during 1980.

Over the winter of 1979-80, major engineering work was carried out on Victoria Bridge, including replacement of the bridge decking and a complete repaint. Significant remedial work was also carried out at Folly Point to address land slippage. 1980 again saw BR providing a DMU service from Kidderminster to the SVR at Bewdley on summer Saturdays and Bank Holidays.

---

May 1980

On Saturday 17 May, LMS Princess Royal Class 6201 Princess Elizabeth started line side fires in the Ruabon area. Following the imposition of a steam ban, a diesel-hauled convoy of SVR locomotives and rolling stock departed for Rainhill on Monday 19 May. The SVR participants in the grand parade at the Rocket 150 celebrations at Rainhill on 24-26 May were 3205, 43106, 45000, 600 Gordon, 80079, D1062 Western Courier plus 3 coaches, GWR 829 Full Third, GWR 6913 Brake Composite, and LMS Brake Third Corridor 26921. 3020 Cornwall was also due to take part, but was forced to withdraw when the BR boiler inspector put his hammer right through the front ring of the boiler barrel! (All pictures from Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository)

• 
  3205
• 
  43106
• 
  45000 [LMS 5000]
• 
  600 Gordon
• 
  80079
• 
  D1062

The Railway played host to two incoming main line rail tours through to Bridgnorth on the same day. The Bridgnorth station announcer took the opportunity to make an announcement surely never heard before or since, “The next service will call at Bewdley, Basingstoke, Winchester, Eastleigh and Southampton. Change at Bewdley for Leeds, Keighley, Haworth and Oxenhope.” The two 10-coach tours passed at Arley, the only loop large enough to handle the crossing. SVR locos 6960, 7812 and 45110 hauled the tours between Bewdley and Bridgnorth.

June 1980

The SVR membership exceeded 10,000 for the first time.

The Great Western Weekend saw 7 of the SVR’s GWR engines in action.

August 1980

The Ruston-Bucyrus coaling crane at Bridgnorth MPD was replaced by the first of the Sambron telehandlers.

September 1980

In the annual Enthusiasts Weekend, considered the most successful to date, 12 SVR locomotives were in steam including 45690 Leander which had just returned from main line duties for an overhaul.

Steam locomotives used

A table of steam locomotives used and their mileages can be found on the Steam Locomotive Mileages page.

See also

• The Severn Valley Railway in preservation

British Rail or British Railways

Diesel Multiple Unit

London Midland & Scottish Railway

Severn Valley Railway

Great Western Railway

Ruston and Hornsby Ltd. of Lincoln, engineer and locomotive manufacturer acquired by English Electric in 1966. Also, Ruston-Bucyrus Ltd established in 1930 and jointly owned by Ruston and Hornsby and Bucyrus-Erie (US)

Sambron SA, a French manufacturer of telehandler-type forklifts used by the SVR for coaling