Severn Valley Railway Timeline 1990-1999

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Significant events in the history of the SVRSevern Valley Railway between 1990 and 1999 are set out below, together with a table showing mileages for the steam locomotives used.

1990

1990 saw the Severn Valley Railway celebrate its Silver Jubilee.

February 1990:

The heavy overhaul of 60009 Union of South Africa was completed two days inside the agreed 1 year period. The locomotive ran three return test runs in mid-February which were made open to the public, drawing a large crowd. The locomotive rapidly returned to the main line, hauling a VIP special across the Forth Bridge on 4 March.
The Great Marquess hauled “The White Rose” from London Marylebone to Sheffield on 17 February. The locomotive continued to Scotland to haul a return tour from Carlisle to Skipton a week later. SVRSevern Valley Railway News reported that this was the first engine to work from London to Scotland in steam since Flying Scotsman’s non-stop run in 1968.

March 1990:

34027 Taw Valley returned from the winter season at Marylebone, before later setting off on another season of Crewe-Holyhead express working.
An appeal was launched to build a new footbridge to connect Bridgnorth Station to New Road, between Low Town and High Town. The previous footbridge had been deemed beyond repair and demolished by Bridgnorth Council in 1976.

May 1990:

1 May saw the 150th anniversary of the Penny Black postage stamp introduced by Kidderminster’s Sir Rowland Hill. A private Royal Mail / British Rail charter ran from London to Birmingham hauled by electric locomotive 90019, newly named “Penny Black”. Haulage from Birmingham to Kidderminster was by diesel electric 47515 “Night Mail”. On the SVRSevern Valley Railway, BRBritish Rail or British Railways locomotive 47474 was named “Sir Rowland Hill”.
Sunday 13 May saw the normal summertime Table C timetable in use, requiring 5 steam locomotives. Only later was it pointed out that the SVRSevern Valley Railway had unknowingly achieved a ‘full house’ by rostering GWR 4566, SR 34027 Taw Valley, LMS 46443, LNERLondon & North Eastern Railway 3442 The Great Marquess and BR Standard 75069 on the same day.
As part of the Silver Jubilee celebrations, Railcar 22 returned to the SVRSevern Valley Railway and appeared at the Diesel Gala, remaining until July.
SVRSevern Valley Railway membership reached 15,000.

June 1990: The SVRSevern Valley Railway staged a "Heavy Freight Weekend" on 2-3 June. As the event came to a close, a number of wagons were unfortunately derailed on the trap points at the north end of Bridgnorth station[1].

Summer 1990: 7812 Erlestoke Manor left the SVRSevern Valley Railway for overhaul at Swindon, becoming the first SVRSevern Valley Railway locomotive not to be overhauled in the Bridgnorth Loco Works.

August 1990: :Saturday 25 August, the first day of the bank holiday weekend, saw Kidderminster Railway Museum open to the public for the first time.

September 1990: 60103 Flying Scotsman (in LNERLondon & North Eastern Railway green livery as No 4472) arrived for the Jubilee Autumn Gala on 17 September, accompanied by owner Sir William McAlpine.

October 1990:

HRH The Duke of Gloucester officially opened the Bridgnorth Boiler shop. 7819 Hinton Manor carried the appropriate Royal headlamp code for the occasion.
A two-car DMU arrived on loan to the SVRSevern Valley Railway for a two year trial period. The group organising the loan proposed to use it for ‘untapped’ portions of the market such as one-off hires and evening / scenic specials.

November 1990: Platform 2 at Kidderminster was brought into use on 25 November, with 7819 Hinton Manor making the first operational entry.

December 1990:

Following ballasting and laying of sleepers and rails during the year, Platform 2 at Kidderminster was brought into use. This allowed two trains to be in Kidderminster Station at the same time. Previously, commissioning of the Kidderminster signal box in late 1987 had removed the ‘One Engine in Steam’ restriction on the Kidderminster to Bewdley section, but services had to cross in the passing loop outside the station.
1990 saw new records for the number of passengers on the Santa Special services (42,602) and ticket sales in the year (209,837). Turnover exceeded £2m for the first time.

1991

1991 saw a recession in the UK. The effect was seen on the SVRSevern Valley Railway, where passenger numbers and membership both fell for the first time in some years.

