We celebrate the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Severn Valley line between Worcester and Shrewsbury in 1862.

Her Majesty Queen Victoria will visit the line over this weekend, calling at our stations to enjoy the entertainments of the time with her subjects !

Advance tickets may still be purchased at discount prices for this event by telephone on 01299 403816 until mid-day on May 18th.

[online application has now closed]

Click here for more information and to download a copy of the event information brochure and timetable.

PRE-BOOK & SAVE ! 

For the past few weeks much has been going on at The Engine House, our Visitor Centre at Highley. Opened for the first time in 2008, we wanted to make some changes and to refresh some of the exhibits.

Just to show how much has been done you may like to watch our short video which shows the big move around of the major exhibits taking place.

This was achieved using time-lapse photography and just goes to show what busy bees we have been !

Please click on the link below to view

The Engine House timelapse

We have some exciting news at The Engine House. . .

The Flag & Whistle Food Stop (formally known as ‘Buffers Cafe Restaurant’) has undergone some big changes over the last couple of months. Thanks to a refurbishment to its front of house and general operations, the cafe has advanced from the long waiting times that come with table service, to a quicker and efficient self-service approach.

The recent refurbishment has brought a more modern, streamlined feel to the restaurant.

The majority of our food is prepared in-house. Soup and sandwich combinations are a popular option, while the daily specials change regularly.

Salads make the most of seasonal ingredients and show off the chefs’ creativity - bright and cheerful, even on the dullest of days!

Why not visit or restaurant balcony and watch the trains go by as you eat your meal and see for yourself?

We hope to see you soon.

Nicky and The Engine House team.

To mark the 150th ANNIVERSARY of the opening of the Severn Valley line between Worcestershire and Shrewsbury, HRH The Duke of Gloucester KG, DCVO visited the line on May 14th.  

Renowned for his special interest in railway preservation, the Duke toured an exhibition at Kidderminster Railway Museum documenting the life and times of the SVR since the first public trains ran on February 1st 1862.

He also inspected one of the railway’s most recently-restored historic carriages, and made a short journey to Bewdley behind the country’s oldest working steam locomotive, Furness Railway No. 20. He also unveiled a commemorative plaque at Bewdley, recording the 150th anniversary of the line.

FOOTNOTE: Furness Railway locomotive No. 20 will be in action at Kidderminster, together with two other Victorian locomotives, on May 19th & 20th as part of the SVR's 150th Anniversary celebrations.

We are very pleased to announce that Battle of Britain locomotive No. 34053 has arrived at Bridgnorth for an extended visit.

The locomotive, which has not operated on a heritage railway before coming to the SVR, will remain at Bridgnorth for the present time whilst final fitting and checks take place.

There will also be a period of 'running in' before Sir Keith enters regular service.

Initially the locomotive will be in the Locomotive Works at Bridgnorth where we regret  there is NO public access.

When No. 34053 is rostered to operate, a further announcement will be made here and details of the trains it will be working will be included in our weekly summary which is updated every Friday.

Our thanks go to Southern Locomotives Ltd for the loan of 'Sir Keith Park'.

Further information about the locomotive can be found here.

Photograph by Duncan Ballard.

Initially available for purchase in advance only.

Choose any consecutive seven-day period when our daily train service is operating. Then decide on the number of days that you would like to travel within that period.

With Flexi-Rover, you choose which days you travel within your chosen seven-day period.

For every day that you add, the daily average fare that you pay gets cheaper and cheaper!

Flexi-Rover permits unlimited travel for the number of days purchased plus FREE admission to The Engine House, our Visitor Centre at Highley.

Adult or Seniors - 1 day £15.50 (our normal pre-book fare), each additional day £7.75.

Child - 1 day £7.75 (our normal pre-book fare), each additional day £3.90.

Pre-book your Flexi-Rover by calling 01299 403816 at least five working days in advance of your first day of travel.

Conditions

May not be used in conjunction with any other discount or special offer.

No family or senior citizen fare available.

Not valid in periods when special fares apply.

No refunds on unused days.

We are very pleased to announce that we have recently won the 2012 award for -

Most Coach-Friendly Historic Attraction

Why not arrange a coach trip for your group in 2012? Attractive discounts and special offers are available for coach operators and private groups pre-booking 15 or more seats on most of our services.

