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[[File:Bridgnorth Station 04Bridgnorth_MPD_v2_20150614.JPGjpg| thumb|300px400px|right| Aerial view of Bridgnorth MPD including the loco works shed, machine shop and boiler shop]][[File:S7649_Loco_Yard_Bridgnorth_1972_David_Cooke.jpg| thumb|400px|right|Bridgnorth MPD in 1972 (Wikimedia CommonsDavid Cooke)]]__TOC__'''Bridgnorth Loco Works''' is the home to [[Severn Valley Railway Engineering Services]] and is the SVR's main steam locomotive maintenance, repair and restoration facility. The Loco Works forms part of the [[Bridgnorth MPD]] and mainly occupies three four buildings, the Loco Shed(ex-Portskewett), the Machine Shop (formerly the GWR Goods Shed), the Paint Shop (ex-[https://www.flickr.com/photos/40263244@N04/6639918873 Heaton Mersey diesel depot]) and the Boiler Shop. There is also a pattern shop, where patterns for castings are made and stored.

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Construction When preservation began, the former Bridgnorth goods shed was initially used as a loco shed although it was very restricted in size. In spring 1972 the [[Guarantee Company|SVR Company]] purchased the ex-B.R. Diesel Depot building at Heaton Mersey, Stockport.<ref>SVR News 23</ref> Later that year a large disused building at Portskewett, near Severn Tunnel Junction, was also identified as a possible loco shed building.<ref>SVR News 31</ref> When the latter building was acquired in 1974, it was planned to begin construction using the Heaton Mersey building, with the Portskewett shed potentially being destined for the [[Stourport Triangle]].<ref>SVR News 33</ref> However when construction of the loco shed began in [[Severn Valley Railway Timeline 1970-1979#1976 | March 1976]] , it was done using parts of the former Portskewett Shed acquired for that purpose, with the pits being dug the following November and the building completed in April 1977.<ref>SVR News 44</ref>. The former ex-Heaton Mersey shed was added in 1978 to the rear of the ex-Portskewett Shed, adjacent to the Goods Shed.<ref>SVR News 49</ref>.That summer also saw The small brick building on the left in the main pictures above pre-dates preservation and is used an upgrade oil store. Two other BR-era buildings in front of the Goods Shed seen in the 1972 view were demolished shortly afterwards to make way for the 'new' loco shed.  In autumn 1990 the "Wash & Brush Up LNER Style" [[:Category:SVR fundraising lotteries|SVRA raffle]] raised money for new amenities for the Works<ref>SVR News 97</ref>. ===Wheel drop===The loco shed, including includes a wheel drop which was formerly located at the installation of roller shutter doors, side windows to improve lightingLeicester Midland MPD (shed 15C). This was purchased and installed following an appeal for funds launched in [[Severn Valley Railway Timeline 2000-2009#2009 | summer 2009]]. Installation involved digging a hole 6m deep, relocating a mains water pipe and an enclosed paint shoppouring 200m³ of concrete.<ref>[http://www.georgelaw.co.uk/casestudies/actual/bridgnorthwheeldrop.aspx Bridgnorth Wheel Drop case study on George Law's web site]</ref> The wheel drop won the [[Awards|National Railway Heritage Awards FirstGroup Skills Award]] in 2010.<ref>[http://nrha.org.uk/winners-2010/ NRHA Awards 2010]</ref>

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[[File:S0609 Bridgnorth Yard 1973.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Bridgnorth Goods Shed c. 1973]]The Loco Works’ Works' machine shop is located in the former '''Bridgnorth Goods Shed ''' adjacent to the loco shed. The brick-built shed can be seen in this 1973 view; the corrugated shed which stood in front of it and is visible in the 1972 view above was in course of demolition at the time.

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To The '''George William Knight Boiler Repair Shop''' is situated to the rear of the machine Shop shop and loco Shed is shed.  ===Construction===Before the boiler shop. Before constructionwas built, riveting of boilers was carried out in the open airdone outdoors. Following complaints by neighbours, the Bridgnorth District Council unexpectedly served a noise abatement order on the railwayRailway on 25 March 1986 ordering it to stop riveting boilers in the open air. <ref>SVR News 80</ref> The Railway lodged an appeal, and a Crown Court hearing on 11 July overturned the injunction. At the same time the SVR applied for, and in November 1986 was granted, a two-year [[Severn Valley Railway Timeline 1980-1989#1989|temporary planning permission]] allowing day-time open air working. <ref>SVR News 81</ref> The SVR launched a [[Severn Valley Railway (Holdings) PLC#Share_offers|share offer]] in 1988 to raise £500,000 for construction of the new boiler shop, the largest capital project since the first phases of Kidderminster Town station. In November Reasons for the high cost included soundproofing using brick and breeze block walls and special doors and windows, and pile driven foundations to take the weight of a substantial 30-ton overhead crane.<ref>SVR News 88</ref> October 1988 saw "''…an orgy of boiler smithing''" as the boilers from 5764, 4566, 42968 and 7802 were all completed and the site then cleared. The contract for construction was let for construction, with work commencing on 21 November 1988 and a target completion date of April 1989. It The main contractors were Hickmans of Wolverhampton; the principal sub-contractors were [[David Owen|Rubery Owen Steelwork]] for the frame of the building / crane rails and Davy Morris of Loughborough for the overhead gantry crane.<ref>SVR News 90, 91</ref> Some delays were incurred in construction, but the building was sufficiently complete by the August bank holiday for it to be used as a temporary paint shop for varnishing [[BR 16267 Composite Corridor|BR 16267]]. Boiler work in the shop commenced later in 1989.<ref>SVR News 94</ref> The official opening ceremony was opened performed by HRH The Duke of Gloucester in on [[Severn Valley Railway Timeline 1990-1999#1990 | 29 October 1990]]. It was named after George Knight, former deputy chief boiler inspector of British Railways London Midland Region based in Derby, who regularly gave up his time to train the Railway's earliest paid staff. Sadly, he died before the boiler shop was completed.  In 2012 [[Severn Valley Railway Engineering Services]] took delivery of a CNC lathe to help with mass production of stays in the workshops, for SVR and contract use.