Spring 1991:

'Black 5' 45000 returned to the NRM, together with coach 9631, the “Clapham Buffet”. The latter had seen regular use, and correspondence in SVRSevern Valley Railway news suggested its departure was regretted more than that of the Black 5!
SVRSevern Valley Railway News also noted that 34027 Taw Valley, out on the main line at the time, was ‘unlikely to return’.
The share offer launched in May 1988 reached the target of £500k.

April 1991: Following further running in, Stanier Mogul 42968 entered service for the first time.

Summer 1991: The Kidderminster Turntable Project was launched, seeking funds to install the ex-Fort William 70ft turntable at Kidderminster. The smaller ex-Whitchurch turntable was still being considered for installation at Bridgnorth, but as a lower priority.

August 1991: 75069 and 7819 Hinton Manor took turns to work the Cambrian Coast Express between Shrewsbury and Barmouth.

September 1991: The Autumn Steam Gala was repeat visits from 60103 Flying Scotsman and 3440 City of Truro. A total of 9 locomotives were used at the gala.

December 1991:

60009 Union of South Africa returned from the main line for maintenance, and was used on the Christmas services before work began.
The P.W.Permanent Way Department completed the process of replacing all wooden sleepers throughout the Railway with concrete sleepers, apart from within stations.

Locomotives hired out to other railways during the year were as follows:

  • 46443: Summer hire to Llangollen Railway until boiler tubes failed
  • 4566: Summer hire to Llangollen Railway replacing 46443
  • 47383 Summer hire to North Norfolk Railway

1992

Despite the recession, the SVRSevern Valley Railway continued to adopt the policy of having 15 serviceable locomotives, of which 3-4 would be used on the main line or hired out. After almost two years of discussions, the Health and Safety Executive issued a directive at the start of the year banning the public from access to the yard and shed areas at Bridgnorth. This attracted many complaints from enthusiasts; the Boards began to develop plans to provide better access to an improved viewing area alongside the headshunt adjacent to Pan Pudding Hill as a compromise[2].

April 1992:

The Spring Gala featured un-rebuilt BulleidOliver Vaughan Snell Bulleid, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the Southern Railway 1937-1948 Battle of Britain class no 34072 257 Squadron which made a 2 month visit. Also featured was 60009 Union of South Africa whose winter maintenance had been completed. ‘No 9’ worked a rail tour to Scotland before leaving the SVRSevern Valley Railway at the end of the month.
The grounded body of Barry Railway Carriage 163 arrived at Hampton Loade.

Summer 1992: Three SVRSevern Valley Railway locomotives were on hire to other railways. 2857 spent the season at the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway, 4566 went back to Llangollen and the 8F (now repainted as 48773) went to the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway.

June 1992:

The SVRSevern Valley Railway staged its first ‘Thomas the Tank Engine’ event, featuring Manchester Ship Canal No 32 ‘Gothenburg’ (HC 680/1903) from the East Lancashire Railway. The two days saw nearly 17,000 visitors to the railway.
June 1992 saw the celebration of ‘Ashford 150’. 75069 traveled south to join Taw Valley and SRSouthern Railway 30777 'Sir Lamiel', and worked a series of shuttles between Ashford and Hastings.

July 1992:

Highley station was closed for 2 weeks; SVRSevern Valley Railway News noted 'The deterioration of Highley Station Platform was felt to have gone far enough when a hole appeared in it.'
The SVR Junior Club did a full 32 mile return trip using the pump trolley to raise money for charity.
The SVRSevern Valley Railway experimented with a TV advertisement for the first time.
Collett Mogul 7325 returned to steam for the first time in 28 years.

September 1992: The Autumn Gala guest was LNERLondon & North Eastern Railway A4 pacific 4498 Sir Nigel GresleySir Nigel Gresley, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London & North Eastern Railway 1923-1941 (BRBritish Rail or British Railways 60007); a total of 12 engines were in steam for the event.

