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add map and information on rest of the route
In February 1861, positioning of the four cast iron ribs of Victoria Bridge began. While work on the bridge was still in progress, the first steam working on the line took place between Stourport and Bewdley on 5 May 1861, watched by large crowds which had gathered for the occasion. Victoria Bridge was completed 5 days later. Station buildings were completed and signalling equipment installed in autumn of 1861. A first inspection of the line was carried out in December 1861 by Col. Yolland of the Board of Trade’s Railway Inspectorate. Following a second inspection approval was given for the line to be opened.
==Map of the Route and Nearby Railways==
[[File: SVR_RailmapOnline.jpg | The Severn Valley Railway and other nearby railways]]<br>
The map above is extracted from RailmapOnline.Com. The Severn Valley Railway and its links to nearby railways mentioned in the text are highlighted.
Principle stations on the Severn Valley Railway and their distances from Shrewsbury were as follows:
*Shrewsbury
*Berrington (4¼ miles), now a private house
*Cressage (8¼ miles), now a private house
*Buildwas (12¼ miles), demolished
*Ironbridge (13¾ miles), demolished, now a car park
*Coalport (15¾ miles), now a private house
*Linley (18¼ miles), demolished
*[[Bridgnorth]] (22½ miles)
*[[Eardington]] (24¾ miles)
*[[Hampton Loade]] (27 miles)
*[[Highley]] (29¼ miles)
*[[Arley]] (31½ miles)
*[[Bewdley]] (35¼ miles)
*Stourport (37¾ miles), demolished, now part of a housing estate
*Hartlebury (40¾ miles)
[[Kidderminster]], reached via The Loop, was 38¾ miles from Shrewsbury.
==West Midlands Railway: 1862-1872==
The first full length working of the Severn Valley Railway was a special train of 22 carriages which left Worcester Shrub Hill at 11:30am on Friday 31 January 1862. This reached Shrewsbury at 2pm, after stopping at every station to be greeted by cheering crowds. The return journey was made with three more carriages and an additional engine.