Locomotives named in honour of the Severn Valley Railway

31413 Severn Valley Railway

Built as a Class 30 A1A-A1A by Brush Traction of Loughborough, Works Number 313. Entered service in August 1961 as number D5812. Modified and reclassified as a Class 31 in June 1967. Renumbered to 31413 on 1 January 1973.^[1]

31413 hauled a special service from Birmingham New Street to Kidderminster and Bewdley on Friday 22 April 1988. It was named “Severn Valley Railway” by Mr Sidney Newey, Director of Provincial Services for BRBritish Rail or British Railways, at a ceremony at Bewdley.^[2] The nameplates were removed on 30 April 1993,^[3] and were transferred to classmate 31233.

The locomotive was withdrawn on 1 May 1997 and scrapped at Doncaster on 29 July that year.^[4]

31233 Severn Valley Railway

Built as a Class 30 A1A-A1A by Brush Traction of Loughborough, Works Number 260. Entered service in October 1960 as number D5660. Modified and reclassified as a Class 31 in February 1967. Renumbered to 31233 on 1 January 1973.^[5]

31233 Severn Valley Railway was named on 6 May 1993^[6] appeared at the Diesel Gala in May 1993.^[7] The naming was removed in 1999.

By 2015 it had become a Network Rail DepartmentalRolling stock used for the railway’s own functions (engineering etc.) rather than for general passenger or goods traffic. locomotive, carrying a yellow livery with grey/black roof and NRNetwork Rail logos.^[8] In 2018 it was offered for sale by NRNetwork Rail and preserved at Mangapps Railway Museum.

47828 Severn Valley Railway

Brush Class 47 Co-Co built in 1965. Variously numbered D1966, 47266, 47629 and 47828.^[9][10]

While operated by Virgin Trains, 47828 was named at a ceremony at Kidderminster on 28 April 2001 during the 2001 Diesel Gala.^[11] The full name was displayed as Severn Valley Railway Kidderminster Bewdley Bridgnorth, the longest name carried by any Class 47.^[12]

The name was removed on 31 January 2005 ^[13], with one of the nameplates being put on display inside the SVR offices at Comberton Place. Shortly afterwards, while being operated by Cotswold Rail, 47828 was renamed ‘Joe Strummer’. It migrated to the Direct Rail Services Class 47 fleet before preservation by D05 Preservation Ltd.

66763 Severn Valley Railway

66763 during a visit in July 2017

E.M.D.Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc., an American manufacturer of diesel-electric locomotives. Class 66 Co-Co Number 66763 attended the Diesel Gala in May 2016, courtesy of GB Railfreight. The locomotive was given the name Severn Valley Railway at a ceremony during the gala.

66763 made a return visit in July 2017 for PR purposes, accompanied by five GBRf biomass hoppers. A third visit was made for the 2018 Goods Gala, appearing in a demonstration freight train with three GBRf IIA hoppers, this configuration being repeated in a visit for a private charter event in June 2019.

• 

  2018 Goods Gala

220025 Severn Voyager

Bombardier Class 220 Voyager 220025 attended the 2002 Diesel Gala, courtesy of Virgin Trains. The unit was named Severn Voyager at the event, replacing its previous name ‘Virgin Voyager’^[14]. As with all other units of the class, the name was removed on transfer to Cross Country trains in 2007 ^[15].

Locomotives names with local connections

Whilst not named after the SVRSevern Valley Railway itself, the following locomotives have names relating to the area around the SVRSevern Valley Railway.

GWRGreat Western Railway

A number of GWRGreat Western Railway classes of locomotive had themed names reflecting locations near (or not so near!) the company's lines.

• GWRGreat Western Railway 1026 County of Salop and 1029 County of Worcester: GWRGreat Western Railway HawksworthFrederick Hawksworth, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the Great Western Railway 1941-1948 1000 County 4-6-0
• GWRGreat Western Railway 3819 County of Salop and 3820 County of Worcester: GWRGreat Western Railway ChurchwardGeorge Jackson Churchward, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the Great Western Railway 1902-1922 3800 County 4-4-0
• GWR 4930 Hagley Hall: GWRGreat Western Railway CollettCharles Benjamin Collett, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the Great Western Railway 1922-1941 4900 Hall 4-6-0, named after an 18th century house at Hagley, located near Kidderminster.
• GWR 4936 Kinlet Hall: GWRGreat Western Railway CollettCharles Benjamin Collett, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the Great Western Railway 1922-1941 4900 Hall 4-6-0, named after a country house in the village of Kinlet, 3 miles from Highley and Arley, with the railway serving Kinlet Colliery.
• GWRGreat Western Railway 6995 Benthall Hall: GWRGreat Western Railway CollettCharles Benjamin Collett, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the Great Western Railway 1922-1941 4900 Hall 4-6-0, named after a country house located 1 mile southwest of Ironbridge and Broseley station.
• GWRGreat Western Railway 5009 Shrewsbury Castle: GWRGreat Western Railway CollettCharles Benjamin Collett, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the Great Western Railway 1922-1941 4073 Castle 4-6-0, named after the imposing castle overlooking Shrewsbury station.
• GWRGreat Western Railway 7033 Hartlebury Castle: GWRGreat Western Railway CollettCharles Benjamin Collett, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the Great Western Railway 1922-1941 4073 Castle 4-6-0, named after a fortified manor house situated between Hartlebury and Stourport.

