SVR Wolverhampton Branch

The SVR Wolverhampton Branch operated from 1967 to 2024 and provided support to the SVR through its activities, in particular the marketing of the railway at shows and exhibitions. As with other branches it was part of The Severn Valley Railway Association, which was merged into the Guarantee Company in October 2015.[1] At the 15 January 2024 General meeting it was decided to wind up the Branch.

It owned several thousand shares in SVR(H).

Contents

Branch meetings

The branch held public meetings open to all, usually from September to May. Subjects covered local transport history and railway subjects from Britain and abroad. In addition, it organised trips and outings of railway and non-railway interest.

Rolling stock

  • The Branch was the major shareholder in the Hinton Manor Fund, the first owner of 7819 Hinton Manor in preservation.[2] During Member's Day 2004 at Kidderminster the Branch, on behalf of the Fund, handed over custody of 7819 to The SVR Charitable Trust (then called the SVR Rolling Stock Trust) in exchange for a token payment of £1.[3]
  • The Branch owned former Gangwayed Brake BR 80776 which was converted for the conveyance of disabled passengers, for which it won the Association of Railway Preservation Societies' “Coach of the Year” award in 1995. In 2016 it was sold to the Charitable Trust for safekeeping and further conversion to a "Wheelchair Diner" providing much needed access to the SVR's Dining Services.
  • It is also co-owner with the Charitable Trust of Tourist Standard Open BR 4690 which has been similarly converted.

Fundraising

SVRA Raffles

The branch organised a number of SVRA raffles on behalf of the SVRA.

Models

  • It commissioned a finescale limited edition of only 100 working models of 7819 Hinton Manor with a Bachmann body, Comet loco chassis, Mainly Trains tender chassis and Markits detailing accessories.
  • During 2007, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Branch, it commissioned from Dapol a limited edition 12 ton vent LMS van with a white body.
  • In 2010 it arranged the production of a OO scale model by Bachmann of a BR(W) 20 ton Toad brake van.

Publication and print

  • In 2010 it published 'Wolverhampton's Railways in Colour' written by Simon Dewey, a full colour album of photographs of Wolverhampton railway scenes, locations and locomotives.
  • In 2018 the Branch published a companion volume, titled 'Wolverhampton’s Railways Revisited'. The book, again in hardback and written by Dewey, follows a similar format to the earlier book but has been increased to 88 pages with over 100 photographs, again in full colour and each accompanied by an informative caption.[4]
  • It produced a limited edition of 500 prints of the watercolour “In Cambrian Country” portraying 7819 Hinton Manor on Talerdigg bank circa 1960, by Frederick Lea GRA.

See also

References

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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