Severn Valley Railway Timeline 2010-2019

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

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 Black livery), Standard 2-6-0 No 78019 (which had never steamed while at the ), 0-6-0PT No 5786 which had spent 10 months on the in 1969/70, and 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 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. ‘Small ’ 5542 and 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 that morning, its place on the first train of the day taken by 42968 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 ran a special train with proceeds going to help the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway, which had suffered two successive embankment collapses. The was one of the railways which had come to the aid of the 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), Large 4160 (deputising for 5029 Nunney Castle also unavailable), Caledonian Railway 812 no 828 ( 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 92212 also took part.

November 2011

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 theme with 5 guests; A4 60019 Bittern appearing in livery complete with 'valances' for the first time in preservation, E1 J72 69023 ‘Joem’, N2 Class 1744, Caledonian Railway 812 class No 828 which had been re-wheeled following work over the winter, and Jinty No 47406. The recently completed restoration of Restaurant Car 7960 allowed Bittern to haul a rake of 8 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 day 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 SVR(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 un-rebuilt West Country class pacific No 34007 Wadebridge, USA Porter ‘yankee tank’ No 65 ( 30065), Mike Little’s No 1450, and Standard 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 SVR(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 5164 retired from service at the end of the 2013 season, running its last public passenger trains on 5th January 2014.

The total mileages for the year recorded by the SVRSevern Valley Railway's steam locomotives are shown in the table below.^[1]

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 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

Standard 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 SVRSevern Valley Railway'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

2015 marked the 50th anniversary of the formation of the

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 near Folly Point. 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. Due to the lack of good road access to the aqueduct, the replacement pipes were transported from Bewdley station to the worksite by rail, using contracted equipment in the form of diesel shunter D2957 and Gane 'A' 60841 ^[2]. 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 pannier tank No. 5786 from the South Devon Railway (in London Underground livery as L92, the livery it first wore at the ), 2-8-0T No. 4270 from the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway, and 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 .

An unusual locomotive arrived on the for a cosmetic overhaul in the form of Sentinel 9387.

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 , and was presented with a locoman's billy can as a memento of the occasion.

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.

On Monday 27th April, a Pump Trolley Challenge took place between Bridgnorth and Hampton Loade, with 13 teams of volunteers in fancy dress taking part. Teams were judged on their costumes and enthusiasm (not speed!), with the Bridgnorth Engineering Services team being awarded first place.

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 from London Victoria, "The Golden Jubilee Pullman", between Bewdley and 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.

July 2015

On Monday 6th July, a special 50th Anniversary Dining Train was arranged for founding members and early pioneers of the , being hauled by early locomotive 43106. A photographic lineup was organised at Bridgnorth, with five locomotives forming the backdrop.

On Friday 17th July, a separate 50th Anniversary Dinner was held at Spring Grove House, West Midland Safari Park, including a talk by Antiques Roadshow expert and railway enthusiast Paul Atterbury.

August 2015

The "Step back to the 1960s" event was run on Friday 14th and Saturday 15th, with many 60s-themed exhibits, including car displays and a fashion show at The Engine House. On both evenings, music shows were held at Kidderminster, with performances by tribute acts The Stones (Friday) and The Who 2 (Saturday).

September 2015

The 's patron, HRH The Duke of Gloucester, visited the railway on Thursday 17th September. After a reception at Bridgnorth, he travelled to Hampton Loade and back on an autotrain hauled by 1450. HRH accepted the opportunity to drive the train in both directions, which was done from the driving compartment of the autocoach on the outward journey. He then met a number of staff from the Bridgnorth locomotive works and boiler shop, as well as members of the 82045 Trust, of which he is also patron.

The Autumn Steam Gala had a 50th anniversary theme. Two guest locomotives were former residents, Standard Class 7 70000 Britannia and Class 2 46521. The gala also featured Royal Scot No. 46100 Royal Scot, newly returned to steam following a 5-year overhaul.

43106 appeared at the themed gala at Barrow Hill, becoming the first of her class to appear at the Roundhouse in half a century.