October 1992: During the annual Vintage Vehicle Rally on 11 October, a small line-up of diesel traction in Platform 2 included BRBritish Rail or British Railways Class 58 no 58028 courtesy of BRBritish Rail or British Railways Railfreight Coal at Bescot.[3]

Locomotives hired out to other railways during the year were as follows:

  • 2857: Season on hire to GWSRGloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway (Commonly known as the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway)
  • 4566: Summer hire to Llangollen
  • 48773: Summer hire to Worth Valley Railway

1993

1993 poster

1993 marked 25 years since the end of BRBritish Rail or British Railways steam in 1968, and also 30 years since the last train from Bridgnorth. The recession continued to bite; the membership briefly dropped below 15,000 and the management began to review the ‘large engine’ policy.

April 1993: The Spring Steam Gala saw a return visit from 4498 Sir Nigel GresleySir Nigel Gresley, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London & North Eastern Railway 1923-1941, standing in at short notice for Flying Scotsman which had failed prior to the event.

Summer 1993:

Summer 1993 saw 5 SVRSevern Valley Railway engines on hire to other railways. 5764 went to the South Devon Railway, 47383 to the North Norfolk Railway, 80079 to the Llangollen Railway, 46521 to the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway and 48773 to the West Somerset Railway.
Black 5 44767 George Stephenson paid a short visit to the SVRSevern Valley Railway prior to beginning main line running
June 1993: Pannier 5775 arrived on a 3 month loan from the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway.

September 1993:

On 4 September the SVRSevern Valley Railway was visited by Prince and Princess Michael of Kent aboard a charter consisting of 10 coaches of the VSOEVenice Simplon Orient Express ‘Orient Express’. 600 Gordon provided the motive power for a Kidderminster – Bridgnorth return, being the only SVRSevern Valley Railway locomotive equipped to work with air braked stock.
A special train ran to mark the 30th anniversary of the last BRBritish Rail or British Railways passenger service to leave Bridgnorth.
The Autumn Steam Gala was the most ambitious to date. It was the first to feature overnight running, and the first to include 3 guests (Pannier 5775, LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway FowlerHenry Fowler, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the Midland Railway 1909-1923, and of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway 1923-1933 4FThe British Railways system of classifying steam locomotives by power using a number from 0, least powerful, to 9, most powerful, followed by either F for freight, P for Passenger or MT for Mixed Traffic. 0-6-0 no 44422 and GERGreat Eastern Railway N7 0-6-2T no 69621). The event included a Bridgnorth-Kidderminster run with triple-headed panniers, while no less than 17 locomotives were steamed on both the Saturday and Sunday.

December 1993:

The SVRSevern Valley Railway found out ‘by chance’ that landlords BRBritish Rail or British Railways were planning to auction the 7.6 acre site on which the SVRSevern Valley Railway’s Kidderminster station was built (in 1984 the SVRSevern Valley Railway had bought the line to Kidderminster, but could only afford to lease the land for the station itself). Contact was hastily made with BRBritish Rail or British Railways, who agreed to an offer of £450k to secure the site without an auction. The purchase (plus £80k of recoverable VAT) was initially funded by a bridging loan, and inevitably triggered another share offer.
The contract for construction of the New Road footbridge was signed just in time to qualify for a grant from the European Regional Development Fund..

Locomotives hired out to other railways during the year were as follows:

  • 5764: Summer hire to South Devon
  • 46521: Summer hire to GWSRGloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway (Commonly known as the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway)
  • 47383: Summer hire to North Norfolk
  • 48773: Summer Hire to West Somerset
  • 80079: Summer hire to Llangollen

1994

1994 poster

Winter 1993/Spring 94: Another major overhaul of Victoria Bridge was carried out, partly funded by English Heritage due to the bridge’s listed status. Repairs continued into the spring, with repainting completed in May.

April 1994:

On the afternoon of Wednesday 6 April a skip lorry struck Hay Bridge, demolishing the west-side walkway and pushing the main girders two feet out of alignment. Easter week services were suspended, but round the clock work by the PWPermanent Way Department supported by the Highways Department and the Railway Inspectorate saw the bridge reopened just 48 hours later. Visiting locomotive 6024 King Edward I was first to cross the repaired bridge, echoing the events of May 1983 when 92220 Evening Star ‘tested’ the repaired embankment at Bridgnorth.
The Spring Gala included the unusually high number of 5 visiting locomotives. 1993 Autumn Gala guest 44442 had returned to steam following repair over the winter, 6024 King Edward I was another winter visitor for engineering work, 5029 Nunney Castle had arrived in connection with the launch of a share issue, while LMSLondon Midland & Scottish Railway StanierWilliam Stanier, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway 1932-1944 Jubilee 45596 Bahamas and Standard Tank 80080 (sister of the SVRSevern Valley Railway’s 80079) were also present.
On 23 April The Severn Valley Railway Association chartered 'The Wessex Railtour' between Crewe and Weymouth.[4]

