Great Western (SVR) Association

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The Association's locomotive 9303 (7325) at Kidderminster, June 2019
The Great Western (SVR) Association is a registered charity (No 1078718). It exists primarily to preserve and restore items of rolling stock for service on the SVR, in particular GWR carriages from the 1920s to 1940s.

Contents

History

In summer 1968 the opportunity arose to acquire seven redundant coaches from Didcot, including two GWR Hawksworth Full Thirds and five LMS coaches. The Severn Valley Railway Society was still in the process of raising the money to acquire the line itself, so funds to acquire rolling stock needed to come from individuals and groups. Members of the C&W Department, which had just been established in the newly leased Bewdley Goods Shed, hastily formed the Hawksworth Coach Fund and succeeded in acquiring GWR 829 Full Third, with the other Hawksworth, GWR 2119 Full Third, being acquired by an individual member.[1]

Although this first purchase was successful, it was clear that pre-nationalisation stock was being withdrawn at an 'alarming rate' and that fundraising at short notice was not easy. The Hawksworth Coach Fund members therefore decided to form a more permanent fund, adopting the new name of Great Western Rolling Stock Fund (also referred to as the 'GWR Coach Fund'). At that time there were fewer than ten members and only a very informal structure with no officers or meeting minutes. The Fund continued to accumulate pre-nationalisation carriages, including part of the Swindon test train in 1969, the last opportunity to acquire complete GWR passenger coaches in good condition.[1]

In 1972 a separate group, the Great Western Locomotive and Carriage Society, was formed with the intention of saving a locomotive, Collett Mogul 9303/7325, from Barry Scrapyard.[2] The two groups shared common aims and members, and in 1973 merged to form the Great Western (SVR) Association,[3] the somewhat convoluted title being chosen to avoid any confusion with the Didcot-based Great Western Society.[1] The first Annual General Meeting of the new Association was held on 18 May 1974.[4]

The Association's 25th Anniversary was noted in SVR News in 1998.[3] The Constitution which governs the Association’s status as a registered charity was adopted on 24 October 1998.[5]

It ran a special train on 12 May 2019 to celebrate “the 50th Anniversary of the Association on the Severn Valley Railway”.[6] This anniversary relates to the 1968 origins rather than the Association’s formation in 1973.

Membership and fund raising

The Association is a membership body, by payment of a subscription. An illustrated members' Newsletter is nominally published twice yearly.[7]

The Association operates a shop at Bewdley selling books and other railwayana. This is located in GWR 1145 Toplight 'Snake C' Passenger Brake adjacent to the car park.

In 2019, for the Association’s 50th year, it launched a fund to return Mogul 7325 to the Collett GWR condition of 9303.

The Association is a minor shareholder of Severn Valley Railway (Holdings) PLC.[8]

Rolling stock

Acquisitions and disposals

The Mogul was purchased in 1974 and moved to the SVR in 1975; it is still owned by the Association.

Acquisition of further redundant ex Departmental Stock continued in the 1970s. By mid-1998 the Association owned 14 carriages and ‘brown vehicles’.[9] Since that time:

As of 2022 the Association owns 21 carriages (three of which are owned by Association members), one Siphon G Milk Van, and a Macaw B Bogie Bolster.[10]. A full list of SVR-based rolling stock owned by the Association may be found here.

Most recent restorations

Yet to be returned to working order

Only three carriages have yet to be returned to working order.[12] As of 2023 work on 2426 and 4786 is in progress at Bewdley Down Yard, while repairs to Hawksworth Brake Third 2242 have been paused waiting the work on the roof and space in Bewdley Yard for work to continue on the interior[13].

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 SVR News 157
  2. SVR News 25
  3. 3.0 3.1 SVR News 128, "The Great Western (SVR) Association celebrates 25 years"
  4. SVR News 34
  5. Charities Commission website
  6. Leaflet circulated to members, January 2019
  7. GW(SVR)A website ‘How to help’ (retrieved 8 February 2017)
  8. Full list of shareholders at 24 June 2016
  9. SVR Stock Book Ninth Edition
  10. Stock list on the GW(SVR)A web site (retrieved January 2020)
  11. GW(SVR)A website (retrieved 6 January 2017)
  12. GW(SVR)A booklet (since publication 6045 has been completed and 2242 acquired)
  13. GWR(SVRA) October 2022 news update (Retrieved 14 October 2022)

Links

SVR Wiki

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Welcome to the Severn Valley Railway Wiki

From this week's featured article
Trimpley Reservoir can be seen to the west of the line between Bewdley and Arley. The reservoir, which is managed by Severn Trent Water, was opened in 1968 and covers 29 acres. It is open to the public and is used by the Trimpley Sailing Club, while other activities include angling, wildlife watching and walking. (Full article...)
Schematic Map of the SVRSevern Valley Railway
BridgnorthEardingtonHampton LoadeCountry Park HaltHighleyThe Engine HouseArleyVictoria BridgeNorthwood HaltWyre Forest LineBewdleyStourport BranchBewdley TunnelConnection to Network RailKidderminsterMaps#Schematic maps of the pre-closure SVRMapandlinks.png
Click on the map for a
larger interactive version

For 101 years between 1862 and 1963, the Severn Valley Railway formed part of the national railway network, running for 40 miles between Hartlebury and Shrewsbury. Established as a separate company, it was mainly operated by the Great Western Railway (GWRGreat Western Railway) and later by British Railways (BRBritish Rail or British Railways).

The present day Severn Valley Railway (SVRSevern Valley Railway) was established in 1965 to preserve part of the line as a heritage railway. Today it has six stations and two halts and runs for 16 miles along the Severn Valley between Bridgnorth in Shropshire and Kidderminster in Worcestershire, following the course of the River Severn for much of its route. Operations involve a mixture of steam and heritage diesel-hauled services.

This unofficial website is a project aimed to collect information and record events relating to the SVRSevern Valley Railway, both past and present.

For timetables, fare information, and news about special events, please visit the SVR Official Website. Other news and information of interest to members, shareholders and enthusiasts can be found on SVRLive.

In April 2023 the SVRSevern Valley Railway announced the launch of a Survival Fund to enable it to overcome the current financial crisis and implement longer-term plans for its future. Information and details of how to donate may be found on the SVRSevern Valley Railway's Survival Fund page.

Categories of article

History of the Severn Valley Railway

Current events on the SVRSevern Valley Railway

Information about the SVRSevern Valley Railway

Miscellaneous


Query Corner

Unsurprisingly, there are a large number of questions about the SVRSevern Valley Railway, both in pre-preservation days and for a number of historical items since then. Take a visit down to Query Corner to see if you have a recollection relating to some long forgotten event, or know of a reliable source (maybe an early edition of the SVR News?) that might have the information we need!

Adding to this Wiki

This site, or "wiki", is a collaborative effort, and anyone who has any knowledge relating to the SVRSevern Valley Railway should feel free to contribute. Once you have created a user account and logged in, you can modify any page by clicking the "Edit" button in the top right hand corner. For some tips on how to format pages, and some guidelines on how to make this wiki accessible can be found on Tips for contributing to the SVR Wiki.

Alternatively, if you don't feel confident editing this Wiki (although there is no reason you shouldn't!!), each article also has a "Discussion" page, which can be accessed by clicking the relevant button in the top left hand corner. This allows you to make additions, suggestions, or corrections to a page without making any change to the article itself.


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