Severn Valley Railway to launch £4,000,000 share issue.

The architect demonstrated as part of the consultation alternatives considered in many traditional styles by the steering group, and explained (as has been explained here) the reasons why the proposals (for consultation, note) had been made.

I don't know how the steering group are going to disseminate the presentations and background to a wider audience though, which would help the process. Generally, there are people making assumptions as to what was considered and why decisions have been made, without appreciating the processes behind them.

To answer another point raised on this thread, both the architect and members of the steering group referenced comments on this thread and that on the SVRA forum (on which there's a link here), and so your feedback is known.

Patrick

 

Intelligent and veryvery interesting reading Tom
Do you think about a summer opening of the extension?
regards
Noel

 

Further info has been posted on the SvRA forum about this weekend. It's been suggested I post up the following to a wider audience:

"In the absence of the info being put on the official svr website, suggest links from natpres etc can be posted to

Working Members

or to

http://forum.svra.org.uk/viewtopic.php?t=2624"

The post was:

"Members and Shareholders weekend

Membership purchased on the day will allow purchasers to travel at members fare
Table C will be in operation using T9.
A hand out for the day will be available.
Shares will be available to purchase on the day at Kidderminster Signalboxes, MPD will be open.

Kidderminster:
Three stands representing Holdings, Guarantee and SVR Charitable Trust plus locomotive groups.
Holdings Share stand will be situated to the right of the door entering the concourse from the ticket office, the Station Master Office will provide a private area for the sale of shares; shares can be sold by card.
There will be a television in front of the first pillar provided by DRP group on which the new SVR promotional film will be displayed.

On SUNDAY the presentations will be in the Railway Museum at:
10.30am
12.15pm (lunch for invited guests)
3.00pm

Highley:
A chance to get on Hagley Halls footplate.
The promotional film to be played in the cinema.

On SATURDAY the presentations will be held at the Engine House:
12.00pm (lunch for invited guests)
2.00pm
3.30pm

Bridgnorth:
A tent will have been purchased for Bridgnorth (to replace current ripped one) under which a Guarantee stall and Howls architect practice will be situated explaining the ‘SteamWorks’ project"

Hope this helps

Patrick

 

Your comment could raise an unintended smile. One could think the share issue has had some success already - the Bourgeoisie are given luncheon at the Engine House whilst the Hoi polloi have a tent.

 

Just the messenger ;-)

It's had some success, 1400 enquiries re share offer, £309,000 raised (@svrbridgnorth 09/10/12)

Patrick

 

Before the Panda gets you Patrick, you maybe need a full stop in " Shares will be available to purchase on the day at Kidderminster signalboxes..."

This a veritable "mini-gala" and the attraction of open house at Bridgnorth MPD, certain unspecified signalboxes open, and both the T9 and Sir Keith Park in operation will be an attraction in their own right. Even the weather looks reasonable for the weekend.

 

Bridgnorth, Bewdley North and Kidderminster Signal Boxes will be open for visitors, with a guide on hand to allow the duty signalman to continue his work uninterrupted. I am the guide in Bewdley North on Sunday if anyone wants to come and say hi!

 

Jamie: thanks for that.

Just to repeat what is said on the SVR website, EVERYONE is welcome this weekend, not just members and shareholders, and it is normal fares.

 

The plebs should count themselves lucky - at least it wasn't the ripped tent.

Richard

 

This will be the third tent - which also doubles as the station workshop in which we (I) spend the winter repairing benches. Containers, tents and potakabins are reasons why these plans are so necessary - please dig deep!

Patrick

 

Some excellent posts with ideas concerning the re-development of Bridgnorth station. There is little doubt that the site is in urgent need of investment. One would like to think that the SVR are listening to the general consensus, that a 'modern' development at Bridgnorth is inopportune for a heritage railway. Whilst I agree with several posters about some of the finer details, the main point is that whatever the future development, it should be sympathetic to the very nature of the railway.

 

Accepting that the new buffet/shop will occupy the space presently occupied by the tent pray tell, where, are benches to be repaired thence? Similarly with the WLA (dear to your heart) and the P-way; or will the Lord provide portakabins?

 

I would assume that the WLA would end up at kidderminster in the new diesel facility which you hope some of the share money would be used to complete as this is another important piece of infastucture which can safe time and money in the long term.

 

Can you point to the section in the share offer document which says it will fund a diesel shed?

 

Ruston906 does say he would hope that some money from the share issue would go on the Diesel Shed. That however is not the plan and as you say Michael it is not in the share offer documents.

I do not know if the diesel guys have asked for and been denied or not asked for assistance in the diesel shed, but certainly it would appear that from the outset it has been intended that the diesel shed will be funded independently.

 

P-Way and WLA came up in the Q&A Saturday, and I was sitting next to you at the time!

Re station workshop, I don't know. The current use of the tent is informal. One to ask at the weekend - but whatever the answer, it's no reason not to progress the project!

@svrbridgnorth reports tonight 1393 enquiries and £327,748 raised

Regards

Patrick

 

I don't think I suggested the project not be progressed. What I'm suggesting is there's still quite a number of questions that need to be addressed. I'm sure they will, but until they are one can only wonder.

 

It came as a bit of a shock to see the impressions of the proposed new buildings at Bridgnorth that are now on facebook. The large building behind platform one built on the side of the hill...well it looks very large and dominant. The tube thing which is the proposed volunteer hostel, well words fail me.

Back to basics, surely the order of priority for the money raised has to be: first get the SVR's books in order, there appears to be substantial outstanding bank indebtedness. second: secure our p-way and infrastructure so that we can with reasonable certainty run trains along the full length of the line in the future. third: increase steam loco overhaul throughput so that we can run steam-hauled trains in the future with reasonable certainty.
I dont think anyone would want to be sipping their latte in the posh new cafe at Bridgnorth waiting for a diesel-hauled service running Bewdley to Bridgnorth only, would they?
Only when we have acheived these three basic aims do we think about building big at Bridgnorth?

As an aside, if we have all the new facilities at Bridgnorth, what effect will this have on patronage at the Engine House at Highley, a station by the way that cries out for a longer platform, but the site renders that difficult unless you put in a completely new one nearer the signalbox.

 

Quite agree with you , absolutely!! (I'm a-small-shareholder of the SVR since 1987)
Simple curiosity : at what level arise the SVR debt?
regards
Noel

 

For me and others though, this is the main problem with the plans set out in the share issue. What is the point of preservation if you are effectively destroying the thing you set out to preserve in the first place? For me, Highley is (was) unique in that it was different to all other stations on the SVR. It used to be a fairly quiet place, where trains used to pass at fairly regular intervals. This all changed with the introduction of the engine house and effectively ruined the character of the place. Problems seem to occur at special events otherwise the passenger number appear manageable. I think that adding a second platform to cater for a small number of weekends would monotonise the station with others along the line and completely take away any uniqueness the station has. The problem is not the length of the station, but the frequency of passengers due to poor gala timetabling.


I agree that the Bridgnorth side needs tidying up and restructuring, but it should be done in a manner so that the original character of the station is retained. Large red brick buildings and glass lifts certainly don't fit in with this criteria.