May 1994: 7802 Bradley Manor was formally commissioned, following a period of running in following restoration. The locomotive was originally acquired as a source of spares for 7812 Erlestoke Manor, and indeed the SVRSevern Valley Railway Stock Book published in 1980 listed 7802 under ‘Vehicles scrapped on the SVRSevern Valley Railway’!

June 1994:

The first ‘War Weekend’ was held and reported to be a major success.
686 The Lady Armaghdale was repainted as ‘Thomas’. Over the next few years the locomotive would embark on a succession of loans to other railways for ‘Thomas’ events.

July 1994: The footbridge between Bridgnorth Station and New Road was completed and opened to the public.

September 1994:

September began with a ‘Thomas’ weekend featuring the SVRSevern Valley Railway’s new Thomas and regular Gordon, together with ‘Daisy the DMUDiesel Multiple Unit’. As a prelude to the Autumn Gala, Lady Lucinda Lambton was invited to christen the newly installed Kidderminster Turntable by turning 60103 Flying Scotsman (in typical fashion Gordon had already sneaked in a turn before the Thomas event!).
Another ‘monster gala’ followed with 17 in steam, including guests 6024 King Edward I, 60103 Flying Scotsman (now in BRBritish Rail or British Railways livery with German-style smoke deflectors) and 60009 Union of South Africa which had visited again for more repairs. Operations were hampered by the discovery of a broken rail at Alveley, causing a speed restriction right at the foot of the bank which affected the timetable.

Winter 1994: The SVR(H) Board announced the sale of 45690 Leander (and 45699 Galatea) to the family of Dr. Peter Beet. The justification given was that the offer was attractive (it generated a one off profit of £135,280[5]), the locomotive had been stored out of use for 7 years, funds were not available for a General Repair, and once repaired the locomotive would see limited use on the SVRSevern Valley Railway due to its size and axle loading. Predictably many members complained of the Railway ‘selling the family silver’.

1995

Spring 1995:

Over the winter ten feet of river bank was washed away at Sterns, triggering further slippage. 3,000 tons of rock was deposited on the river bank as a temporary measure while a geological survey was undertaken. The other major engineering task was the reinforcement and strengthening of the abutments of the Underbridge at Hampton Loade, during which the steelwork was taken to Bridgnorth to be needle gunned and repainted. A limited Sunday-only service operated between Kidderminster and Highley in January, February and March using the Class 108 DMUDiesel Multiple Unit and small tank engines with nearly 4,500 passengers being carried. The main season opened as planned on 1 April.[6]
Bridgnorth District Council announced a plan to build a halt at the Alverly Countryside Park, to be called Country Park Halt. Construction would take place in late 1995, and the Halt would be open in time for the 1996 season.
The Spring Steam Gala featured only home locomotives.

March 1995: 7802 Bradley Manor ran a test trip from Bristol to Paignton, in anticipation of a summer season organised by Pete Waterman.

May 1995:

80079 was one of three locomotives taking part in the ‘Steam on the Met’ festival organised by London Underground Limited (LUL). SVRSevern Valley Railway personnel were allowed to drive and fire the locomotive under supervision of an LUL conductor. Preserved steam on the Metropolitan Line between Harrow-on-the-Hill and Amersham had started in 1989, and previous SVRSevern Valley Railway participants were 46521 in 1993 and 80079 in 1984.
The pilot episode of the TV sitcom "Oh Doctor Beeching!" was filmed at Arley

June 1995: The Railway’s ‘Steam School’ courses received a boost following the filming and broadcast of a feature on Blue Peter with presenter Diane-Louise Jordan.

July 1995:

Manning Wardle 2047 Warwickshire was moved out of Bridgnorth Shed for the first time in 18 years. The locomotive had been cosmetically restored and repainted in a green livery and was moved to Kidderminster to be displayed outside Kidderminster Railway Museum.
A special train ran on 8 July to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the initial meeting at the Cooper’s Arms.

