Severn Valley Railway Timeline 2010-2019

Significant events in the history of the Severn Valley Railway in preservation between 2010 and 2014 are set out below.

Information on current events on the SVR can be found here.

2010

2010 saw the 40th anniversary of the official opening of the SVR. Two ‘must-do’ engineering projects were in progress, an overhaul of the Bridgnorth By-pass Bridge which had been deferred at the time of the 2007 storm damage, and installation of the wheel-drop at Bridgnorth which required a 12,000 cubic foot hole to be dug in the locomotive works.

2010 also became ‘the year of the tender’. The axles on 43106’s tender had suffered damage in the derailment the previous year, but the locomotive was returned to service after the Strathspey Railway kindly loaned the axles from the tender of 46512 which was not in service at the time. Next came a broken spring hanger bracket on 7812 Erlestoke Manor’s tender, temporarily resolved by a loan from the Foxcote Manor Group at Llangollen while new castings were made. Finally 42968 suffered wheel flats on the tender, and resumed service using the tender from Black 5 45110 which was brought back from Barrow Hill where the locomotive was on static display.

Other legacies of the derailment saw the SVR invest in more sophisticated locomotive weighing equipment to ensure the correct adjustment of locomotive and tender springs, and the acquisition of a Track Data Recording Device, a simple three-wheeled lightweight unit to measure track conditions such as twist, superelevation, gauge, gradient and rail condition.

January 2010: New points were installed at Hampton Loade to replace those damaged in the derailment the pervious autumn.

March 2010: Visitors at the Spring ‘Reunion’ Gala were 61994 The Great Marquess (in BR Black livery), BR Standard 2MT 2-6-0 No 78019 (which had never steamed while at the SVR), GWR 0-6-0PT No 5786 which had spent 10 months on the SVR in 1969/70, and GWR 0-6-2T No 6695 after winter work at Bridgnorth.

April 2010: A Network Rail test train was used to check the full length of the line for track twists and dipped rail joints. Those found were dealt with by the P.W. staff.

May 2010: 43106 hauled the 40th anniversary special.

July 2010:

42968 became the first locomotive to use the new wheel-drop ‘in anger’, with the rear driving wheels being removed to attend to wear in the axle boxes.

The Ffestiniog Railway’s 1' 11½" gauge 1863 locomotive No 2 ‘Prince’ was on display in The Engine House.

Summer 2010: The locomotive fleet was again ‘one short’ for the summer peak service, resulting in the hire of GR 2-8-0 freight engine No 3802 from Llangollen, utilising 7822 'Foxcote Manor's' tender to save transport costs.

September 2010: The Autumn ‘Anniversary’ Gala saw three former resident locomotives revisiting; 3205 (which hauled the first train on opening day 40 years earlier), 45690 Leander and 3717 City of Truro. GWR ‘Small Prairie’ 5542 and SR Bullied un-rebuilt West Country Class No 34070 Manston also took part.

October 2010:

October saw a ‘Railcar Reunion’. Visiting diesel railcars varied in age from the oldest active diesel unit in preservation, the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway’s ‘Lightweight’ unit M79900 of 1956, to the youngest, pioneer ‘Sprinter’ 3-car set 150 001 of 1984 which was still in use by London Midland at the time.

686 The Lady Armaghdale was moved into The Engine House, having been repainted into the red livery of her second owners, ICI Limited.

December 2010: Exceptionally cold weather up to and over Christmas caused difficulties for Boxing Day re-opening. Despite engines having remained lit up over the fortnight and heated where possible. 7802 suffered a fracture in an injector delivery pipe prior to departing Bewdley MPD that morning, its place on the first train of the day taken by 42968 not after the tender brake cylinder and water feed pipes were defrosted by means of oily rags, alight, and wrapped around the ends of pallet wood! 43106 suffered a shattered piston and broken cylinder cover attributed to the cold weather.42968 ran the service alone that day and during the course of it clocked up 100,000 miles in preservation. 46443 was in the shed for two weeks and actually became stuck to the ground by icicles.

2011

January 2011:

On 20 January 2011, thieves broke into Bridgnorth Boiler Shop and stole a quantity of copper worth approximately £70,000.