Lisa, our Group Travel Organiser, would love to hear from you. Give her a call on 01299 403816 or download our Group Travel Brochure 2012 by clicking here.

The Engine House, our Visitor Centre at Highley, opened for the first time in March 2008. To date the Visitor Centre has seen more than 250,000 visitors pass through its doors.

Also during this time changes have been made to the exhibits on show, both large and small. These changes have been popular with our visitors and have caused a significant number of visitors to return over and over again.

During the early part of 2012 the staff at The Engine House have been planning the biggest 'move round' of exhibits since the Visitor Centre first opened.

These changes have seen a number of locomotives change position, the inclusion of new exhibits and the welcome return of  old favourites. The major part of this work has just been carried out during a 'closed period' at The Engine House which re-opens for the main summer season on April 28th.

So where does the No. 7 come in?

Well, thanks to SVR Working Member Bob Morris, who is part of the Arley station team, we now have in place at The Engine House the massive No. 7 station platform sign that used to hang above that platform at Snow Hill station in Birmingham. Bob has recently purchased this well-known piece of station 'furniture' and has placed it on loan with us.

We thought that there was no more fitting a place for 'No. 7' to hang than over our platform at the Visitor Centre. So, if you are old enough to remember Snow Hill in the 1940s and 50s, and maybe took a journey to London departing from platform 7, you can take a trip down memory lane and stand under this iconic station sign once again!

Nice one Bob!

Our elegant observation saloon will be attached to certain trains providing a 'Cream Tea Service', for a single journey, between Kidderminster and Bridgnorth or reverse.

The saloon operates on May 14th - 18th with departures from Kidderminster at 10.35am & 2.05pm and Bridgnorth at 12.10pm & 3.55pm.

It also operates during our '1862 - A Victorian Weekend' event on May 19th & 20th with departures from Kidderminster at 10.25am & 2.20pm and Bridgnorth at 12.15pm & 4.05pm.

The observation saloon is comfortably furnished with settees and armchairs. Here you can enjoy, at your seat, a cream tea served by one of our stewards who will travel with you. The saloon's panoramic windows give you a virtually unobstructed view of the beautiful Severn Valley countryside and, for steam buffs, the coach is right next to the locomotive on certain journeys.

There is no need to book in advance. Just purchase your travel tickets normally at one of our station Booking Offices and then go straight to the departure of your choice.

Our cream tea service is available for a supplement of £5.00 per person (adult or child) which is payable directly to the steward in the saloon.

Go on, spoil yourself ! ! !

During the summer months we operate timetable C on Saturdays and certain bank holidays. A service, hauled by a diesel locomotive, operates on these days in addition to our normal steam service.

Proposed locomotives are listed below. This list will be updated as soon as possible and is subject to change, for operational reasons, at short notice.

Diesel locomotives are also used to operate our Diesel Footplate Experience courses which take place on certain Sundays. These trains are not available for public use. The locomotive used on these services will usually be the same one operating on the preceding Saturday.

We expect that the following locomotives will be in use, but for operational reasons, this plan is subject to change at short notice.

Key to Timetable 'A'

Train AN1: 10.25 & 2.00 ex-Bridgnorth       & 12.20 & 4.00 ex-Kidderminster
Train AS1: 10.35 & 2.05 ex-Kidderminster  & 12.10 & 3.55 ex-Bridgnorth

Key to Timetable 'B'

Train BN1: 10.55 & 2.55 ex-Bridgnorth        & 1.00   & 4.50 ex-Kidderminster
Train BS1: 10.25 & 2.20 ex-Kidderminster  & 12.15 & 4.05 ex-Bridgnorth
Train BS2: 11.40 & 3.35 ex-Kidderminster  & 1.35   & 5.25 ex-Bridgnorth
Train BS3: 12.15             ex-Kidderminster   & 2.15               ex-Bridgnorth (Sunday only)

Key to Timetable 'C'

Train CN1: 11.10 & 2.55 ex-Bridgnorth      & 12.45 & 4.50 ex-Kidderminster
Train CS1: 9.55 & 1.30   ex-Kidderminster & 11.55 & 3.40 ex-Bridgnorth
Train CS2: 10.35 & 2.15 ex-Kidderminster & 12.40 & 4.35 ex-Bridgnorth
Train CS3: 11.15 & 3.00 ex-Kidderminster & 1.25 & 5.25   ex-Bridgnorth