August 1995:

For 3 weeks in August the SVRSevern Valley Railway used only diesel haulage due to the severe drought at the time.
The General Manager’s Notes in SVRSevern Valley Railway news referred to visiting locomotives for the forthcoming Autumn Steam Gala, and continued ‘Together with our own fleet, including the A4 60009 Union of South Africa…’. Although no formal announcement was made, this was the first occasion on which 60009 was referred to as a ‘home’ locomotive rather than a visitor.

September 1995:

Autumn Steam Gala visitors were GWRGreat Western Railway 1400 class 0-4-2T no 1466 from Didcot (sister locomotive to No 1450 which arrived at the SVRSevern Valley Railway in 2014) and S&DJRSomerset & Dorset Joint Railway, jointly operated by the London and South Western and Midland Railways (later Southern and London Midland and Scottish Railways) FowlerHenry Fowler, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the Midland Railway 1909-1923, and of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway 1923-1933 7FThe British Railways system of classifying steam locomotives by power using a number from 0, least powerful, to 9, most powerful, followed by either F for freight, P for Passenger or MT for Mixed Traffic. No 88 (BRBritish Rail or British Railways no 53808) from the West Somerset Railway.
Centro and Regional Railways reopened ‘The Jewellery Line’ from Birmingham Snow Hill via Smethwick West Junction to Stourbridge Junction and Kidderminster. Despite being the weekend of the Autumn Gala, the SVRSevern Valley Railway made 80079 available, and the locomotive made 3 return journeys between Snow Hill and Stourbridge Junction with 5 maroon liveried Mark 1s in tow, taking only 25 minutes against an allowed 35 minutes for the uphill journey via Old Hill bank.

November 1995: Peckett 1758 departed for the South Devon Railway.[7]


1996

April 1996:

Country Park Halt opened on 4 April.
The Spring Gala featured GWRGreat Western Railway CollettCharles Benjamin Collett, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the Great Western Railway 1922-1941 7800 Manor class no 7822 Foxcote Manor from Llangollen, and GWRGreat Western Railway ChurchwardGeorge Jackson Churchward, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the Great Western Railway 1902-1922 4200 class 2-8-0T no 4277. The latter, owned by Peter Best, had been at the SVRSevern Valley Railway for completion of restoration as a contract job. The gala was intended to feature 8 GWRGreat Western Railway locomotives; in the event 46521 (an honorary GWRGreat Western Railway engine being Swindon-built) had to substitute for a failed 4566.

May 1996:

Filming of the first series of Oh Doctor Beeching! took place at Arley.
7325 returned to steam following a major cylinder repair including welding and ‘stitching’, and took part in ‘Steam on the Met’.

Summer 1996: Planning permission was received to extend the sidings at Bewdley. The new siding area would be filled with a pile of spoil which had been left at Kidderminster following construction of the new station; a spin-off being that removal of the pile would create space for the proposed ‘diesel depot’ near the Kidderminster turntable.

August 1996: The SVRSevern Valley Railway staged its first 1960s event.

September 1996: The Autumn Steam Gala featured repeat visits from guests 5029 Nunney Castle and 6024 King Edward I, the latter having been shortened in height during a recent overhaul to improve gauge clearance.

October 1996: The diesel gala included four hired in milk tankers, hired in to recreate WR scenes of the past.

Late 1996:

6960 Raveningham Hall left the Railway, following a change of ownership. The locomotive is now one of a number owned by Jeremy Hosking.
A project was announced to build a new Carriage Shed, seeking financial assistance from National Lottery funding.

1997

February 1997: 46521 was officially named ‘Blossom’ by actor Steven Lewis in a ceremony on 17 February.

March 1997: 20 March saw the death of the Revd. Wilbert Awdry, author of the ‘Thomas the Tank Engine’ books. Revs. Awdry was a regular visitor to the SVRSevern Valley Railway in the early days and had been an SVRSevern Valley Railway member since 1980.

April 1997: The application for Heritage Lottery funding for the Kidderminster Carriage Shed was submitted. The proposal included under-cover storage for 56 carriages, together with a Locomotive Display Building. The latter proposal would later be dropped.

