Kidderminster
Contents
The Station
Kidderminster is the Southern terminus of the SVR, located within the county of Worcestershire. The railway shares a railway link at this location to the Network rail mainline, on the Worcester Shrub Hill to Birmingham Snow Hill Line. The next station along the line, in the Down direction towards Bridgnorth, is Bewdley. The town of Kidderminster is famous for its Carpets, for which it was of worldwide reknown for many years.
The station is the newest of the railway's stations, having been built by the railway on the site of the old Kidderminster Mainline Goods Yard, which occupied the site before the railway was preserved. The building was constructed to blend correctly to the historic nature and atmosphere of the railway, and is home to a large covered concourse, booking office, and facilities for visitors.
Facilities
Facilities for visitors at Kidderminster Station are comprehensive; Under the covered concourse is the railway's Cafe, the gift shop, and the heritage sweet shop. The "King & Castle" pub forms an integral part of the station buildingm and serves a selection of real ales and alcoholic beverages. Also located on the site is the Kidderminster Railway Museum, and the Coalyard miniature railway, which offers a short ride adjacent to the Kidderminster Station platforms for a small additional fee.
The station has a large car park for those arriving by car to the railway, for which £3 a day is charged on a token barrier system. The Severn Valley Railway station at Kidderminster is located within easy walking distance of the Kidderminster mainline station, for those arriving by London Midland or Chiltern Mainline services.
Points of Interest
The site at Kidderminster is also home to key parts of the preservation infrastructure of the railway. The main Carriage Repair Works is located near the Network Rail Car park, and is where a considerable amount of restoration on the railway's heritage carriage fleet takes place. Visitors riding the railway towards Bewdley will also notice the large railway yard, which will soon be home to the railway's Diesel Depot, of which construction is planned imminently. Likewise visitors will also notice the 1/5th Mile long Carriage Shed, where the SVR's working rakes of carriages are stored when not in use on the regular services.
Kidderminster is home to the SVR's largest signal box. Kidderminster is also the site of the SVR's Turntable, which is located near to the diesel depot and gives the railway valuable turning facilities for locomotives and stock.