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The Severn Valley Railway opened in 1862, linking [[Shrewsbury]] in the North, via [[Bridgnorth]], to Hartlebury in the South. The present day Severn Valley Railway operates over the section from Bridgnorth to a point south of [[Bewdley]] station, where the original line can be seen curving away to the right towards [[Stourport]] as you travel towards [[Kidderminster]].
The Severn Valley Railway was originally operated by the West Midland Railway, but was fully absorbed into the Great Western Railway (GWR) in 1872. In 1878 the GWR added ‘The Loop’ linking Bewdley to Kidderminster. This is the section , over which the present day Severn Valley Railway continues. ‘The Loop’ nearly didn’t happen; construction was authorised by an Act of Parliament in 1868 which also included the nearby Stourbridge Town branch (part of which is still in use today). The GWR then sought leave to abandon ‘The Loop’ and build a line linking Bewdley to Stourbridge via Wolverley, Cookley and Kinver instead. Only when Parliament rejected this proposal did ‘The Loop’ go ahead.
The line was used for both passenger and freight traffic. Much of the latter was generated by [[Alveley Colliery]] at [[Highley]] and the British Sugar Corporation factory at [[Foley Park sidings|Foley Park]], Kidderminster.