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SEVERN VALLEY RAILWAY GALA ROUNDUP 2024 –     With Special £2 donation included with every purchase towards the Landslip Appeal at Hay Bridge. Retail £14.95, less £2 donation to SVR.

Gala time is always a special time on the Severn Valley Railway which is now one of Britain’s premier heritage railways. The year 2024 saw the railway hold several key enthusiasts themed events including the regular Spring and Autumn Steam and Diesel Galas and the newly formed Winter Steam and Diesel events. 2024 saw nearly fifty steam and diesel locomotives traverse the 16-mile railway including 16 steam and 30 diesel locomotives.

WINTER STEAM GALA, 6-7 January

A newly formed event in the SVR calendar was the ‘Winter Steam Gala’ which heralded a strong LMS theme with the reintroduction to service for the was unique Stanier ‘Mogul’ No. 2968 appearing in its post-1935 LMS black livery which had returned to steam only a few weeks prior following a major overhaul. The gala also said farewell to the other unique LMS mogul ‘Ivatt 4MT’ No. 43106 which was appearing for the final time before the end of its boiler ticket and withdrawal for overhaul, another farewell was that of SR Bulleid Pacific No. 34027 Taw Valley which was still appearing in its inauthentic wartime black livery and numbered 21C127, however the West Country was unexpectedly given one final appearance before withdrawal later in the year. The trio were joined by two Great Western engines including 7714 and 7812 Erlestoke Manor.

OPEN HOUSE WEEKEND, 6-7 April

In early April, enthusiasts and families alike were treated to a ‘behind the scenes’ look at various aspects of the SVR including a shed and workshop tour at Bridgnorth which gave visitors the chance to get up close and personal with the ongoing projects including the restoration of ‘Large Prairie’ 4150 and the construction of new-build BR ‘Standard 3MT’ 82045. Another attraction for visitors were Signal Box tours at Highley and Kidderminster with a selection of trains operating including Class 50 No. 50035, BR ‘Standard 4MT’ 75069, GWR Hall 4930 Hagley Hall and the BR Class 108 Diesel Multiple Unit.

LOCOMOTIVE ON TEST, March/April

We take a look at Jeremy Hosking’s LNER ‘A2’ Pacific 60532 Blue Peter which had undergone a major overhaul at Crewe Diesel Depot and we view the engine in late March and early April when it spent a period of time of rigorous testing on the SVR to ensure that the engine was working properly for a return to the mainline with Locomotive Services Limited.

SPRING STEAM GALA, 18-21 April

The first big enthusiasts event on the SVR calendar was the annual Spring Steam Gala, the event was scheduled to feature some of the first runs for the brand-new GWR ‘Grange’ 6880 Betton Grange, sadly due to the locomotive still undergoing the final stage of construction at Tyseley Locomotive Works the ‘Grange’ was sadly a no show, which resulted in an extra final appearance for 34027 Taw Valley. The Railway also anticipated to feature the return to service for Port Talbot ‘Saddle Tank’ 813, however due to the discovery of a problem with a leaking saddle tank; the engine was replaced with a last minute visitor in the form of ex-Weymouth Quay ‘Pannier Tank’ 1369 from the South Devon Railway. The outside-cylinder ‘Pannier’ joined the other visitors including LBSCR A1X ‘Terrier’ No. 72 Fenchurch from the Bluebell Railway and Kitson ‘Lambton Tank’ No. 29 from the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, with the trio giving the event a diminutive Branch Line feel. The visitors and 34027 joined LMS ‘Stanier Mogul’ 13268 now wearing its early 1934 LMS lined black livery, BR ‘Standard 4MT’ 75069, GWR ‘Manor’ 7812 Erlestoke Manor, ‘Hall’ 4930 Hagley Hall and ‘Pannier Tank’ 7714, as-well as the newly overhauled Class 108 DMU which was used on shuttles between Kidderminster and Arley.

SPRING DIESEL FESTIVAL, 16-19 May

The first diesel enthusiasts event on the SVR calendar was the annual Spring Diesel Festival, the event featured a wide variety of both heritage and modern traction which included 25 locomotives from 14 different classes including Classes: 14, 17, 20, 33, 37, 40, 43, 46, 50, 52, 59, 69, 70 and 73. The gala was well supported by mainline operators including: Locomotives Services Ltd, GB

Railfreight, Freightliner, Colas Rail, and RailAdventure. The main highlight for visitors was the appearance of Locomotive Services Ltd’s 37409 which was making one of its first public appearances in the inauthentic BR ScotRail livery. Another highlight was the modern traction including the newly completed GBRf 69009 which was wearing the Western Region maroon livery which was a common sight on the Class 52 ‘Western’ locomotives during the early 1960s.

