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Operating restrictions in commercial use
The original [[The Severn Valley Railway under GWR/BR ownership#Before construction: 1845-1858 | 1852 estimate]] for the construction of the Railway, which included £8,500 for "a girder bridge at Arley",<ref>[http://www.gutenberg.org/files/17612/17612-h/17612-h.htm Handbook to the Severn Valley Railway, by J. Randall 1863]</ref> also showed the station at Bridgnorth sited in the Low Town, east of the river. Although more convenient for the public, this would have required two further bridges, one south of the town near Quatford costing £8,000 and another north of the town near the present day golf course costing £9,000. A fourth bridge costing £10,000 was included near Shrewsbury in order to reach a junction with the Shrewsbury and Chester Railway. Cost saving measures adopted in the final railway plans resulted in the line remaining on the west bank and passing under High Town through [[Bridgnorth Tunnel]] instead, and joining the Shrewsbury & Hereford Railway, removing the need for these additional bridges.<ref Name = "Nabarro" />
==Victoria Bridge in commercial operation==
The bridge was subject to restrictions on the weights and types of locomotives which could be worked ‘coupled’ or ‘double-headed’ over it. The definitions of classes such as "Blue", "Yellow" etc. may be found [[GWR Power and Weight Classification|here]].
The following restrictions were set out in the BR(W) 1948 working timetable:
''Engines in the "Blue" group and the following engines in the "Yellow" group are prohibited from working double-headed over Victoria Bridge, Arley; Tank Engines of the 2-6-2, 0-6-2 and 0-6-0 classes, but they may be assisted by "Uncoloured" tender engines. Other "Yellow" engines may be assisted by any other permitted engine except that "Yellow" tank engines must not be coupled together.''
''When tender and tank engines are worked double-headed, the tank engine must be next to the tender.''
By June 1963, shortly before closure of the line, BR(W) had re-drafted the restrictions to read as follows:
''1. Permitted engines in the “Blue” Group and 55xx, 36xx and 74xx must not be coupled to any other engine.''<br>
''2. 32xx may work coupled or coupled to an engine in the “Uncoloured” group.''<br>
''3. When a tender engine and a tank engines are coupled, the tank engine must be coupled to the tender of the tender engine.''<br>
''4. Not more than two engines may work coupled.''
The '36xx' class included the 57xx class pannier tanks; an example of the impact of these restriction being that 5764 and 7714 would not have been permitted over the bridge while coupled together.
==Victoria Bridge in preservation==
