The Severn Valley Railway on the main line
For many years the SVRSevern Valley Railway was closely associated with steam excursions on the main line. In the mid-1970s, even before the company acquired the final section of the line from Foley Park, the SVRSevern Valley Railway set out to become a ‘BRBritish Rail or British Railways approved’ steam centre, supplying locomotives and rolling stock overhauled to BRBritish Rail or British Railways standards for use on main line excursions and charters.
The normal arrangement was that locomotives would leave the SVRSevern Valley Railway and travel to other steam centres, in particular the Bulmers Railway Centre at Hereford, to run tours from there. The time spent away could vary from days to months. In between, locomotives would return to the SVRSevern Valley Railway for repairs and overhauls, as well as working services on the SVRSevern Valley Railway itself. The SVRSevern Valley Railway also organised some of of these railtours.
The first recorded use of the SVRSevern Valley Railway's rolling stock on the main line was an excursion from Bridgnorth to Paddington on 13 November 1976. This was hauled by a BRBritish Rail or British Railways Western Class diesel locomotive from Bewdley, and later by a Class 47 Diesel. (Railtour details on Six Bells Junction)
The first recorded use of an SVRSevern Valley Railway based locomotive in revenue-earning service on the main line was 6960 Raveningham Hall, which hauled the ‘Cathedrals Express’ from Hereford to Chester on 8 April 1978. (Railtour details on Six Bells Junction)
SVRSevern Valley Railway-based locomotives which hauled revenue-earning services on the main line
Current SVRSevern Valley Railway locomotives
- 4930 Hagley Hall
- 7802 Bradley Manor
- 7812 Erlestoke Manor
- 7819 Hinton Manor
- 34027 Taw Valley
- 42968
- 43106
- 45110
- 46443
- 48773
- 75069
- 80079
- BR Class 50 50031 Hood
- BR Class 50 50035 Ark Royal
- BR Class 50 50044 Exeter
- BR Class 50 50049 Defiance
Former residents
(list to be added)
SVRSevern Valley Railway Carriages used in revenue-earning services on the main line
In the mid to late 1970s the SVRSevern Valley Railway provided a rake of GWRGreat Western Railway carriages for use on mainline excursions. The first rail tour used 10 carriages, subsequent excursions normally featured a rake of 11. The following carriages were used[1]:
- GWR 5883 Brake Third
- GWR 1116 Full Third
- GWR 1146 Full Third
- GWR 1086 Full Third
- GWR 1087 Full Third
- GWR 7284 Composite
- GWR 6562 Brake Composite
- GWRGreat Western Railway 9631 'Clapham' Buffet Car ( No longer resident)
- GWR 9627 Restaurant Third
- GWR 9615 Kitchen Diner First
- GWR Full Third 2119 (from 1977[2])
Rail tours recorded in SVRSevern Valley Railway News as using the SVRSevern Valley Railway rolling stock included the following (external links are to tour details on www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk where listed there):
- 13 November 1976: Bewdley to Paddington[1] link
- 23 April 1977: Bridgnorth-Hereford-Chester[3] link
- 3 July 1977: Paddington-Newport-Shrewsbury[4]link
- 15 October 1977: ??-Liskeard[4]
- 6 May 1978: Bewdley-Kingswear[5] Link
- 4 November 1978: Bridgnorth-Pwllheli[6]
However their use on the main line was short-lived; the C&WCarriage & Wagon notes in SVRSevern Valley Railway News for summer 1980, reporting on the SVRSevern Valley Railway coaches attending the Rainhill celebrations, ended with the comment “What a pity the whole train cannot go out again”[7].
