Changes

1853 arrived on the SVR in 1999 from Bounds Green Carriage Depot (London) via Holyhead, having been purchased by [[Severn Valley Railway (Holdings) PLC|SVR(H)]].<ref>SVR News 129</ref> It made a very unusual maiden voyage on the SVR. A then new EWS Class 66 locomotive, 66074, brought a train of 9 KPA bogie hopper wagons plus a KOA 'Piggyback' lorry transporter wagon onto the SVR on Saturday 17 March. The train ran the full length of the Railway to [[Bridgnorth]]. On the return trip which set off at 18:.05 it dropped ballast at a number of locations, including south of [[Hampton Loade ]] where the generators on board the Piggyback wagon were started up to demonstrate floodlight floodlit ballast dropping. The purpose of the trip was to demonstrate the system to representatives of Railtrack and infrastructure maintenance company GT Railway Maintenance (GTRM). Newly arrived RMB 1853 was attached to the train to accommodate the press and observers, as it was still fitted with air brakes compatible with the wagons. The total loaded weight of the train including the Buffet Car buffet car was estimated at 585 tonnes making it probably the heaviest train to traverse the branch at any time in its history. After the ballast was discharged it weighed about 285 tonnes.<ref>SVR News 131</ref>