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→1966: Added more details of first open weekend (from SVR News)
BR proved unwilling to lease the line to the SVR, and initially quoted a price of £45,000 for the outright purchase of line between [[Bridgnorth]] and [[Alveley Sidings|Alveley Colliery]]. However following a professional valuation the [[Severn Valley Railway Society|Society]] made an offer of £25,000 for the track and buildings, which BR accepted in February 1966. BR asked for a deposit of 10% against the purchase price.
The rest of 1966 was taken up with raising the deposit. Bridgnorth Station saw regular ‘open weekends’, at the first being a steam -free but information display as part of Bridgnorth Arts Festival, over the Whitsun bank holiday weekend.<ref>A. G. Cleaver, "The Early Days Of The 'Severn Valley'", ''SVR News'' 190 (2015), p.24</ref> Two further open weekends later featuring in the year featured road traction engines and a miniature railway set up on Platform 2. Society membership grew to around 300 in the first year.
During 1966 the Society learned that operating authority from the Ministry of Transport would be required before the Railway could be bought from BR. BR would need to apply for a Railway Order to downgrade the line from “secondary railway” to “light railway” status. Once this was granted, a new Company would need to apply for a Light Railway Order (LRO) to transfer responsibility for the line; the Society itself not being able to apply for legal reasons. [[Severn Valley Railway Company Limited]], ‘the Guarantee Company’ (being a Private Company Limited by Guarantee), was incorporated on 24 May 1967 in order to make the application for the LRO at the appropriate time. However the company remained dormant for the next 2 years, with the Society continuing to conduct the negotiations with BR.