Work began on two major infrastructure upgrades. At Arley Station the track was re-laid with improved drainage being installed, while the platforms were also re-faced. At Bewdley South (Sandbourne) viaduct the track bed was removed to reveal the top of the brick arches, which were lined to make them waterproof. Both jobs were completed in time for re-opening in late March. The staff also carried out major track renewals between Sterns and Hay Bridge and between Victoria Bridge and Arley.

February 2011: 7802 Bradley Manor’s firebox was deemed unfit for further service, 8 months before its boiler certificate was due to expire.

April 2011: No Spring Gala had taken place due to the engineering work. Plans for an Easter re-visit by 60163 Tornado were thwarted when the locomotive failed in late 2010 with boiler issues. Easter instead saw a ‘Postman Pat’ event at The Engine House.

May 2011:

43106 re-entered service following repairs to the damaged piston.

Sharp Stewart 0-4-4T ‘Dunrobin’ arrived at Bridgnorth for a quotation for overhaul costs on behalf of the Beamish Railway Museum. The locomotive had recently been repatriated from Canada.

The ’s Midland Compound No 1000 left the . The locomotive had been on display in The Engine House since it opened in 2008.

Ian Riley’s 'Black 5s' Nos 45407 and 44871 made an appearance at the 1960s event.

June 2011: The SVR ran a special train with proceeds going to help the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway, which had suffered two successive embankment collapses. The GWSR was one of the railways which had come to the aid of the SVR following the flood damage in 2007.

Summer 2011:

Standard 2-10-0 No 92212 from the Mid Hants Railway became the third summer hire-in in three years, working services in July and August. The ’s new policy of weighing new locomotives on arrival (another legacy of the derailment) revealed two broken springs, which slightly delayed the entry into service.

The Bewdley Carriage & Wagon Works won a contract job to finish paint Mike Little’s Auto Coach No 238 ‘Chaffinch’. Mike Little’s locomotive No 1450 and his two Auto Coaches later moved to the in 2014.

No 2857 re-entered service after a lengthy overhaul.

September 2011: Autumn Steam Gala guests were 6024 King Edward I (deputising for ‘Blue King’ 6023 King Edward II which was unavailable), GWR Large Prairie 4160 (deputising for 5029 Nunney Castle also unavailable), Caledonian Railway McIntosh 812 3F no 828 (BR 57566) making a first visit in preservation to an English railway, and 60163 Tornado whose boiler had been repaired in Germany during the summer. Summer hire-in 9F 92212 also took part.

November 2011: BR Standard Tank No 80072 arrived on hire from Llangollen to help with the Santa services.

2012

January 2012:

The major engineering project for the winter began, involving installing new drainage and track in and adjacent to Bewdley Tunnel. The work took 6 weeks, with the last tamping being finished at 9.00pm on the evening before the line re-opened on 11 February. The line was subject to a 10mph restriction for the next 3 months while further work took place, including welding the rails to reduce future maintenance.

‘The Peoples Engine’ 46443 retired from service with boiler superheater header issues.

Spring 2012:

Crewe announced a decision to use the boiler from 10 locomotive 4115 for 6634, rather than the locomotive’s own boiler. From this point on, News consistently advised ‘No further progress to report’.

The Midland Railway Centre, Butterley’s Jinty 47327 appeared as ‘Thomas’ for two weekends in March and April.

Guy Martin was filmed helping overhaul Tank 5164 for the series 'How Britain Worked'.

March 2012: The Spring Steam Gala saw a predominantly LNER theme with 5 guests; LNER Gresley A4 Pacific 60019 Bittern appearing in LNER livery complete with 'valances' for the first time in preservation, LNER Worsdell E1 J72 69023 ‘Joem’, Gresley N2 Class GNR 1744, Caledonian Railway McIntosh 812 class No 828 which had been re-wheeled following work over the winter, and LMS Fowler 3F Jinty No 47406. The recently completed restoration of LNER Restaurant Car 7960 allowed Bittern to haul a rake of 8 Gresley Teak coaches, a preservation first.

April 2012:

Although 2857 had only entered service a year earlier, a decision was reluctantly made to lift the boiler to resolve an ongoing issue with leaking stays.

A number of locomotive exhibits were re-arranged in the Engine House. Pannier 7714 left to begin an overhaul at Bridgnorth, while the Royal Mail returned. Jinty 47383, 4930 Hagley Hall and 600 Gordon moved to the ‘back’ road, while 48773 was turned and moved to the ‘front’ road.