October 2015

The railway announced the purchase of 10 acres of land to the West of Bridgnorth station, including Pan Pudding Hill. The purchase was done to safeguard the land from any developments such as housing estates, with plans including more permanent parking facilities (the fields had previously been used for overflow parking), and other uses such as a new volunteer accommodation building.^[3]

Guests at the 2015 Diesel Gala were summer visitor Deltic 55019 Royal Highland Fusilier, Class 14 D9531, Class 17 D8568, Class 35 D7076 and Class 52 D1015 Western Champion.

A1 No 60163 Tornado arrived on the for a 3 week visit. Tornado had previously visited in 2009 and 2011.

Having stayed at the after its appearance at the Autumn Steam Gala, 46100 Royal Scot underwent high speed testing between Bewdley and Kidderminster, in preparation for a return to mainline service. During two weekends, Royal Scot was also used on passenger services alongside Tornado.

November 2015

7802 Bradley Manor returned to service following an overhaul. The return coincided with the 'Manor 50' weekend, held to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of steam on the Cambrian network. Bradley Manor was joined for the occasion by 7812 Erlestoke Manor and 7820 Dinmore Manor; the three locomotives being the last of their class to work on the Cambrian mainline.

GWR 9103 Nondescript Saloon was awarded the title of Overall Winner in the Carriage and Wagon category of the Heritage Railway Association Awards in November 2015, due to the quality of its 30 year restoration that finished in 2013.

December 2015

Structural work on the Diesel Depot was complete by December, with jobs such as wiring, installation of internal fittings, and painting being done by volunteer labour.^[4]

The lease of the Stourport Branch as far as Mount Pleasant tunnel to Rail Safety Solutions (RSS) was announced, this land still being owned by the despite no track existing beyond the Stourport Triangle. RSS planned to train Network Rail apprentices in tracklaying and maintenance activities, and in return for the use of the land, the would gain free training for its own staff, and use of a relaid portion of the Stourport Branch.

Locomotive mileages for the year are shown in the table below.

2016

January 2016

Work began on the major infrastructure project for the winter, re-sleepering around ½ mile of track near the summit of Eardington Bank and relaying with continuously welded rail (CWR). Work also began on refurbishing the platform canopy of Bewdley station.

On 13 January, David Postle announced that the plans for the redevelopment of Bridgnorth Station had been submitted to Shropshire Council.

February 2016

The was announced as joint winner of the Heritage Railway Association Large Groups Award ‘for 50 glorious years and for celebrating in some style’.

The cosmetic overhaul of Sentinel 9387 was completed.

March 2016

The Spring Steam Gala featured two visiting 6400 Pannier Tanks, numbers 6412 and 6430, both of which worked with the 's autocoaches. Talyllyn Railway 2ft 3in gauge loco No 4 Edward Thomas gave footplate rides on a short section of track specially installed in the Engine House car park. Modified Hall No 6990 Witherslack Hall was due to appear in the gala but was unable to take part having suffered a hot box after arrival; however it was repaired in time to work service trains on the following Easter weekend and a further two weekends. Although this was the first time 6990 had visited the , her designed tender was previously on display in the Engine House behind 4930 Hagley Hall before being the subject of an exchange for a style tender in 2013.

April 2016

Tickets to ride behind Flying Scotsman and Tornado at the autumn ‘ Power’ event went on sale on 5 April. All 7,000 tickets were sold by the end of the day.

The 'Open House Weekend', formerly known as the 'Members and Shareholders' weekend, was held on 16-17 April. Steam featured the 's two Manors and two Bulleids, with 1501 operating local services. BR Class 50 50049 Defiance returned to service following an overhaul. A number of model railway layouts were displayed at Highley and Kidderminster Railway Museum.

May 2016

Wyre Forest District Council approved a Local Heritage List, identifying a number of historic buildings and structures on the which are considered to be of value to the local historic environment although not protected by statutory designations (ie 'listed').

The 3-day 2016 Spring Diesel Festival saw 16 visiting locomotives in service, including Class 66 no 66763 which was named "Severn Valley Railway" at a ceremony on Friday 20 May. The London Underground 4TC set was used on 'local' services, while the 'Rudd' Ballast Wagons were used in a demonstration freight service.

The SVR announced that the Severn Valley Railway Charitable Trust had won a grant of £75,000 in a Department for Transport competition, for an ambitious scheme to transform the Railway’s travel offering for disabled passengers. The scheme is to involve the restoration and conversion of two 1950s carriages, and the purchase of lightweight, portable ramps for each of the Railway’s wheelchair-accessible carriages.

