Trustworthy, administrator
6,720
edits
Changes
correct date format
Attempts to preserve the Severn Valley Railway began in 1965 with [[Severn Valley Railway Society | The Severn Valley Railway Society]] (SVRS). 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 (LRO) to operate the first section of line between [[Bridgnorth]] and [[Hampton Loade]].
From 1967 to 1969 the Guarantee Company worked towards this end, while the SVRS remained the ‘public face’ of the SVR. By late 1979, with the legal process coming towards a conclusion, the membership agreed that the Guarantee Company was now the organisation with which to go forward, so the SVRS was merged into the Guarantee Company on 6th 6 December that year.
The SVR, operated by the Guarantee Company, 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 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.