May 2012:

150th Anniversary plaque

A Victorian event was held in May to celebrate 150 years since the opening of the original Severn Valley Railway in 1862. The event saw three guest locomotives of the period, Furness Railway No 20 0-4-0 of 1863 from the Furness Railway Trust, Head Wrightson 0-4-0VBT ‘Coffee Pot’ of 1871 from the Beamish Museum, and Fletcher Jennings 0-4-0T No 3 ‘Captain Baxter’ of 1877 from the Bluebell.

An Extraordinary General Meeting was held on 4 May at which The Rolling Stock Trust Co Limited became the Severn Valley Railway Charitable Trust Limited. This would enable the charity to support a wider range of activities.

On 14 May 2102 the 's Patron, HRH The Duke of Gloucester, unveiled a plaque at Bewdley Station commemorating the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Severn Valley Railway in 1862.

On Thursday 24 May the Olympic Torch arrived on the . 7812 Erlestoke Manor carried the torch between Bewdley and Kidderminster, pausing for a photo opportunity with Bewdley Safari Park’s elephants.

Bullied Battle of Britain class locomotive 34054 Sir Keith Park arrived at Bridgnorth on indefinite loan from owners Southern Locomotives Limited. The locomotive, newly restored from ex- condition, entered service in August following final testing and ‘fettling’ at the .

Summer 2012:

The connection between the and the main line at Kidderminster was upgraded. The work was done in conjunction with Network Rail who were transferring responsibility for main line signalling from the Kidderminster main line signal box to the West Midlands Signalling Centre.

Negotiations were under way with locomotive owners with a view to establishing a new Rolling Stock Agreement.

The was again short of locomotives, partly resulting from a succession of spring failures which eventually resulted in a change of spring supplier. Didcot Railway Centre’s Pannier 3650 arrived in July. Having been booked with a cover leaking, investigation showed a long-term cracked cylinder block. This was stitched with Metalock, the owners allowing the locomotive to take part in the Autumn Gala in thanks.

An landmark disappeared with the demolition of the two 230ft high silos on the former British Sugar Corporation site at Foley Park.

September 2012:

Outside cylindered (W) pannier 1501 returned into service following an overhaul.

Michael Portillo visited the on 16 September, filming as part of his Great British Railway Journeys series.

The Autumn Steam Gala featured two Southern locomotives, the ’s T9 No 30120 and the Mid Hants Railway’s U class No 31806. The gala also featured a return visit from the Coal Tank 1054, this time in livery as 7799. Pannier 3650 also took part following the summer hire and repair.

October 2012:

The launched a share issue to raise money for developing the Bridgnorth Station site and returning 4930 Hagley Hall to steam.

A race from Bridgnorth to Kidderminster was staged between 34053 Sir Keith Park and a Morgan 3-wheeler car to raise money for the BBC’s Children In Need. The car won by 5 minutes, with over £5,000 raised for the charity.

November 2012:

The Reverse Osmosis water treatment plants at both Kidderminster and Bridgnorth were causing issues; a number of key parts had to be replaced.

Metropolitan Railway 0-4-4T No 1 came to the for testing prior to participating in the London Underground events in 2013. The visit was not announced in advance and was not open to the public, as it involved running at up to 50mph on certain sections of the line.

December 2012:

2857 suffered a failure of a copper steam pipe. As a result, Ian Riley’s Black 5 44871 spent 2 weeks at the assisting with the Santa Services.

‘Mighty ’ 42968 bowed out of traffic on the final working say of the 2012 season.

2013

Spring 2013:

The share issue had reached £1.2m. However consultation meetings with members and shareholders had drawn criticism of the architectural approach being planned. A group had prepared an alternative design which became known as ‘Plan B’. Following a consultation meeting in February 2013, the ‘Plan B’ group were invited to meet with the project Working Group, while the (H) Board also agreed to the formation of a Conservation and Heritage Committee, initially to be chaired by David Postle of Kidderminster Railway Museum.

350hp 0-6-0 diesel shunter 09 012 was purchased from the Harry Needle Company.

The confirmed that 80079 had not been sold, contrary to stories appearing in the press at the time.

The , in common with other heritage railways, was experiencing problems obtaining supplies of coal following the closures of Daw Mill Colliery after a fire and of Scottish Coal which had gone into administration.