BRBritish Rail or British Railways and post-privatisation

• 31147 Floreat Salopia: Brush Class 31 A1A-A1A, named 30/05/1993 to 31/05/1997.^[16]
• 47822 Pride of Shrewsbury: Brush Class 47 Co-Co, named 25/05/1998 to 31/05/2002.^[17]
• 58005 Ironbridge Power Station: BREL Class 58 Co-Co, named 12/05/1996 to withdrawal.^[18]
• 58042 Ironbridge Power Station: BREL Class 58 Co-Co, named 29/09/1986 to 05/02/1996.^[19]
• 67012 A Shropshire Lad: Alstom Class 67 Bo-Bo, named after a collection of poems by A. E. Housman from 03/07/2008 to 31/07/2015.^[20]
• 67014 Thomas Telford: Alstom Class 67 Bo-Bo, named after architect and engineer Thomas Telford from 15/08/2008 to 31/07/2015,^[21] Telford being responsible for bridges at Buildwas, Bridgnorth and Bewdley, and the imposing church of St Mary Magdalene, Bridgnorth.

Other

• LNWRLondon & North Western Railway 275 Shropshire and 1471 Worcestershire: LNWRLondon & North Western Railway WhaleGeorge Whale, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London and North Western Railway 1903-1909 Experiment Class 4-6-0, later numbered LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway 5541 and 5549 respectively. The 'Shropshire' nameplate is on display in Kidderminster Railway Museum.
• 6880 Betton Grange, a manor house located between Berrington and Shrewsbury. 6880 was planned but never built by the GWRGreat Western Railway, and is now under construction as a new-build locomotive at the Llangollen Railway.
• Ironbridge No 1, Peckett 1803/1933. Worked at Ironbridge power station, now preserved at Foxfield Light Railway.
• Ironbridge No 2, Peckett 1893/1936. Worked at Ironbridge power station, now preserved at Coleford GWRGreat Western Railway Museum.
• Ironbridge No 3, Peckett 1990/1940. Worked at Ironbridge power station, now preserved at Telford Steam RailwayTelford Horsehay Steam Trust Limited, a Charitable heritage railway located at Horsehay, Telford with proposals for running heritage trains into the Ironbridge Gorge and onto the former GWR Severn Valley branch..
• Kinlet, Andrew Barclay 782/1896. Worked at Kinlet Colliery, now preserved at Blists Hill, Ironbridge Gorge Museum.
• WD 193 Shropshire, Hunslet 3793/1953. Worked on the WD-operated Shropshire & Montgomeryshire Light Railway, named 'Shropshire' while a SVR resident. Now preserved at Ribble Steam Railway.
• GWRGreat Western Railway Bulldog class 3701 was named 'Stanley Baldwin' in 1909 in honour of Bewdley's most famous resident, a GWRGreat Western Railway director who went on to become three times Prime Minister. Upon Baldwin being ennobled as Earl Baldwin of Bewdley in 1937, the name was removed from 3701, and GWRGreat Western Railway Castle class 5063 was named 'Earl Baldwin'.

It should be noted that GWRGreat Western Railway 6901 Arley Hall was named after Arley Hall in Cheshire, not Arley in Worcestershire.

Gallery

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  47828 at Kidderminster

• 

  Nameplate from 47828, on display at Comberton Place.

• 

  66763 nameplate at Kidderminster Railway Museum.

• 

  Nameplate from LNWRLondon & North Western Railway 275 Shropshire at Kidderminster Railway Museum.

See also

Diesel Locomotives visiting the SVR for galas

References

1. ↑ BRDatabase 31413
2. ↑ SVRSevern Valley Railway News 88
3. ↑ railuk.info Class 31/1 31413
4. ↑ Rail UK 31413 webpage (Retrieved 14 April 2019)
5. ↑ BRDatabase 31233
6. ↑ railuk.info Class 31/1 31233
7. ↑ SVRSevern Valley Railway News 107
8. ↑ Rail UK 31233 webpage (Retrieved 14 April 2019)
9. ↑ BRDatabase D1966
10. ↑ Wikipedia Class 47 renumbering
11. ↑ SVRSevern Valley Railway News 136
12. ↑ Class 47.co.uk
13. ↑ railuk.info Class 47/4 47828
14. ↑ SVR Forum
15. ↑ Wikipedia British Rail Class 220
16. ↑ railuk.info Class 31/1 31147
17. ↑ railuk.info Class 57/3 57305
18. ↑ Class 58 Loco Group - Loco-by-Loco
19. ↑ Class 58 Loco Group - Loco-by-Loco
20. ↑ railuk.info Class 67 67012
21. ↑ railuk.info Class 67 67014

Links

Photo of 47828 nameplate on Class47.co.uk