Severn Valley Railway Company Limited

Severn Valley Railway Company Limited is a Company Limited by Guarantee (for which reason it is normally referred to on the SVR as "the Guarantee Company").

Contents

Early history

Attempts to preserve the Severn Valley Railway began in 1965 with 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 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) Ltd. ("SVR(H)") in March 1972.

When SVR(H) was formed, it was envisaged that the Guarantee Company would no longer be required, leading to the 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 Company from October 2015, although an issue with its SVRH shareholding, ring-fencing unspent lottery monies and transferring assets meant winding up of the SVRA was took until 2022 to be concluded.[1]

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 10,300 members[2] and membership is by subscription. Members receive preferential rates of travel.

It has the largest shareholding in SVR(H): in 2022 it was 17.93% of issued capital (1,972,467 shares).[3] It nominates three directors to the SVR(H) board[4], increased from two in 2015 when it merged with the SVRA.

It also publishes Severn Valley Railway News, a quarterly magazine, free to members.

Following the merger with the SVRA it took over The 200 Club and the Volunteer Liaison Office.

It also ran the SVR fundraising lotteries until by 2021 these were organised by SVR Charitable Trust.

The VLO organises a Volunteer Reward Scheme, a monthly draw using the database of working volunteers, funded by the Guarantee Board. Winners receive a small value of vouchers to spend on the SVR.

It arranges with an annual 'Pig Roast', a thank you evening for paid staff and volunteers, at The Engine House. Until 2022 it was jointly funded with SVR(H).

See also

References

  1. Guarantee Company Annual Reports ending 31 December 2019; 31 December 2020, p. 5; 31 December 2021, p. 3; and 31 December 2022, p. 8
  2. SVR News 225, Spring 2024
  3. SVR(G) Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2022
  4. SVRLive

Links

SVR Wiki

Main Page

From SVR Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search

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.


Navigation menu