'''Severn Valley Railway Company Limited ''' is a Company Limited by Guarantee. The Company was formed in May 1967 (for which reason it is normally referred to negotiate on the purchase of SVR as "'''the line between Bridgnorth and Alveley Sidings, and to obtain the Light Railway Order to operate the first section of line between Bridgnorth and Hampton LoadeGuarantee Company'''").
The next stages of development, including purchase of ==Early history==Attempts to preserve the line to Foley Park and Kidderminster, required substantial investment. A Public Company Severn Valley Railway began in 1965 with a Share Capital was considered a more suitable vehicle for this, leading to the flotation of [[Severn Valley Railway (Holdings) PLC Society | The Severn Valley Railway Society]] (HoldingsSVRS) Ltd. However for legal reasons it was necessary for a Company, rather than a Society, to acquire and operate the railway. The Guarantee Company was therefore formed in May 1967 to negotiate the purchase of the line between [[Bridgnorth]] and [[Alveley Sidings]] , and to obtain the Light Railway Order ("SVR(HLRO)") in March 1972to operate the first section of line between [[Bridgnorth]] and [[Hampton Loade]].
Although it no longer owns From 1967 to 1969 the lineGuarantee Company worked towards this end, Severn Valley Railway Company Limited (usually referred to as "while the SVRS remained the Guarantee Company”) is still an active part ‘public face’ of the Severn Valley RailwaySVR. It remains as By late 1979, with the legal process coming towards a conclusion, the SVR’s membership arm and provides agreed that the staff (mainly volunteers) Guarantee Company was now the organisation with which to operate go forward, so the SVRS was merged into the railway. The SVR has around 13,000 members, who are automatically members of this company (all volunteers must be members)Guarantee Company on 6th December that year.
The SVR, operated by the Guarantee Company maintains , began services in May 1970. However the next stages of development, including purchase of the southern end of the line to [[Foley Park]] and ultimately [[Kidderminster]], required substantial investment. A Public Company with a shareholding of approximately 25% Share Capital was considered a more suitable vehicle for this, leading to the formation of [[Severn Valley Railway (Holdings) PLC | Severn Valley Railway (Holdings) Ltd.]] ("SVR(H)") in March 1972.
In October 2015 When SVR(H) was formed, it was envisaged that the Guarantee Company would no longer be required, leading to the activities creation of another organisation, the [[Severn Valley Railway Association]] (SVRA). However it transpired that the existing LRO could not be transferred to SVR(H) at that time, so the Guarantee Company remained in existence. The activities of the SVRA were eventually merged into the Guarantee Companyfrom October 2015. In due course SVR(H) assumed responsibility for the ownership of the infrastructure and operation of the SVR. ==Present day==Although it no longer owns the line, the Guarantee Company is still an active part of the Severn Valley Railway. It remains as the SVR’s membership arm and provides volunteer staff to operate the railway (all volunteers must be members). The SVR has around 13,000 members and membership is by subscription. Members receive preferential rates of travel. It has the largest shareholding in SVR(H): in 2020 it was 17.8% of issued capital (1,807,679 shares).<ref>SVR(H) Financial Statements for the year ended 5 January 2020</ref> It nominates three directors to the SVR(H) board.<ref>SVRLive</ref> It also publishes [[Severn Valley Railway News]], a quarterly magazine, free to members.
==See also==
*[[The Severn Valley Railway in preservation#Current Organisation | The SVR Organisation]]*[[The Severn Valley Railway Company (19th Century)]] ==References==<references/>
