Severn Valley Railway Timeline 2000-2009

Significant events in the history of the Severn Valley Railway in preservation between 2000 and 2009 are set out below. This page is currently under construction.

Contents

2000

2000 saw the railway hit by a ‘boiler crisis’.

March 2000: The ‘Branch Line Weekend’ saw two visitors, South Devon Railway’s GWR 0-4-2T no 1420 with auto coach and Mid Hants Railway’s LMS Ivatt 2-6-2T no 41312.

May 2000: 3205 re-visited the Railway, pulling a 30th Anniversary Special on 23 May.

Summer 2000: The railway experienced a succession of boiler failures, decimating the normal working fleet. Even 813 was pressed into service, hauling a number of 4-coach trains. The railway managed (just!) to include steam on every weekend, but the Diesel fleet was heavily used. A number of reasons for the crisis were later identified, including a combination of water quality (despite the use of approved chemical treatment), type of coal used, and methods of firing. The failures had a ‘domino effect’ as remaining locos were used harder, so failing in turn.

September 2000: The boiler crisis had become so serious that the September Autumn Steam Gala was cancelled. September also saw picketing of oil refineries and fuel depots in protest at rising fuel prices (unleaded petrol having reached 80p per litre for the first time!).

October / November 2000:

The October ‘Thomas’ weekend survived, with Jinty 47383 assuming the role of ‘Thomas’ and also featuring a rare appearance in steam of Peckett 1738.

October and November went on to be the wettest since records began 250 years earlier, with the Severn 22 feet above its normal level. November saw a stream at the top of Eardington Bank burst through its banks, with the resulting flood washing through the drainage in Knowlesands Tunnel. On 5 November this was overwhelmed, causing a major landslip at the Bridgnorth end with 3 lengths of track left hanging in space and the embankment spread across the field below. Repairs started once the stream was diverted, with the line re-connected around 3 weeks later.

Coincidentally 25 November, the first day of through working after the repairs at Knowlesands, saw 8F 48773 involved in collision with a van on Northwood Crossing, fortunately with no fatalities involved. HM Railway Inspectorate later confirmed that the Railway was not at fault, independent witnesses having testified that the driver had passed the flashing red lights when the train was only a few yards from the crossing. Damage to the Astra van was rather more severe than to the 8F.

December 2000: Concern at the fragile state of the fleet led to BR Standard 9F 92212 arriving on hire for the Santa Services.

(Details of locomotives used to follow)

2001

The SVR began the year anticipating a poor year financially, with the ‘boiler crisis’ affecting the capacity for previously profitable contract work. This was quickly exacerbated by the ‘Foot and Mouth’ crisis, with Government publicity initially advising the public to ‘stay away’. Advice later changed to ‘visit countryside attractions but don’t stray onto farmland’, but early season visitor numbers were badly affected.

January 2001: All SVR trains became non-smoking on 1 January 2001. 8 man-hours per week for 7 weeks were required to apply period style transfers to the windows of the coach fleet.

Spring 2001:

Water quality was being constantly monitored, with samples taken for testing each time a loco was filled. ‘Reverse Osmosis’ water treatment equipment had been ordered, and was in course of being installed.

Last year’s poor weather had resulted in a rock slide in Eyemore Cutting, just south of Victoria Bridge. Permanent repairs were undertaken in the summer once approval had been received from English Nature, the area being a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

March 2001: 9F 92212 attended the Spring Gala before leaving at the end of its hire period. Following the Gala, Bewdley Station was closed for 3 weeks for repairs to the footbridge and platform canopies.

April 2001:

Visitors to the Railway included another HST on a Barnstaple to Bridgnorth excursion. Smaller locomotives guested at the Branch Line Weekend, with South Devon’s 1420 making a return visit accompanied by Auto Coach W225, and GWR Large Prairie 4144 attending from Didcot.

34027 Taw Valley returned to the Severn Valley Railway, with former owner Bert Hitchen selling the locomotive to the SVR’s Phil Swallow. 34027 had been painted as ‘Hogwarts Castle’ at the time, to promote the fourth Harry Potter book ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’.

The April Diesel Gala saw a visit from Virgin Trains’ Class 47 no 47827 which was given the name “Severn Valley Railway”.

8F 48773 became the first SVR locomotive to achieve 100,000 miles in preservation, a feat at that time only achieved by two locomotives on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.

August 2001: An area of land at Highley which was previously the colliery sidings came up for auction and was acquired by the SVR. This area is now the site of The Engine House.

September 2001: The Autumn Steam Gala featured the Princess Royal Locomotive Trust’s Stanier 8P Coronation class 46233 Duchess of Sutherland, LMS Hughes ‘Crab’ 42765 from the ELS and Dennis Howells’ Pannier 9466.

(Details of locomotives used to follow)

2002

February 2002: D1015 Western Champion became the first ex-Western Region diesel hydraulic to make a main line comeback, hauling a Paddington – Bristol- Gloucester – Paddington rail tour.

Spring 2002: A new loco pit was constructed at Bewdley. The previous pit was not sufficiently deep to allow MPD staff to stand underneath the locomotives, and was prone to flooding. A similar enlargement of the Bridgnorth loco pit had taken place the year before.

March 2002:

The Spring Gala had a ‘Somerset & Dorset’ theme, with locomotives renumbered as former S&DJR inhabitants. Standard 4MT 75014 was the guest.

The SVR hosted more unusual visitors in the form of a 4-car Virgin Voyager which was clearance-tested along the SVR line, and a Parry People Mover which spent 2 months being tested (the PPM is now used on the Network Rail branch line from Stourbridge Junction to Stourbridge Town).

Summer 2002: An application was made to the Heritage Lottery Fund for grant aid for a new museum and storage building at Highley (this would become The Engine House later in the 1980s).

September 2002: To celebrate the Royal Jubilee, the guests at the Autumn Steam Gala were 46233 Duchess of Sutherland and 46201 Princess Elizabeth.

October 2002: 686 The Lady Armaghdale travelled to Holland for the first ever continental ‘Thomas’ event.

December 2002: The year closed with a record number of 236,704 passengers carried.

(Details of locomotives used to follow)

2007

Freak thunderstorms on 19 June and 20 July 2007 caused massive damage to the SVR. The line was breached in 45 separate locations between Bridgnorth and Northwood Halt, embankments collapsed, cuttings were filled with debris, Highley Up starting signal slid down the embankment, and much other destruction took place. Only the section between Bewdley and Kidderminster remained relatively unaffected. ( BBC photo )

Although a massive rebuilding exercise began at once, the line did not reopen fully until 21 March 2008. The damage also caused the opening of The Engine House at Highley, planned for 2007, to be delayed until the following year.

See also

The Severn Valley Railway in preservation
( 1990-1999 ) ( 2010 to date )

Sources

SVR News unless otherwise stated.