March 2013: The Spring Steam Gala was hit by heavy snow, resulting in attendances being around half of the numbers expected. The Railway still managed to run the services as planned, including guests SR un-rebuilt Bulleid West Country class pacific No 34007 Wadebridge, USA Porter ‘yankee tank’ No 65 (SR 30065), Mike Little’s No 1450, and BR Standard 4MT 4-6-2T No 80072.

Summer 2013:

The Furness Railway Trust’s 5600 class 0-6-2T No 5643 joined the on hire for the rest of the year.

The Boards of (H) and the Guarantee Company agreed to an exchange of tenders with the David Clarke Railway Trust, custodians of 6990 Witherslack Hall. The exchange suited both parties, as 4930 Hagley Hall would receive a 4000 gallon fluted tender appropriate for a 1929-built locomotive, while 6990 would receive a straight-sided tender appropriate for a 1948-built Modified Hall.

August 2013:

43106 returned to service after a mid-term overhaul which had lasted 8 months. The locomotive had required a new drag box to be fitted, and the opportunity was taken to overhaul the boiler at the same time.

A re-commissioning celebration for 34053 Sir Keith Park was held at Kidderminster. Guests included representatives of the owners Southern Locomotives Limited, veterans of the RAF who flew in the Battle of Britain, Terence Stevens Prior, the great-nephew of Sir Keith Park, and Oliver , the grandson of the locomotive’s designer.

September 2013:

The share offer officially closed, having just passed a total of £2m.

The Autumn Steam Gala saw visits from Princess Coronation class No 46233 Duchess of Sutherland (replacing the booked 70000 Britannia), Schools class No 925 Cheltenham ( 30925, replacing the booked 850 Lord Nelson), Metropolitan Railway 0-4-2T Number 1, and 4936 Kinlet Hall which would remain on hire over the winter season. Talyllyn Railway 2 ft 3 in gauge 0-4-2ST ‘Sir Haydn’ travelled the line as part of the freight workings, and would later spend the winter on display in The Engine House.

December 2013: Large Prairie 5164 retired from service at the end of the 2013 season, running its last public passenger trains on 5th January 2014.

2014

Winter 2013-14: Over the winter ‘Tranter Towers’, the storage and office area within the Bridgnorth works, was taken down to provide more space for locomotive overhauls. Infrastructure projects included track relaying near Sterns, improved drainage near Platform 2 at Bridgnorth and straightening of the main line connection at Kidderminster to increase the speed limit from 5mph to 15mph. The latter was completed in time for an incoming rail tour hauled by 70013 Oliver Cromwell to make use of it.

March 2014:

Mike Little’s locomotive No 1450 and two Auto Coaches arrived, initially for the 2014 season.

The Spring Steam Gala saw visits from (W) 1600 class Pannier Tank No 1638, from the Kent & East Sussex Railway, 6400 class Pannier Tank No 6435 from the Bodmin & Wenford Railway, (W) 7800 Manor Class No 7828 Odney Manor from the West Somerset Railway, and 4936 Kinlet Hall which had remained at the since being hired last summer. 7828 had in recent years been running as ‘Norton Manor’ at the WSR, but reverted to its original name during the visit. 4936 finally left the in early summer.

April 2014: The SVR occupied a new Head Office building at Number One, Comberton Hill, adjacent to Kidderminster station. Long term plans for the Bewdley Station building, the former Head Office, include a new buffet to replace the current porta-cabin.

Summer 2014:

The 2014 summer hire-in was the Midland Railway Centre Butterley’s Standard No 73129, the only surviving Standard with Caprotti valve gear rather than the normal Walschaerts valve gear. Following spring changes after weighing on arrival, the locomotive proved a popular visitor.

For the first time no ‘battle’ was staged at the 1940s weekends.

Trials of Welsh steam coal from Ffos-y-fran proved successful, and this became the normal source of supply.

The total locomotive mileage passed 2 million steaming miles.

Replica locomotive Catch Me Who Can spent 2 months on display at the Dutch Railway Museum at Utrecht as part of the 175th anniversary of the railways in the Netherlands.

September 2014:

Chiltern Trains operated a return ‘Silver King’ charter from London Marylebone to Bridgnorth using their modern rolling stock, the powered units being Bo-Bo 67010 and Driving Van Trailer 82301.

