ronik24
Proud Earthling
Hi,
To the previous part of the series:
Nostalgic May 8: Isle of Wight - Worcestershire (50 p.)
railroadforums.com
The new video for this part:
May 17 2023
I changed from the modern railway station to the Severn Valley Railway heritage terminal on the same square. Kidderminster Town (traditional naming of the second GWR station in the same town) is a replica of a Victorian terminus:
en.wikipedia.org
You might guess the history of this engine by its shape without knowing any background.
It's Warship class 42 D821 "Greyhound" newly restored in BR blue, a "British DB V200" with licensed Maybach engines:
en.wikipedia.org
www.svrwiki.com
Diesel-hydraulic results of the partly disastrous postwar BR modernisation plan united - 60-year-old class 52 D1062 "Western Courier" in front:
www.svrwiki.com
Hardly any other heritage railway location offers such a main station atmosphere.
Coronation decoration.
I picked up coloured wristbands for the gala days I had booked online from the ticket counter. No services ran that Wednesday, so I had to walk to the bus stop.
My base Bewdley, lovely neighbouring town of Kidderminster on the River Severn. Below: Some impressions from the long-distance trail Severn Way in the valley north of the town.
My accommodation was the half-timber Severn Valley Guest House. The view from my tiny room in contrast to the untypically huge one where I had stayed at Bournemouth. The two class 20s have been inserted from the first gala day. Due to the wall on the bridge north of Bewdley station, you can't see much of the train.
May 18 2023
Breakfast at 7:30 a.m. in the guest house café, the railway viaduct outside. The room soon filled with like-minded guests.
Bewdley heritage railway station, two minutes’ walk away.
The first train of the four-day gala event arrived at 8:10 a.m. hauled by 31466 in EWS livery (originally Wisconsin Central colours):
www.svrwiki.com
I took a seat in a compartment with some local rail enthusiasts and had a nice chat. For an impression from the ride, see the start of the video.
It was my first visit to the line since my first pure railway photo trip around the UK and Ireland in 2007 (also my first travel report in this format). Pictures from back then mainly with steam - this time I tried to cover some alternative spots (currently only available in German - please use autotranslate):
And now... it's: Part 4 - Severn Valley (50 p.)
After arrival at the current northern Severn Valley Railway terminal Bridgnorth:
en.wikipedia.org
Larger modern engine sheds are located here.
31466 reversing.
I explored the surroundings while waiting for the next arrival.
Western Class D1062 "Western Courier" approached slightly early at 9:20 a.m., 25 minutes behind my train. As you may notice, an ambitious schedule for a 16-mile single track heritage line - this was about to stay one of the few punctual arrivals that day. Class 20 20142 "Sir John Betjeman" to the right would enter service later:
en.wikipedia.org
I boarded the first train back, pulled again by 31466.
Photo taken from the window leaving Bridgnorth - we already have experienced the only preserved Clayton class 17 D8568 in action, four days before in the south:
I got off at Highley and quickly walked south along the lovely Severn Way across blooming meadows. Almost halfway to the next station - Arley - you come across this sheepwalk.
However, something was not right - no train had passed by yet, not even the one I had arrived with...
Finally, I heard rumbling from the north at 10:30, and 31466 approached with my train half an hour delayed. I never learnt the exact problem, but it was a very ambitious schedule with additional shorter round trips to Arley and Highley in between. Later - at Arley station - I heard railwaymen grumbling about another train coming to reverse here. Still, they stuck to the program with some minor changes and ran almost every service delayed until the evening hours.
At least I did not miss anything this way...
Borle Brook viaduct to the left, River Severn to the right.
Most trains towards Kidderminster accelerate at this spot, see video from second 37.
40106 "Atlantic Conveyor" approaching from Arley fifteen minutes later:
www.svrwiki.com
We already have seen 40145 on this trip.
I have cropped the vegetation slightly virtually in some pictures. Overall, this is a beautiful spot with good visibility of the line. There are not too many publicly reachable visible sections of the railway. I had noticed a single rail photographer standing on a ladder passing by in the morning on the ridge next to the train. We briefly chatted, then he left. Otherwise, no further rail enthusiast appeared while I was waiting there.
D1062 "Western Courier" Bridgnorth - Kidderminster approached punctually at 11:19 a.m.
The loco thundered past exactly in the spotlight - see video at minute 2:00. I sometimes held the camera above my head on this spot - in this case I kept it lower to line up the telegraph pole with the gap in the treeline.