AUTUMN STEAM GALA, 18-21 September

The biggest and final steam event at the SVR in 2024 was the annual Autumn Steam Gala, the event took a slightly LMS theme with the appearance of ‘Jubilee’ 45596 Bahamas which was making its first appearance on the SVR in 30 years after appearing in 1984. Joining the Green ‘Jubilee’ were a trio of other guests including LMS ‘Black 5’ 44932 visiting from West Coast Railways, it was the first time 44932 had visited the SVR and the first appearance on a heritage line since 2014. The newest locomotive appearing at the event was GWR ‘Saint’ 2999 Lady of Legend making its third SVR appearance from the Didcot Railway Centre; and finally the rare appearance of Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway ‘23’ class saddle tank 11456 which was visiting from the East Lancashire Railway and was also making its first appearances in LMS black livery for the first time in 80 years! Also making appearances from the home fleet were LMS ‘Stanier Mogul’ 13268, GWR ‘Hall’ 4930 Hagley Hall and ‘Pannier Tank’ 7714 and the BR Class 108 DMU evoking memories of a classic Western Region branch line during the 1960s.

AUTUMN DIESEL BASH, 3-6 October

The final diesel event at the SVR in 2024 was the Autumn Diesel Bash, the event once again celebrated the era of the heritage diesels with a few modern traction appearances as-well. The gala witnessed a total of 20 locomotives including Classes 17, 20, 25, 33, 37, 40, 42, 43, 46, 50, 52 and 58. The main attractions for the event were the five guest locomotives including the first preservation runs for Class 58 58023 Leicester Depot, and the pairing of two Class 25s in the form of newly painted into BR Blue 25262(D7612) from the South Devon Railway and BR two-tone Green D7628(25278) Sybilla which was making a rare visit away from the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. The event also saw the return to service after repairs for Class 42 ‘Warship’ D821 Greyhound and Class 50 50033 Glorious. It was also the first chance to witness 50007 Hercules and 50049 Defiance at an SVR gala since they were repainted back into BR large logo Blue. The event also witnessed an appearance of a withdrawal GWR ‘Castle’ class ‘HST’ which until recently had been used on front line service between Cornwall and South Wales.

WINTER DIESEL DAY, 30 December

Another new event in the SVR diary is the Winter Diesel Day, the event was held in late December and was the final event of 2024. The gala included the appearance of nine diesel locomotives including: D9551, 20048, 20205, 33108, 37263, 40106, 46045, 50035, D1015 as-well as the Class 108 DMU and ex-GWR Class 43 HST set, as-well as the newly overhauled GWR ‘Auto Tank’ 1450 which was used to provide steam heat alongside 40106 and 46045.

 

Locomotives featured:

● SR rebuilt ‘West Country’ 21C127(34027) Taw Valley

1. BR ‘Standard 4MT’ 75069

2. LMS ‘Ivatt 4MT’ 43106

3. LMS ‘Stanier Mogul’ 13268

4. GWR ‘Pannier Tank’ 7714

5. GWR ‘Auto Tank’ 1450

6. GWR ‘Manor’ 7812 Erlestoke Manor

7. GWR ‘Hall’ 4930 Hagley Hall

8. Kitson ‘Lambton Tank’ 29

9. LBSCR ‘Terrier’ 72 Fenchurch

10. GWR ‘Pannier Tank’ 1369

11. LMS ‘Jubilee’ 45596 Bahamas

12. LMS ‘Black Five’ 44932

13. GWR ‘Saint’ 2999 Lady of Legend

14. L&Y ‘23’ 11456

15. LNER ‘A2’ 60532 Blue Peter

16. BR Class 14 D9551

17. BR Class 17 D8568

18. BR Class 20 20048

19. BR Class 20 20142 Sir John Betjeman

20. BR Class 20 20189

21. BR Class 20 20205

22. BR Class 25 25262

23. BR Class 25 D7628 Sybilla

24. BR Class 33 33108

25. BR Class 37 37263

26. BR Class 37 37409 Loch Awe

27. BR Class 40 40106 Atlantic Conveyor

28. BR Class 42 D821 Greyhound

29. BR Class 43 43094

30. BR Class 43 43122

31. BR Class 43 43301

32. BR Class 43 43303

33. BR Class 43 43465

34. BR Class 43 43480

35. BR Class 46 46045

36. BR Class 50 50007 Hercules

37. BR Class 50 50033 Glorious

38. BR Class 50 50035 Ark Royal

39. BR Class 50 50049 Defiance

40. BR Class 52 D1015 Western Champion

41. BR Class 52 D1062 Western Courier

42. BR Class 58 58023 Leicester Depot

43. BR Class 59 59206 John F. Yeoman – Rail Pioneer

44. GBRf Class 69 69009 Western Consort

45. Freightliner Class 70 70005

46. BR Class 73 73119 Paul Taylor