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Severn Valley Railway


steve fay
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Wife has some meeting or other in Brum 12th May, so we will stay overnight 11th and I'll have the day of the 12th at the SVR.

 

Never been before and guess what? In typical fashion, the loco I want to see and photograph is on loan to the WSR.

Edited by JeffP
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  • 1 year later...
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Saturday 1st August saw me on a driving experience. A superb present from Jen and Tim for my 60th birthday. I was allowed six guests, most of whom spent the entire day with a big stupid grin on their faces, just like me.

 

The staff were superb, the ambiance wonderful, and we were given a tour of the workshop and the signalbox at Bridgenorth.

 

Here I am making sure that the cab roof doesn't blow off.

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See what I mean about a big stupid grin?

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Wife has some meeting or other in Brum 12th May, so we will stay overnight 11th and I'll have the day of the 12th at the SVR.

 

Never been before and guess what? In typical fashion, the loco I want to see and photograph is on loan to the WSR.

 

Go for the line, not the loco.

 

Ed

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Out of interest, as the Seven Valley ever looked at going towards Stourport? I presume the trackbed in the town must have

vanished but how close can you still get?

 

keith

They have, and it doesn't work. Much of the trackbed has been built on, they would need to stop out in the countryside short of the main line and the NR station at Stourport, so traffic from that end would be minimal. Besides, the SVR already has its work cut out maintaining the present 16 miles of route; I doubt they'd relish yet more!

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The railway owns the land till just before Burlish halt. Recently the line has been in discussions with Rail Safety Solutions about them using the spur for training purposes, they will be using the trackbed initially up to Mount Pleasant tunnel for training new track workers in laying and lifting track. It means some of our staff will get training and as I understand it we will get use of the track at weekends.  

 

As 2968 says though the costs of maintaining 16 miles are enough. This winter we need to replace a section on Eardington bank. Rail last time i knew was £54,000 per half mile, More work is needed on the viaducts at Bewdley - last year we spent around £250,000 on 2 arches, work is needed on Borle and Falling Sands viaducts; and that's just standing still. Of course there is also the new buffet to go up at Bridgnorth and other improvements, although those for the accommodation will take longer.

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No more mileage needed. There's a NR connection at one end and Bridgnorth at t'other, with a nice run in between. Any longer would certainly be too long for the family market (and me).

 

The full day out trips are a very different market, the only things in between to my knowledge are the Jacobite and Scarboro' trains (which I believe have stopped), both of which are special cases. I suppose the NYMR is similar, but the line from Grosmont to Whitby is not theirs to maintain.

 

Ed

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  • 2 weeks later...

Had to pop up to Kidderminster on Saturday as I am looking to help out on the Diesel depot as well as Bewdley MPD now and again. Was great to see old and reliable GWR 5764 out on display at Kidderminster Station. Whilst down the yard also got a few photos of Class 50s Exeter and Ark Royal, plus the Hymek and Class 08s and 09 'Dick Hardy'...

 

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Well it's been a very good year for the SVR so far. With the Autumn Steam Gala and Diesel Gala coming ahead soon plus Tornado visiting in October it's going to be a wonderful conclusion to the railway's 50th Anniversary Celebrations. Looking forward to seeing Port Talbot/GWR 813 and 7802 Bradley Manor return to steam soon as well.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hey guys, made another visit today to the SVR. Today's visit was to sort out my volunteer work at the Diesel Depot in Kidderminster. Whilst there I was able to get some photos of the recently restored 1947 built GWR Vanfit 65620 and 1896 built GWR Improvised Gunpowder Van 58725. Both very well restored wagons and ones I hope to see take their place the Autumn Gala in a few weeks. Also made a detour to Kidderminster to see how things were around there too...

 

Do guys mind me posting a selection of my photos here whenever I go to the SVR at all?

 

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Having grown up near the SVR, I was a frequent visitor to it in the 80s. Going back now, I don't think I fully appreciated then what a fantastic railway it is. The stations are immaculate and the views spectacular. On the downside, I miss being able to wander off the platform at Bridgnorth into the shed. Whilst The Engine Shed is a good museum, it's not the same as going into a shed.

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They have, and it doesn't work. Much of the trackbed has been built on, they would need to stop out in the countryside short of the main line and the NR station at Stourport, so traffic from that end would be minimal. Besides, the SVR already has its work cut out maintaining the present 16 miles of route; I doubt they'd relish yet more!

There has never been a NR era station at Stourport. The line was lifted in the early '70's. The main line (OWW) never went to Stourport, the connection was at Hartlebury.
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There has never been a NR era station at Stourport. The line was lifted in the early '70's. The main line (OWW) never went to Stourport, the connection was at Hartlebury.

Part of the problem. Perhaps I didn't make myself clear, but essentially an interchange between the network and SVR wasn't possible at the far end of that line, unlike at Kidderminster.

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A pedant writes: to be properly pedantic most of the Stourport-Hartlebury line wasn't lifted until the early 80s when Stourport Power Station closed. By then though the Stourport-Burlish trackbed had already been sold off.

 

The aim of the SVR always seems, right from the start, to have aimed for Kidderminster rather than Hartlebury - there are plenty of publications even from before reopening to Bewdley that mention Kidderminster as the railway's aim. I'm not entirely sure why - whether it was considered more feasible or was just what the pioneers had more interest in doing.

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Remember that in 1960 - and for quite some time afterwards, BR still worked passenger services into Bewdley from Kidderminster so all the infrastructure was not only in place but actually in operation. Taking over the line when BR finally closed it would be the easier option, and again, the site of the goods yard and BR station's being at Kidderminster would have been an attraction, unlike the open field at Hartlebury.

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Whether by accident or design, the ability to use the ex-goods yard at Kiddi means the SVR is spared the curse of many heritage lines of inadequate parking (as well as having excellent rail access). Even with lower car usage levels in the 80s, parking was always terrible at either Bewdley or Bridgnorth.

 

Equally, Kiddiminster station is very handily situated for main road access

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