BR Class 50 50035 "Ark Royal" showed up next at 11:30 towards Bridgnorth - a class 37 should have hauled this service. 50021 had been captured near Corfe Castle earlier in this series.
Camera positioned above the head.
Colas Rail 56051 "Survival" + DBSO set + 47712 "Lady Diana Spencer" in Scotrail livery on a shorter trip reversing at Highley:
en.wikipedia.org
en.wikipedia.org
en.wikipedia.org
The train returning 14 minutes later.
Class 47 was the most-built mainline diesel engine in Britain with more than 500 produced locos:
en.wikipedia.org
To reminisce, 47760 "Restless" (later "Ribblehead Viaduct", nowadays preserved with West Coast Railways) conveyed me and my family from Aberdeen to Edinburgh in 1995 on the Caledonian Sleeper to London:
33108 + 20142, newly in operation from Bridgnorth.
31270 "Athena" and 31466 Kidderminster - Bridgnorth.
40106 returned from Bridgnorth at 2 p.m.
English Electric Type 4 accelerating with the well-known apocalyptic sound, see video at minute 4:44.
What I had waited for: D821 "Greyhound" appeared back in the valley an hour later than planned - 2:13 instead of 1:13 p.m.
I had forgotten my sunscreen in the room - it was sunnier than expected and I kept standing on the pasture for four hours. So, I brought home a sunburn from a May vacation in England while parts of Central and Southern Europe were drowning in floods. Other dangers lurked as well: suddenly, the sheep bleated and threw themselves to the ground - seconds later a whole beehive buzzed past a few metres above our heads.
Finally, I could walk on and enjoy the Severn Way. I had an almost surreal horse-encounter at one of the next pastures - better see for yourself in the video! :-0
Next time, we will continue with lots of diesel action at Arley and Bewdley stations - plus the sun making a reappearance in the evening.
To the previous part of the series:
Nostalgic May 8: Isle of Wight - Worcestershire (50 p.)
Nostalgic May 8: Isle of Wight - Worcestershire (50 p.)
Hi, To the previous part of the series: Nostalgic May 7: Isle of Wight Hovercraft and Steam (50 p. + 1 v.) https://railroadforums.com/forum/index.php?threads/nostalgic-may-7-isle-of-wight-hovercraft-and-steam-50-p-1-v.21954 The video for this part: May 16 2023 The 14:35 service of the...
The new video for this part:
May 17 2023
I changed from the modern railway station to the Severn Valley Railway heritage terminal on the same square. Kidderminster Town (traditional naming of the second GWR station in the same town) is a replica of a Victorian terminus:
Kidderminster Town railway station - Wikipedia
You might guess the history of this engine by its shape without knowing any background.
It's Warship class 42 D821 "Greyhound" newly restored in BR blue, a "British DB V200" with licensed Maybach engines:
British Rail Class 42 - Wikipedia
BR Class 42 D821 Greyhound - SVR Wiki
Diesel-hydraulic results of the partly disastrous postwar BR modernisation plan united - 60-year-old class 52 D1062 "Western Courier" in front:
BR Class 52 D1062 Western Courier - SVR Wiki
Hardly any other heritage railway location offers such a main station atmosphere.
Coronation decoration.
I picked up coloured wristbands for the gala days I had booked online from the ticket counter. No services ran that Wednesday, so I had to walk to the bus stop.
My base Bewdley, lovely neighbouring town of Kidderminster on the River Severn. Below: Some impressions from the long-distance trail Severn Way in the valley north of the town.
My accommodation was the half-timber Severn Valley Guest House. The view from my tiny room in contrast to the untypically huge one where I had stayed at Bournemouth. The two class 20s have been inserted from the first gala day. Due to the wall on the bridge north of Bewdley station, you can't see much of the train.
May 18 2023
Breakfast at 7:30 a.m. in the guest house café, the railway viaduct outside. The room soon filled with like-minded guests.
Bewdley heritage railway station, two minutes’ walk away.
The first train of the four-day gala event arrived at 8:10 a.m. hauled by 31466 in EWS livery (originally Wisconsin Central colours):
BR Class 31 31466 - SVR Wiki
I took a seat in a compartment with some local rail enthusiasts and had a nice chat. For an impression from the ride, see the start of the video.
It was my first visit to the line since my first pure railway photo trip around the UK and Ireland in 2007 (also my first travel report in this format). Pictures from back then mainly with steam - this time I tried to cover some alternative spots (currently only available in German - please use autotranslate):
And now... it's: Part 4 - Severn Valley (50 p.)