Saturday 12^th May - Timetable 'C'

Train CN1: 42968
Train CS1: D1062 [diesel]
Train CS2: 7812
Train CS3: 43106
Evening theme  43106
Saloon charter    4566 [swap with 5164 at Bridgnorth at 1330]

Sunday 13^th May - Timetable 'B'

Train BN1: 42968
Train BS1: 43106
Train BS2: 5164
Train BS3: 7812

Monday 14^th May - Timetable A

Train AN1: 4566
Train AS1: 7812
Saloon special 5164
 
Tuesday 15^th May - Timetable A

Train AN1: 4566
Train AS1: 7812

Wednesday 16^th May - Timetable A

Train AN1: 4566
Train AS1: 7812

Thursday 17^th May - Timetable A

Train AN1: 4566
Train AS1: 7812

Friday 18^th May - Timetable A

Train AN1: 4566
Train AS1: 7812
Footplate Experience: 43106

Engines available for use:

4566
5164
7812
42968
43106

Engines not available for use:

2857   Boiler repairs
42968  Washout and boiler exam from Tuesday
34053  SR Bulleid Battle of Britain, 'Sir Keith Park' - arrived Bridgnorth 10/5/12 - awaiting commissioning

The following locomotives are operational except where otherwise stated.
Please see weekly 'Locomotives in Use' item for further details.

2857 - GWR Churchward class 2800 2-8-0
4566 - GWR 4500 class 'Small' Prairie Tank
5164 - GWR 5101 class 'large' Prairie Tank
7812 - GWR Collett 'Erlestoke Manor'
42968 - LMS Stanier Mogul
43106 - LMS-design Ivatt Class 4

The locomotives listed below are not currently in service but may be seen at The Engine House, our Visitor Centre at Highley.

600 - War Department 2-10-0 'Gordon', Ex British Army.
4930 - GWR Collett 'Hagley Hall'
7325 - GWR Collett 4300 class mogul
46443 - LMS-design Ivatt Class 2 2-6-0.
47383 - LMS 3F 'Jinty' 0-6-0 tank
48773 - LMS Stanier 8F 2-8-0
80079 - BR Standard 4 2-6-4 Tank
686 - Hunslet 0-6-0T 'The Lady Armaghdale'

These locomotives are normally resident on the Severn Valley Railway but are not currently in working order:

813 - Port Talbot Railway 0-6-0 saddle tank - overhaul progressing at Bridgnorth.
1501 - GWR 1500 class 0-6-0 Pannier Tank - Major overhaul at an advanced stage at Bridgnorth.
2047 - Manning Wardle 0-6-0ST 'Warwickshire' - At Bridgnorth for assessment.
4150 - GWR 5101 class Large Prairie - Restoration in progress at Bewdley.
5764 - GWR 5700 class 0-6-0 Pannier Tank. May go away for display in 2012.
6634 - GWR 5600 class 0-6-2T - Restoration underway at Bridgnorth.
7714 - GWR 5700 class 0-6-0 Pannier Tank - returned to Bridgnorth.for overhaul 24/4/12
7802 - GWR Collett 'Bradley Manor' - boiler-less loco at Tyseley for overhaul before return to SVR.
7819 - GWR Collett 'Hinton Manor' - On display at the Designer Outlet Shopping Centre, Swindon.
34027 - SR Bulleid West Country, 'Taw Valley' - Major overhaul at an advanced stage at Bridgnorth.
34053 - SR Bulleid Battle of Britain, 'Sir Keith Park' - arrived Bridgnorth 10/5/12 - awaiting commissioning
45110 - LMS Black Five, On loan to Barrow Hill pending restoration
75069 - BR Standard Class 4 4-6-0, overhaul deferred. Stored at Bridgnorth.

