Trustworthy, administrator
6,720
edits
Changes
m
Link edited
[[File: 50009_Alycidon_20220901.jpg|thumb|300px|right|2022 Gala guest 50009 Alycidon]]The SVR regularly features '''Diesel Galas'''. From humble beginnings in 1979 using two home locomotives, these have grown to include visiting preserved locomotives and modern traction. The 2022 "Spring Diesel Festival" held over 4 days in May featured 8 guest locomotives. The "'''Autumn Diesel Bash'''" between 29 September and 2 October is planned to feature a further three guest locomotives. Latest details of this event can be found on the SVR website [https://www.svr.co.uk/events/autumn-diesel-bash Autumn Diesel Bash] page (external link).
==History==
==="Diesel Weekends"===
The SVR's first two main line passenger diesels, BR Class 52 [[BR Class 52 D1013 Western Ranger| D1013 Western Ranger]] and [[BR Class 52 D1062 Western Courier|D1062 Western Courier]], arrived on the SVR on 29 September 1978. The original draft locomotive agreement envisaged that they would be based at [[Bridgnorth ]] and operated on special "Western" weekends and certain other occasions, although they would not normally replace steam on scheduled SVR trains.<ref>SVR News 48</ref>
1979 duly saw two "'''Western Weekends'''" on 31 March-1 April and 20-21 October, although the use of the Western's was described as being "…in the spare paths between the two service trains". The same year also saw the introduction of a "Great Western Weekend" in June.<ref group="note">The Great Western Weekend became the "Summer Steam Gala" after 1984.</ref> From 1980 onwards the diesel events were renamed "'''Western Diesel Weekends'''", presumably to avoid any possibility of confusion with the steam event.
==Notable events==
*'''1979''' First "Western Weekends"
*'''1987''' First use of guest locomotives
*'''1991''' Decision taken to hold only one diesel gala per year. The last 2-day weekend gala.
*'''1986''' Annual 2-day Friday / Saturday gala reintroduced but with home locos only
*'''1988''' Guest locomotives reintroduced.
*'''1996''' Milk tanks were hired in to recreate BR Western Region scenes of the past
*'''1999''' 3-day gala Friday to Sunday reintroduced with 'diesel only' day on Friday
*'''2006''' No diesel gala.
*'''2016''' New 'Spring Diesel Festival format with significantly more guest locomotives. Sunday 'mixed traction' day from 2017 on.
*'''2019''' Reintroduction of an Autumn Diesel Gala with home locos only.
*'''2020''' No galas took place due to the [[2020 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic]]*'''2023''' The spring diesel festival took the theme of 'Celebrating five decades of diesel preservation' after [[BR Class 42 D821 Greyhound]] entered preservation in 1973. The first large diesel preserved was the prototype Deltic as a static exhibit in 1963, and the first mainline locomotive ex-LMS 0-6-0DM 7401 in June 1960, hauling trains that summer at the Middleton Railway.
==Passenger numbers==
!Year !! Number of passengers!! Reference !! Notes
|-
| 2015 1987 || 35,202370 || <ref name=AGM>Presentation to shareholders at subsequent AGM</ref>SVR internal ||
|-
| 2016 2015 Autumn || 43,800202|| <ref name=AGM>Presentation to shareholders at subsequent AGM</ref>||
|-
| 2016 Spring Diesel Festival || 4,800|| <ref name=AGM/>|| |-| 2017 Spring Diesel Festival || 4,807|| <ref name=AGM/> || |-| 2018 Spring Diesel Festival || 4,142|| <ref name=AGM/> || |-| 2018 Class 50 Golden Jubilee|| 3,617 || <ref name=AGM/> || |-| 2019 Autumn Diesel Gala|| 2,427 || || Mainly featured the home fleet. |-| 2022 Spring || 4,500|| <ref name=NBI>Internal NBI</ref> || |-| 2022 Autumn || 2,806|| <ref>[https://www.svrlive.com/bloct22 Branch Lines October 2022]</ref> || Plus significant numbers of shareholders travelling on passes and complimentary tickets.|-| 2023 Spring || 6,500 || <ref>[https://www.railadvent.co.uk/2023/05/severn-valley-railways-diesel-festival-breaks-loco-and-visitor-records.html Booth, Janine, 'Severn Valley Railway’s Diesel Festival breaks loco and visitor records', RailAdvent website, 23 May 2023] (Retrieved 24 May 2023)</ref> || More than 6,500 tickets sold across the four days, not counting shareholders using their passes or complimentary tickets. This is the highest attendance at an SVR diesel enthusiast event.
|-
|}