And now... it's: Part 4 - Severn Valley (50 B.)
And now... it's: Part 4 - Severn Valley (50 B.)
www.mstsforum.info
After arrival at the current northern Severn Valley Railway terminal Bridgnorth:
Severn Valley Railway - Wikipedia
Larger modern engine sheds are located here.
31466 reversing.
I explored the surroundings while waiting for the next arrival.
Western Class D1062 "Western Courier" approached slightly early at 9:20 a.m., 25 minutes behind my train. As you may notice, an ambitious schedule for a 16-mile single track heritage line - this was about to stay one of the few punctual arrivals that day. Class 20 20142 "Sir John Betjeman" to the right would enter service later:
British Rail Class 20 - Wikipedia
I boarded the first train back, pulled again by 31466.
Photo taken from the window leaving Bridgnorth - we already have experienced the only preserved Clayton class 17 D8568 in action, four days before in the south:
I got off at Highley and quickly walked south along the lovely Severn Way across blooming meadows. Almost halfway to the next station - Arley - you come across this sheepwalk.
However, something was not right - no train had passed by yet, not even the one I had arrived with...
Finally, I heard rumbling from the north at 10:30, and 31466 approached with my train half an hour delayed. I never learnt the exact problem, but it was a very ambitious schedule with additional shorter round trips to Arley and Highley in between. Later - at Arley station - I heard railwaymen grumbling about another train coming to reverse here. Still, they stuck to the program with some minor changes and ran almost every service delayed until the evening hours.
At least I did not miss anything this way...
Borle Brook viaduct to the left, River Severn to the right.
Most trains towards Kidderminster accelerate at this spot, see video from second 37.
40106 "Atlantic Conveyor" approaching from Arley fifteen minutes later:
BR Class 40 40106 Atlantic Conveyor - SVR Wiki
We already have seen 40145 on this trip.
I have cropped the vegetation slightly virtually in some pictures. Overall, this is a beautiful spot with good visibility of the line. There are not too many publicly reachable visible sections of the railway. I had noticed a single rail photographer standing on a ladder passing by in the morning on the ridge next to the train. We briefly chatted, then he left. Otherwise, no further rail enthusiast appeared while I was waiting there.
D1062 "Western Courier" Bridgnorth - Kidderminster approached punctually at 11:19 a.m.
The loco thundered past exactly in the spotlight - see video at minute 2:00. I sometimes held the camera above my head on this spot - in this case I kept it lower to line up the telegraph pole with the gap in the treeline.
BR Class 50 50035 "Ark Royal" showed up next at 11:30 towards Bridgnorth - a class 37 should have hauled this service. 50021 had been captured near Corfe Castle earlier in this series.
Camera positioned above the head.
Colas Rail 56051 "Survival" + DBSO set + 47712 "Lady Diana Spencer" in Scotrail livery on a shorter trip reversing at Highley:
Colas Rail - Wikipedia
British Rail Class 56 - Wikipedia
Driving Brake Standard Open - Wikipedia
The train returning 14 minutes later.
Class 47 was the most-built mainline diesel engine in Britain with more than 500 produced locos:
List of British Rail Class 47 locomotives - Wikipedia
To reminisce, 47760 "Restless" (later "Ribblehead Viaduct", nowadays preserved with West Coast Railways) conveyed me and my family from Aberdeen to Edinburgh in 1995 on the Caledonian Sleeper to London:
33108 + 20142, newly in operation from Bridgnorth.
31270 "Athena" and 31466 Kidderminster - Bridgnorth.
40106 returned from Bridgnorth at 2 p.m.
English Electric Type 4 accelerating with the well-known apocalyptic sound, see video at minute 4:44.
What I had waited for: D821 "Greyhound" appeared back in the valley an hour later than planned - 2:13 instead of 1:13 p.m.
I had forgotten my sunscreen in the room - it was sunnier than expected and I kept standing on the pasture for four hours. So, I brought home a sunburn from a May vacation in England while parts of Central and Southern Europe were drowning in floods. Other dangers lurked as well: suddenly, the sheep bleated and threw themselves to the ground - seconds later a whole beehive buzzed past a few metres above our heads.
Finally, I could walk on and enjoy the Severn Way. I had an almost surreal horse-encounter at one of the next pastures - better see for yourself in the video! :-0
Next time, we will continue with lots of diesel action at Arley and Bewdley stations - plus the sun making a reappearance in the evening.
