Severn Valley Railway Timeline 2002

2002 timetable

This page details events on the Severn Valley Railway during 2002.

Page under construction / revision as of October 2025.

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February 2002

The Diesel Traction Group's D1015 Western Champion became the first ex-Western Region diesel hydraulic to make a main line comeback, hauling a Paddington – Bristol- Gloucester – Paddington rail tour.

Spring 2002

A new loco pit was constructed at Bewdley MPD. The previous pit was not sufficiently deep to allow MPD staff to stand underneath the locomotives, and was prone to flooding. A similar enlargement of the Bridgnorth loco pit had taken place the year before.

March 2002

The Spring Gala had a ‘Somerset & Dorset’ theme, with locomotives renumbered as former S&DJR inhabitants. Standard 4MT 75014 was the guest.

On 24 March, L&Y class 25 0-6-0 No. 957 (BR 52044) worked the 1.00 pm Kidderminster to Bridgnorth service, double headed with 46443. The test run followed a contract restoration which began in summer 1997.

The SVR hosted more unusual visitors in the form of a 4-car Virgin Voyager which was clearance-tested along the SVR line, and a PPM50 Parry People Mover (later Class 999 No. 999900) which spent 2 months being tested. It was used from 2006-2008 on the Network Rail branch line from Stourbridge Junction to Stourbridge Town. It visited again for testing in 2020.

June 2002

English, Welsh & Scottish Railway Class 60 locomotive No 60089 was named "The Railway Horse" in a ceremony at Bewdley on 8 June 2002..

Summer 2002

An application was made to the Heritage Lottery Fund for grant aid for a new museum and storage building at Highley (this would become The Engine House).

September 2002

To celebrate the Royal Jubilee, the guests at the Autumn Steam Gala were 46233 Duchess of Sutherland and 46201 Princess Elizabeth.

October 2002

686 The Lady Armaghdale travelled to Holland for the first ever continental ‘Thomas’ event.

December 2002

The year closed with a record number of 236,704 passengers carried.

Locomotive Mileages

A table of locomotives used during the year is shown below.

Locomotive	Miles	Comment
813	1,236
1501	7,035
5764	6,684
7714	3,390
7802 Bradley Manor	9,118	Re-entered service (with boiler from 7812)
34027 Taw Valley	1,357	Including main line railtours
45110	10,167
46443	10,432
47373	3,193	Boiler ticket expired July
48773	9,777
60009 Union of South Africa	5,116	Including main line railtours
80079	750	Boiler tube failure in summer.
686 The Lady Armaghdale	2,293
Guests and others	1,012
Total	71,560

See also

• The Severn Valley Railway in preservation

Motive Power Depot

Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway, jointly operated by the London and South Western and Midland Railways (later Southern and London Midland and Scottish Railways)

The British Railways system of classifying steam locomotives by power using a number from 0, least powerful, to 9, most powerful, followed by either F for freight, P for Passenger or MT for Mixed Traffic.

British Rail or British Railways

Severn Valley Railway