Spring 1997:

A new mezzanine storage and office area was constructed in Bridgnorth Loco Works. ‘Tranter Towers’ as it became known was removed in 2014 to provide additional locomotive working space.
52044 (L&Y 2FThe British Railways system of classifying steam locomotives by power using a number from 0, least powerful, to 9, most powerful, followed by either F for freight, P for Passenger or MT for Mixed Traffic. 0-6-0 no 957) arrived on the SVRSevern Valley Railway from the KWVR for a planned two year restoration to running order[8].

May 1997: Filming of the second series of Oh Doctor Beeching! took place at Arley.

Summer 1997:

H.R.H. The Duke of Gloucester became Patron of the SVRSevern Valley Railway. The Duke’s first visit to the SVRSevern Valley Railway had been in October 1990 on the occasion of the opening of the new Bridgnorth Boiler Shop.
6024 King Edward I visited the railway between May and September, being used occasionally on normal SVRSevern Valley Railway services.
60009’s ‘7 year’ main line certificate expired.

September 1997: Autumn Gala visitors included 6024 King Edward I, 5027 Nunney Castle (which had been receiving repairs) and Pannier 9466. A total of 13 locomotives were in steam, including The Great Marquess which had recently been repainted in BRBritish Rail or British Railways black livery as 61994, having formerly been liveried as LNERLondon & North Eastern Railway 3442. During the gala The Great Marquess was posed on Kidderminster’s ex-Fort William turntable, which it would have used many times while in service on the West Highland Line.

October 1997: StanierWilliam Stanier, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway 1932-1944 MogulLocomotive with a 2-6-0 wheel configuration 42968 embarked on a series of 9 rail tours between October and January. Highlights included a climb of Sugar Loaf summit with a gross load of 365 tons (in BRBritish Rail or British Railways days Class 5 engines were limited to 240 tons!), and the first steam ascent in preservation of the 1:37 Lickey Incline in tandem with 7325.

November 1997: Class 50 Diesel No 50031 Hood made a main-line debut, hauling Past-Time Rail’s ‘The Pilgrim Hoover’ from Birmingham International to Plymouth and return.

Winter 1997:

The Great Marquess suffered a failure of the crank axle (used to provide drive from the locomotive’s third centre cylinder), the driver’s side driving wheel having moved on the stub axle. The problem was considered repairable (contrary to speculation in the railway press at the time), but also costly. As the locomotive was nearly ‘out of ticket’, newly liveried 61994 joined the ‘long term’ repair queue.
Passenger numbers exceeded 200,000 and turnover passed £3m for the first time.

1998

Spring 1998:

76079 from Llangollen visited the SVRSevern Valley Railway, principally for working charter trains.
LNERLondon & North Eastern Railway B12 4-6-0 8572 (BRBritish Rail or British Railways 61572) was announced as the Autumn Steam Gala guest.
A 65'3" turntable, ex-Bristol (Bath Road), arrived at Eardington, intended for installation at Bridgnorth. See Bridgnorth Turntable.
The Board authorised the re-cladding of the Bridgnorth main loco shed (ex-Portskewett) which had been damaged by storms over the winter.
The owner of no 78019 was approached by a group from the Great Central Railway at Loughborough offering to complete the restoration of the locomotive on agreement that it remained at the GCRGreat Central Railway for an undisclosed period of time. This move became permanent, leaving 4150 as the SVRSevern Valley Railway’s only ex-BarryWoodham Brothers Scrapyard, Barry, South Wales. The source of many locomotives now in preservation. restoration still in progress.
Filming took place for TV Movie “Cider With Rosie”, featuring 5764.

September 1998: A special event took place to mark the 20th anniversary of the arrival of Western Diesels D1013 Western Ranger and D1062 Western Courier twenty years earlier.

October 1998: A Great Western 2+8 HST worked a Cheshire Railtours trip from Exeter at Bridgnorth on a filthy 31 October.[9]

November 1998: Hunslet 0-6-0 No 686 The Lady Armaghdale celebrated her 100th birthday. The locomotive was briefly painted into her original black livery as Manchester Ship Canal No 32, before returning to Thomas duties.

