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The '''Spring Steam Gala ''' is the smaller of the two annual enthusiasts' galas with visiting locomotives and a more intensive timetable, but without the all night running of the [[Autumn Steam Gala]]. This event is typically in late March and is now billed by the SVR as "opening the season", even though trains commence for the February half-term week. The event incorporates three days of Gala from Friday to Sunday. Other common features include demonstration freight trains and shorter local, part-line services.
Visiting locomotives are also often utilised in the days after the gala for private photographic charters and passenger work.
The first Spring Steam Gala was a one day event held on 10 April 1976 and attended by more than 2,500 travellers.<ref>SVR News 39</ref> It became a two day event the following year although still staged in April, a format maintained during the 1980s and 1990s. Early galas used home engines only, with [[Steam Locomotives visiting the SVR for galas#1990-1999|guest locomotives]] appearing regularly from 1992.
In 2000 the Spring Steam Gala moved to March, the first being a 3-day event on 8-10 March 2000 advertised as a 'Branch Line Gala Weekend'.<ref>SVR News 131</ref> A number of subsequent galas were also branded as Branch Line Galas, some taking local theses themes such as 'Somerset and Dorset' or 'Welsh'.<ref>SVR News 138,141</ref>
==Notable events==
*'''2004''' and '''2011''' No Galas due to engineering work.
*'''2008''' No Gala due to the [[2007 Storm Damage]], although guest locomotive S&DJR 88 took part in the reopening weekend.
*'''2013''' The Spring Steam Gala was hit by heavy snow, resulting in attendances being around half of the numbers expected. In '''2018''' heavy snow hit the third day (Sunday). The Railway still managed to run the services as planned. *'''2020''' Due to work on [[Falling Sands Viaduct]] closing the line between Bewdley and Kidderminster, the gala is retimed towards the end of April
==Passenger numbers==
