Severn Valley Railway Timeline 1998
This page details events on the Severn Valley Railway during 1998. Passenger numbers reached 212,582.[1]
Spring 1998[edit | edit source]
The Board authorised the re-cladding of the Bridgnorth main loco shed (ex-Portskewett) which had been damaged by storms over the winter.[2]
Charles Newton, the owner of 78019 was approached by a group from the Great Central Railway at Loughborough offering to complete the restoration of the locomotive on agreement that it remained at the GCR for an undisclosed period of time.[3] This move became permanent, leaving 4150 as the SVR's only ex-Barry restoration still in progress.
Filming took place early in the year for TV Movie "Cider With Rosie", featuring 5764.[4] It was first broadcast on 27 December.
March 1998[edit | edit source]
The annual Members Day took place on Saturday 21 March with the regular format of an increased service and 'behind the scenes' visits.
April 1998[edit | edit source]
After being stripped down during the last week in March by a team of volunteers from Bridgnorth helped by members of the SVRA Bristol Branch, the 65'3" turntable, ex-Bristol (Bath Road), intended for installation at Bridgnorth, was lifted by crane at Bristol on Thursday 2 April and transported by road overnight to Eardington, where it was unloaded the following day.[5]
The Spring Steam Gala was held on the weekend of 18-19 April. There was one guest locomotive, BR Riddles Standard 4MT class Mogul 76079 from Llangollen.
May 1998[edit | edit source]
On Sunday 3 May, 80079 became the the first standard gauge steam locomotive to reach Blaenau Ffestiniog for more than thirty years.[6]
An event was staged on Monday 25 May to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Kidderminster and Stourport Electric Tramway.[7]
Two 'Friends of Thomas the Tank Engine'[note 1] weekends were held in the year, the first on 30-31 May and the second on 5-6 September.
June 1998[edit | edit source]
SVR Patron HRH The Duke of Gloucester visited the Railway on Thursday 25 June. The Duke visited Kidderminster and Arley; the 'Royal Train' between the two stations consisting of 46443, LMS saloon DB 999503[note 2] and GWR saloon 80969.[8]
July 1998[edit | edit source]
The annual Forties Weekend was held on 4-5 July.
August 1998[edit | edit source]
Black 5 45110, which had last worked on the SVR in 1980 and had been under overhaul since 1986, was rolled out for a press event at Bridgnorth on 11 August, thirty years to the day after working the 'Fifteen Guinea Special'. It quickly returned to the main line, working railtours to York, Blackpool, Newquay, Penzance and Chester that autumn.[9][note 3]
On 12 August the SVR submitted a significantly scaled down application to the Heritage Lottery Fund for £2.4m (from the original £6.5m in April 1997) for the new Kidderminster Carriage Shed. Cost savings had been achieved by replacing the proposed brick-built carriage shed with a modern single-span roof design, and omitting the proposed locomotive display building. The proposed extension to Kidderminster Footbridge was still included at this stage.[10]
September 1998[edit | edit source]
A special event took place to mark the 20th anniversary of the arrival of Western Diesels D1013 Western Ranger and D1062 Western Courier twenty years earlier.
For the first time, the Autumn Steam Gala was held over three days, Friday to Sunday 18-20 September. It featured guest locomotive LNER Holden B12 class (GER S69) 4-6-0 8572 (BR 61572)
-
8572 heads north from Arley on 20 September (Geograph)
October 1998[edit | edit source]
A Great Western 2+8 HST worked a Cheshire Railtours trip from Exeter at Bridgnorth on a filthy 31 October.[11]
The Autumn Diesel Gala on Friday-Saturday 9-10 October featured visiting locomotives for the first time in three years:
- D8568 : Clayton Class 17 Bo-Bo
- 50015 Valiant: E.E. Class 50 Co-Co
- D9019 Royal Highland Fusilier (55019): E.E. Class 55 Deltic Co-Co
Sunday 13 October saw the annual joint SVR / Worcester Bus Preservation Society Vintage Vehicle Day which attracted more than 300 exhibitors of cars, buses and motor bikes.[12]
On 24 October the Great Western (SVR) Association celebrated its 25th anniversary with a special train using its locomotive 9303 and vintage GW set 3930, 9055, 9369 and 1257.[13]
November 1998[edit | edit source]
Hunslet 0-6-0 No 686 The Lady Armaghdale celebrated her 100th birthday. The locomotive had been briefly painted into her original black livery as Manchester Ship Canal No 32, and worked 2 days of services between Kidderminster and Bewdley on 14-15 November, before returning to Thomas duties.[14]
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686 as MSC No 14, Buckley Wells October 1998 (David Cooke)
Steam locomotives used[edit | edit source]
A table of steam locomotives used and their mileages can be found on the Steam Locomotive Mileages page.
See also[edit | edit source]
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Notes[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 'Thomas' was © Britt Allcroft (Thomas) Ltd. during 1998
- ↑ LMS Inspection Saloon DB 999503 'RACAL BELLE', built 1959, was owned by Racal. It had been restored by the SVR and spent periods based at Kidderminster from where it worked on the main line.
- ↑ During those tours 45110 became the first preserved locomotive to work to Blackpool, to Newquay, and over the Cannock line from Walsall to Rugeley.
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ SVR(H) 1998 Accounts, Chairman's Statement
- ↑ SVR News 126, p. 19.
- ↑ SVR News 126, p. 20.
- ↑ SVR News 126, p. 21.
- ↑ SVR News 126, pp. 10-12.
- ↑ SVR News 127, pp. 62-63.
- ↑ SVR News 125, p. 3.
- ↑ SVR News 127, pp. 13, 46-50.
- ↑ SVR News 128, General Manager's Notes, Alun Rees
- ↑ SVR News 128, p. 47.
- ↑ Images on Alan Thwaites' hatpics website (Retrieved 28 September 2022)
- ↑ SVR News 128, pp. 40-41.
- ↑ SVR News 128, 9. 50.
- ↑ SVR News 126