The Severn Valley Railway under GWR/BR ownership
The Severn Valley Railway opened in 1862, linking Shrewsbury in the North, via Bridgnorth, to Hartlebury in the South. The present day Severn Valley Railway operates over the section from Bridgnorth to a point south of Bewdley station, where the original line can be seen curving away to the right towards Stourport as you travel towards Kidderminster.
The Severn Valley Railway was originally operated by the West Midland Railway, but was fully absorbed into the Great Western Railway (GWRGreat Western Railway) in 1872. In 1878 the GWRGreat Western Railway added ‘The Loop’ linking Bewdley to Kidderminster. This is the section over which the present day Severn Valley Railway continues.
The line was used for both passenger and freight traffic. Much of the latter was generated by Alveley Colliery at Highley and the British Sugar Corporation factory at Foley Park, Kidderminster.
Ownership of the Severn Valley Line passed to British Railways (BRBritish Rail or British Railways) upon nationalisation in 1948, when it became part of the British Railways Western Region “BRBritish Rail or British Railways(W)". The 1950s saw steam replaced on some services by GWRGreat Western Railway Diesel Railcars and BRBritish Rail or British Railways Diesel Multiple Units (DMUDiesel Multiple Unit).
Through traffic between Shreswbury and Bewdley ceased in 1963, the closure of this section being the catalyst for the beginnings of The Severn Valley Railway in preservation two years later. The line from Alveley Colliery southwards through Bewdley remained in use for moving coal to Stourport Power Station until the Colliery closed in 1969.
BRBritish Rail or British Railways ceased passenger services from Bewdley to Hartlebury in 1970, ending their use of the original Severn Valley Line. Services from Bewdley to Kidderminster over 'The Loop' ended at the same time, although British Sugar Corporation freight traffic between Foley Park and Kidderminster continued until 1982.
When the SVRSevern Valley Railway opened services to Bewdley in 1974, the connection onto The Loop' remained in place. In the late 1970s and early 1980s the SVRSevern Valley Railway, with BRBritish Rail or British Railways’s co-operation, were able to stage outgoing main line rail tours (and play host to incoming ones) via 'The Loop'. On some weekends in summer, BRBritish Rail or British Railways also operated a few DMUDiesel Multiple Unit special services from their Kidderminster station to the SVRSevern Valley Railway at Bewdley.
References and sources
The Severn Valley Railway Souvenir Guide, available from Gift Shops on the SVRSevern Valley Railway.
Past editions of Severn Valley News.
