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. This page is under construction.
Information on current events on the SVRSevern Valley Railway can be found here.
2010
2010 saw the 40th anniversary of the official opening of the SVRSevern Valley Railway. 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 SVRSevern Valley Railway 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 BRBritish Rail or British Railways Black livery), BRBritish Rail or British Railways Standard 2MTThe 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. 2-6-0 No 78019 (which had never steamed while at the SVRSevern Valley Railway), GWRGreat Western Railway 0-6-0PT No 5786 which had spent 10 months on the SVRSevern Valley Railway in 1969/70, and GWRGreat Western Railway 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.Permanent Way 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. GWRGreat Western Railway ‘Small PrairieLocomotive with a 2-6-2 wheel configuration’ 5542 and SRSouthern Railway 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 BRBritish Rail or British Railways diesel unit in preservation, the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway’s BRBritish Rail or British Railways ‘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, brakes jammed on and cylinder drains and steam heat pipes were frozen solid. 46443 was in the shed for two weeks and actually became stuck to the ground by icicles, while 43106 suffered a shattered piston and broken cylinder cover attributed to the cold weather.
2011
January 2011:
- On 20 January 2011, thieves broke into Bewdley 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 P.W.Permanent Way 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 NRMThe Railway Museum, formerly the National Railway Museum’s Midland Compound No 1000 left the SVRSevern Valley Railway. 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 SVRSevern Valley Railway ran a special train with proceeds going to help the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway, which had suffered two successive embankment collapses. The GWSRGloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway (Commonly known as the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway) was one of the railways which had come to the aid of the SVRSevern Valley Railway following the flood damage in 2007.
Summer 2011:
- BRBritish Rail or British Railways Standard 9FThe 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. 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 SVRSevern Valley Railway’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 GWRGreat Western Railway Auto Coach No 238 ‘Chaffinch’. Mike Little’s locomotive No 1450 and his two Auto Coaches later moved to the SVRSevern Valley Railway 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), GWRGreat Western Railway Large PrairieLocomotive with a 2-6-2 wheel configuration 4160 (deputising for 5029 Nunney Castle also unavailable), Caledonian Railway McIntoshJohn Farquharson McIntosh, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the Caledonian Railway 1895-1914 812 3FThe 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 828 (BRBritish Rail or British Railways 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 9FThe 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. 92212 also took part.
November 2011: BRBritish Rail or British Railways Standard Tank No 80072 arrived on hire from Llangollen to help with the Santa services.
2012
2013
2014
See also
The Severn Valley Railway in preservation
( 2000-2009 ) ( Current events )
Sources
SVRSevern Valley Railway News unless otherwise stated.