June 2016

Issue 194 of Severn Valley Railway News marked 50 years of David Williams' editorship.

July 2016

Shropshire Council granted planning permission for the 's proposed redevelopment of Bridgnorth Station on 19 July 2016^[5].

August 2016

LNER 24506 Brake Third entered service following its restoration/conversion from former Gangwayed Full Brake/Pigeon Van 70759.

On 26 August, 7812 Erlestoke Manor reached 100,000 miles in preservation.

The August bank holiday staged a 'Western Weekend' to celebrate 40 years since the end of Class 52 'Western' diesels in service (the actual 40th anniversary, falling in February 2017, was considered a less favourable time to hold a gala). resident D1062 Western Courier was joined by The Diesel Traction Group's D1015 Western Champion.

September 2016

On 8 September, -design 60163 'Tornado' brought Vintage Trains' 'Severn Valley Venturer' from London Victoria to Bridgnorth. 34027 Taw Valley was due to return the tour to Bewdley, but suffered a brake pump problem and 50049 Defiance ran instead. 66151 took over at Bewdley to haul 1Z75 back to London Victoria. The intention was for this to be a positioning move for Tornado to attend 's ' Power' event from September 21-26 but unavailability of other locomotives meant that she instead ran to Bristol on 9 September to haul the Torbay Express, returning to metals on 12 September.

On 17 September, newly overhauled BR Class 50 50031 Hood was re-dedicated in a ceremony at Kidderminster. The event marked two anniversaries; 100 years since the keel of HMS Hood was laid in 1916 and 75 years since the ship was sunk by the German battleship Bismark during World War 2.

The staged ' Power' featuring the first meeting of A1 60103 Flying Scotsman and 60163 Tornado. On Wednesday 21 September, Flying Scotsman hauled three round trips for around 1,200 supporters of the SVR Charitable Trust. The next five days saw four round trips per day using one locomotive from Kidderminster to Bridgnorth and the other for the return. The special services ran with a full rake of 9 teaks, the first time that nine teak coaches have run together since 2 May 1964 (by then repainted into maroon)^[6]. The visitors were supported by home locomotives including the ’s own pacifics Taw Valley and Sir Keith Park. The event, which saw a total of around 15,000 visitors, replaced the traditional Autumn Steam Gala.

Locomotives used

Steam locomotives used since 2010 are:

Locomotive	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	Comment
1450					2,110	1,714
1501			X	4,701	5,128	4,356
2857		X	X	10,624	10,477	10,828
4566	X	X	X	4,606	5,775	5,644
5164	X	X	X	8,556
5764	X
7802 Bradley Manor	X					1,238
7812 Erlestoke Manor	X	X	X	7,579	9,329	7,725
34027 Taw Valley						6,265
34053 Sir Keith Park			X	7,937	8,220	8,130		Entry into service following restoration by SLL
42968	X	X	X
43106	X	X	X	5,235	9,597	10,247
46443	X	X
3802	S
6695	W
92212		S
80072		W
3650			S
44871			W
4936 Kinlet Hall				981 (S+W)	507 (S)
5643				4,130
73129					3,550 (S)
92214					897 (W)
Total				49,408	55,591	56,147

Key: X = SVRSevern Valley Railway locomotive in use, S = Summer hire-in, W = Winter hire-in. Gala guests and short term visitors are not included in the table above.

Sources

News unless otherwise stated.

↑ SVR News 185. p12.
↑ http://www.svrlive.com/Pages/Infrastructure.aspx
↑ SVR Notice Board Issue NBI-H-276 "Purchase of 10 Acres of Land to the West of Bridgnorth"
↑ Diesel Depot thread on SVRA forum
↑ Shropshire Council web site Link
↑ SVRA Forum

[1] SVR News 185. p12.

[2] ttp://www.svrlive.com/Pages/Infrastructure.aspx

[3] SVR Notice Board Issue NBI-H-276 "Purchase of 10 Acres of Land to the West of Bridgnorth"

[4] Diesel Depot thread on SVRA forum

[5] Shropshire Council web site Link

[6] SVRA Forum

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

Severn Valley Railway Timeline 2010-2019

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