On 20 January 2011 thieves stole copper sheets worth between £50,000 and £70,000 in a ‘pre-planned and highly professional’ raid, one of a series of major losses targetting copper at a number of heritage sites in that period. Theives Thieves had made an unsuccessful attempt 24 hours earlier, as a result of which the SVR immediately brought in specialist security advisors. However the gang broke in the following night using two ladders - one propped on top of another - to smash the security alarm 16 feet up on the outside wall of the building, and broke down the reinforced air-vent grille to gain access. They then hot-wired the 30-ton capacity overhead gantry crane, using it to lift eleven copper sheets weighing an estimated six tons in total into a lorry which they had reversed into the building. <ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-shropshire-12299167 'Gang steal Severn Valley Railway copper', BBC, 27 January 2011] (Retrieved 7 December 2020)</ref> The theft, believed to have taken place some time after midnight, was discovered by SVR loco driver and permanent way man Bob Toy at around 7.30am the following morning.

Scene of Crime officers from West Mercia Police studied scrapes on the wall, thought to have been caused by a vehicle and footprints in the dust on the floor. They also obtained CCTV footage of a heavily laden vehicle leaving Bridgnorth, with false registration plates. The railway offered a £5,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of the stolen copper, but to no avail, and the SVR's insurers met the cost of the stolen material in full. Following the raid, the SVR moved swiftly to install new security arrangements.<ref>[https://forum.svr-online.org.uk/viewtopic.php?t=1961 SVRA forum thread, " PR: 'Professionals' target SVR in £70,000 copper plate theft", 27 January 2011] (Retrieved 15 April 2018)</ref> .

*In 2018 Engineering Services was awarded a contract to build five new boilers for the Isle of Man Railway.The first two were delivered in 2020 and the fourth and components for the fifth in 2023, completing that order.<ref>[https://www.svrlive.com/bldec20 Branch Lines, December 2020]</ref><ref>[https://www.svrlive.com/blmay21 Branch Lines, May 2021]</ref>

*Quarry Hunslet 780/1902 ‘Alice’. Bala Lake Railway based locomotive received modifications with 3 washout mud doors, 2 re-located and tapped washout plug holes and 6 blanked off existing washout plug holes.<refname="WRUAug2011">Express Points web round up, August 2011</ref>*Andrew Barclay 0-4-0WT (works number 1995 of 1931) (2011). Ex-Burnhope Reservoir railway, later at Dinorwic Quarry where it became No. 70 ''Caledonia''. Based at Hollycombe Steam Collection.See also 2021 entry below.<ref name="WRUAug2011"/>

*Welshpool & Llanfair No. 10 ''Sir Drefaldwyn'' 20 December 2013 to 21 May 2015.<ref>SVR Engineering Twitter</ref>*Isle of Man Railway IOMR locomotive No. 11 ''Maitland'' arrived in 2014, returning 15 January 2016.<ref>[https://forum.svr-online.org.uk/viewtopic.php?t=3043 SVR Forum 15 January 2014]</ref>.

*Isle of Man Railway IOMR locomotive No. 15 ''Caledonia'' in 2018 and No. 4 ''Loch'' started that year.<ref>[http://www.iomtoday.co.im/article.cfm?id=38197&headline=Five%20new%20boilers%20for%20locos%20-%20but%20what%27s%20the%20price%3F&sectionIs=news&searchyear=2018 Isle of Man Today, 24 January 2018] (Retrieved 13 April 2019)</ref> *Penrhyn Slate Quarry No. 'Glyder' 0-4-0WT.<ref>SVR News 208</ref>*Quarry Hunslet 779/1902 ‘Holy War’, ex-Dinorwic Slate Quarry, No. 3 from the Bala Lake Railway.<ref>Branch Lines December 2020</ref><ref name="SVR213">SVR213</ref>*Hollycombe Steam Museum Andrew Barclay 0-4-0WT No 1995 'Caledonia' (2021)<ref name=SVR213/>*IOMR locomotive No. 12 'Hutchinson' had frame stretcher attention in the boilershop, and side tanks in the paintshop. The constituent parts and NB3 boiler returned to the Isle of Man in October 2023. *The boiler of IOMR No. 16 'Mannin'.

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==Other information=Boiler shop shunter===In autumn 1990 the "Wash & Brush Up LNER Style" [[:Category:SVR fundraising lotteries|SVRA raffleRuston and Hornsby 165hp Diesel Electric Shunter D2961]] raised money for new amenities for normally serves as the WorksBoiler Shop shunter.<refgallery mode=packed heights=200px style="text-align:left">SVR News 97D2961_20150320.jpg | D2961 outside Bridgnorth boiler shop in March 2015</refgallery>.

*[[Bridgnorth]]<br>*[[Bridgnorth MPD]]

*[[Steam Locomotives and diesel locomotives visiting the SVR for contract overhauls]]

==Links==*[https://www.svrtrust.org.uk/home-and-dry Charitable Trust 'Home & Dry Appeal' page] [[Category:SVR fundraising lotteries]] [[Category:Featured articles]]