1999

May 1999:

On 12 May the award of a Heritage Lottery Fund grant of £1.757m towards the construction of Kidderminster Carriage Shed was announced.[10].

June 1999:

Planning permission for the construction of Kidderminster Carriage Shed was granted on 22 June[10].

July 1999:

On 24 July the Railway saw an incoming railtour from Preston to Arley using Black 5 45407.
On 28 July the ‘first sod’ was cut on the site of the new Kidderminster Carriage Shed[10].

August 1999:

From 1 August line speeds were increased to allow commissioning of new 'Coradia 1000' Class 175 diesel multiple units under special conditions.

September 1999:

The Railway saw an unusual visitor on 4 September with a through Bridgnorth - Paignton excursion using a GWRGreat Western Railway HST.[11]
Contractors Carrillion Construction arrived on site on 20 September to begin work on the new Carriage Shed. This spurred a marathon of junk moving by the PWPermanent Way staff and volunteers – more than a mile of old track was recovered!
Denis Howells’ pannier 9466 and 80072 visited the Railway for the Autumn Steam Gala and October Classic Vehicle Day.
Five BRBritish Rail or British Railways Standard 2-6-4 tanks lined up for the steam gala, guests 80080, 80098, 80104 and 80136 plus resident 80079.

November 1999: The first steelwork was installed for the new Carriage Shed.

Locomotives used

Mileages for steam locomotives used between 1990 and 1999 were as follows:

Locomotive 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 Comment
1501 1,280 5,760 8,015 Entered service following restoration
2857 4,788 4,683 3,428 5,308 5,648
4566 3,761 4,270 2,458 2,062 2,372 3,333 50
5764 1,567 4,543 2,553 2,689 3,493 3,933 2,617 3,966 3,546
7714 398 3,469 4,100 4,117 4,323 2,627 4,416 1,206 Entered service following restoration
7802 Bradley Manor 4,693 3,951 7,713 6,479 260 9,322 Entered service following restoration
7819 Hinton Manor 5,909 4,918 4,239 4,949 3,166
7325/9303 4,909 6,754 7,025 6,158 6,015 3,244 8,430 9,582
34027 Taw Valley 11,525 660 1,070
42968 150 5,437 4,409 4,279 784 6,553 4,560 5,571 5,925
45110 3,945 10,199
46443 6,229 1,168 3,313 6,446 6,004 5,649 6,968 4,674
46521 158 7,409 2,382 8,107 5,507 6,889 8,780 8,652 7,766
47383 1,222 2,703 331 2,017 566 2,794 2,431 1,230 2,207 2,360
48773 3,120 5,509 4,770 9,450 6,821 6,273 7,056
60009 Union of South Africa 552 213 719 1,538 4,177 2,673 1,426 Referred to as 'guest' until 1995
61994 The Great Marquess 6,251 4,904 3,643 3,708 1,753 4,634 3,069 5,484
75069 6,583 6,156 5,264 6,486 7,573
80079 4,045 4,027 5,426 7,161 7,872 7,553 9,241
600 Gordon 829 3,835 1,870 2,340 4,031 5,262 2,832 3,104 3,889 62
686 The Lady Armaghdale 656 1,219 821 1,424 1,692 1,085
6960 Raveningham Hall 2,922 8,419 5,399 3,016 51 1,510 Left SVRSevern Valley Railway in 1996
Guests and others 764 2,006 2,414 421 3,229 598 1,815 1,999 692 3,140
Total 56,172 59,582 55,283 66,688 76,028 63,717 60,128 61,454 67,914 69,034


See also


References

SVRSevern Valley Railway News unless otherwise stated. Locomotive mileages from SVRSevern Valley Railway News Issue 152 page 25 "SVRSevern Valley Railway Steam Locomotive Mileages 1990-2004 compiled by Graham Nangreave".

  1. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 97
  2. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 104, pp 3, 16.
  3. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 106
  4. Six Bells Junction (Retrieved 6 June 2024)
  5. Reports and Accounts ending 31 December 1995
  6. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 114
  7. South Devon Railway Association
  8. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 122
  9. Images on Alan Thwaites' hatpics website (Retrieved 28 September 2022)
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 SVRSevern Valley Railway News 130
  11. Alan Thwates' image 27 March 1999 (Retrieved 6 June 2014)