The following diesel locomotives are currently resident on the SVR:

Ruston & Hornsby Class 165DM/DE
281269 [carries D2960 "SilverSpoon"] - operational
319290 [carries D2957] - operational
418596 [carries D2961] overhaul at Kidderminster almost complete April 2012;

Class 08
D3022 - at Kidderminster- operational [Feb 2012]
D3201 - at Kidderminster - moved under its own power [Oct 2011]
D3586 - Bridgnorth-based. Engine overhaul Jan 2012.
D3802 - In store at Kidderminster
08896 - In store at Kidderminster for parts retrieval [also carries D4126]

Class 11
12099 - at Kidderminster

Class 20
D8188 - operational
D8059 - operational
20177 - In store at Kidder for parts retrieval

Class 27
D5410 - in store at Kidderminster

Class 35
D7029 - undergoing overhaul at Kidderminster

Class 37
37906 - at Kidderminster.  Drained down for radiator repair Oct 2011.

Class 42
D821 - Greyhound - serviceable at Kidderminster

Class 50
50031 - 'Hood'  at Kidderminster; drained [Oct 2011].
50035 - 'Ark Royal': moved Cardiff Canton to Kidderminster 29th March 2012 [carries 50135]
50044 - 'Exeter' : moved Cardiff Canton to Kidderminster 29th March 2012
50049 - 'Defiance' : moved Cardiff Canton to Kidderminster 29th March 2012

Class 52
D1013 - 'Western Ranger' - undergoing overhaul at Bridgnorth
D1062 - 'Western Courier' - at Bridgnorth: de-winterised 8th April 2012

Class 108 DMU
51941 - Operational
50933 - Operational
52064 - Operational
56208 - Operational
59250 - Operational

As you would expect, our website is updated on a regular basis. Sometimes new sections are added or items moved. Wording is also sometimes changed. This news item, as a regular feature, is your new way of keeping up-to-date with the changes that we make.

We list below the most recent changes:

March 1st - Restaurant Car Booking - now available

February 23rd - Calendar & Timetable - Improved links to Special Events

Spot an Error?

A missing word, a typing error or even a spelling mistake. All these things can happen in any written document. Here at the Severn Valley Railway we want our website to be as accurate, up-to-date and useful as possible, but we accept that errors may occur.

If you spot an error here or you would like to suggest a change or an improvement, you now have the facility to do so. Just send your comment to:

website@svr.co.uk

Our webmaster will arrange for changes to be made and suggestions for improvements will be considered as soon as possible. Please remember, however, that there may be good reasons for not making certain changes or for a delay in implementing them.

So if we have said 'meat' instead of 'meet' or 'hear' instead of 'here' or perhaps even spelt Bridgnorth with an 'e', we would love to hear from you.

Your web browser

Your web browser is the piece of software that opens each time you join the internet. You will have heard of 'Internet Explorer', and it is quite likely that it is this browser that is installed on your computer. This is not the only one but it is the most popular.

No matter which web browser you decide to use, it is important that it is kept up-to-date. You will not be able to view the SVR and other modern websites properly if you are using an old version of your browser software. Old and outdated browser versions also have security issues.

Are you having problems seeing everything on the website?

If you are, and some images look like a grey rectangle with an X in the corner, it may be that you are using an out-of-date browser.

If you use Windows 7, the latest version of the four most popular browsers, Internet Explorer 9, Firefox 12, Google Chrome 17 and Safari 5, all show images correctly.

If you use Windows XP, the latest version of Internet Explorer available is version 8, which does have problems displaying some images; however you CAN use the latest version of Firefox, Chrome and Safari, and it would be a good idea to use one of these instead.

Where do I go to obtain updates for my browser?

Click on one of the following links and follow the on-screen instructions. This software is free.

Internet Explorer 9

Mozilla Firefox 12

Google Chrome 17

Safari 5

We strongly recommend that you always have up-to-date security software installed on your computer before downloading any files from the internet.

The Severn Valley Railway is grateful for the use of photographs and other pictorial material freely supplied by the following enthusiasts and photographers.

These pictures may appear here on our website or in various SVR publications.

We are indebted to:

John Austin - For the reproduction of his original oil paintings

and to:

Jed Bennett, Paul Chancellor, Jason Houlders, Ray Jones, Scott Lewis, David Pagett, John Oates, Malcolm Ranieri & Bob Sweet - for the reproduction of photographs.

We are also grateful to the many photographers who provide material from time to time and for which we have no record of ownership.

If you regularly take photographs of our trains and stations and would like your work considered for publication please contact our Visitor Services Department on the telephone number given below.

Please note: If you have supplied pictorial material that is not acknowledged here, please let us know on 01299 403816.