The Severn Valley Railway

This work discusses the history of the Severn Valley Railway (SVR). In just over three decades, the SVR has graduated from relative obscurity to great prominence in British railway preservation. The SVR is a standard-gauge line running steam-hauled trains between Kidderminster and Bridgnorth, a distance of 16 miles. SVR preservation dates from 1965, when a group of railway enthusiasts formed the Severn Valley Railway Preservation Society with the aim of reopening part of the closed line which originally ran from Worcester to Shrewsbury. By May 1970 the section from Bridgnorth to Hampton Loade had been opened for public passenger services. Over the next four years more money was raised and eventually the Bewdley to Bridgnorth line was fully restored; the link to Kidderminster followed in 1984. The text examines the line in its days as part of the national railway network, and tells the restoration story through photographs and detailed captions. Special events, buildings and infrastructure, locomotives and rolling stock are all featured.