Autumn Steam Gala visitors were Somerset & Dorset No 88 ( 53808) from the West Somerset Railway (making its last visit to another Railway before going out of ticket), M7No 30053 from the Swanage Railway, and No 43924 from the Worth Valley Railway. Caprotti Standard No 73129 also took part before returning to Butterley.

Winter 2014: BR Standard 9F 2-10-0 No 92214 was hired in from the Great Central Railway to help with the Santa services.

The total mileages recorded by the SVR's steam locomotives in 2014 were as follows:

Locomotive	2014
1450	2,110
1501	5,128
2857	10,477
4566	5,775
4936	507
7812	9,329
34053	8,220
43106	9,597
73129	3,550
92214	897
Total	55,591

2015

Heritage Site of the Year

January-February 2015:

The winter saw a major infrastructure project, initiated by Severn Trent Water, which involved replacing three of the four large diameter water pipes bringing water from the Elan Valley to Birmingham where they cross under the trackbed between Bewdley and Arley. The replacement work was carried out by STW's contractors, but staff and volunteers removed and replaced the trackbed and signalling equipment to enable the work to be carried out. The project over-ran, meaning the first 3 days of re-opening for half term week could not run between Bewdley and Highley.

Other winter infrastructure work included replacement of the points and installation of improved drainage at the south end of Arley station. Restoration work was also carried out on Bewdley South (Sandbourne) and Bewdley North (Wribbenhall) viaducts.

On 2 February the contractors arrived on site at Kidderminster to begin construction of the new Diesel Depot.

The was voted 'Heritage Site of the Year' in the BBC Countryfile Awards 2014/15; other shortlisted candidates included London’s Imperial War Museum, Georgian estate Kew Palace, Welsh architectural wonder Portmeirion and the pre-historic stone circle at Avebury.

March 2015: The Spring Steam Gala saw 4 visitors: WD Austerity 2-8-0 'Dub Dee' No. 90733 from the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, former resident GWR pannier tank No. 5786 from the South Devon Railway (in London Underground livery as L92, the livery it first wore at the SVR), GWR 2-8-0T No. 4270 from the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway, and LNWR coal tank No. 1054 from the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway. The gala also saw the opening of an exhibition at The Engine House celebrating 50 years of the SVR.

April 2015:

On Monday 13 April, HRH The Princess Royal paid her first visit to the . The visit began at Bewdley with a welcome and summary of the flood damage repairs, which were the focus of the last Royal Visit by HRH the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall in 2008. The Princess Royal then rode to Kidderminster on the footplate of 7812 Erlestoke Manor, crewed by driver Paul Fathers and fireman Ryan Green. After meeting four of the ’s founding members, Keith Beddoes, Christopher George, Columb Howell and Roger Hobson, The Princess Royal then unveiled a plaque celebrating 50 years of the .

On Friday 17 April, the 82045 Steam Locomotive Trust organised the Eardington Explorer, a special train calling at the disused Eardington Halt, using locomotive 1450. Tickets were priced at £19.65, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the , with funds going towards the purchase of 82045's boiler.

May 2015

English Electric Class 73/9 Electro-diesel No 73952 arrived on 4 May for three weeks of testing and crew training.

On 16 May 34027 Taw Valley returned to service after a lengthy overhaul. She hauled an incoming railtour "The Golden Jubilee Pullman" from Bewdley to Bridgnorth, also working an service from Bridgnorth back to Kidderminster. She carried a wreath, as did the other locomotives in service on the day, to commemorate the death earlier in the week of former owner Bert Hitchen.

Information on current and forthcoming events on the SVR can be found here.

Locomotives used

Steam locomotives used since 2010 are:

Locomotive	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	Comment
1450					X
1501			X	X	X
2857		X	X	X	X
4566	X	X	X	X	X
5164	X	X	X	X
5764	X
7802 Bradley Manor	X
7812 Erlestoke Manor	X	X	X	X	X
34053 Sir Keith Park			X	X	X	Entry into service following restoration by SLL
42968	X	X	X
43106	X	X	X	X	X
46443	X	X
3802	S
6695	W
92212		S
80072		W
3650			S
44871			W
4936 Kinlet Hall				S+W	S
5643				W
73129					S
92214					W

Key: X = SVR locomotive in use, S = Summer hire-in, W = Winter hire-in. Gala guests are not included in the table above.

Sources

SVR News unless otherwise stated.