Severn Valley Railway Timeline 2026
This page provides a timeline of events on the Severn Valley Railway during 2026.
January 2026[edit | edit source]
The 2025 season ending Winter Steam Gala on 3-4 January featured locomotives from the home fleet; GWR 1450 with 2 autocoaches, 7802 Bradley Manor, 7714, 13268; 4930 Hagley Hall (Saturday) and 75069 (Sunday). Passenger numbers totalled almost 2,400.[1]
After the 2025 season ended, work restarted on the project to extend the platform at Kidderminster.
On 6 January, The Erlestoke Manor Fund announced that 7802 Bradley Manor would spend the summer at the West Somerset Railway, leaving at the end of April and returning in November in time for the Winter services. The SVR had kindly agreed to condense the year's agreed steaming days into the period before and after the loan. The locomotive would be joining 7812 Erlestoke Manor which was already on extended hire to the WSR.[2]
On 19 January 2026 the SVR Class 14 Company Limited annonced that they were becoming the new owner of BR Class 07 D2996 which would relocate to the SVR and be based at Bridgnorth.
February 2026[edit | edit source]
The Railway staged a 'Branchline Weekend' on Saturday 28 February and Sunday 1 March, marking 35 years since the arrival of the first DMU on the Severn Valley Railway in March 1991. Both the Class 101 DMU and Class 108 DMU three-car sets were in use, together with 7714 on the local set. Saturday saw GWR 1450 with two autocoaches and 7802 Bradley Manor, while Sunday saw 1450 with one autocoach and 75069. The timetable included 23 services stopping at Eardington, thought to be more than at any other time in its history.[3]
March 2026[edit | edit source]
The SVR received the Chairman's Special Award at the 2026 HRA Awards ceremony on 8 March, in recognition of the tremendous team effort by volunteers, staff and partnership organisations in reinstating the railway after the devastating Mor Brook bridge collapse. Three other entries were highly commended; Jack Baldwin in the Rising Star Award category for his work in engineering and for his project management and leadership skills working on the HydroShunter project, the unique restoration of GWR 9581 Wheelchair accessible Buffet Car in the Rolling Stock category, and the Boogie Lights Express in the Innovation of the Year category.[4]
Steam locomotives used[edit | edit source]
A table of steam locomotives used since 2020 and their mileages (where published) can be found on the Steam Locomotive Mileages page.
See also[edit | edit source]
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References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Branch Lines, January 2026
- ↑ EMF press release, 6 January 2026
- ↑ SVR News item (retrieved 28 February 2026])
- ↑ SVR Website