Severn Valley Railway Autumn Steam Gala 21st-24th September 2017

Thanks for info will view tomorrow

 

Lovely first day. Locos dashing everywhere with two of the visitors putting in good turns (Repton sounded glorious climbing out of Highley). Stuck to timetable pretty well too.


Got the footplate taster today which was fantastic. Firing 1501 with a couple of vintage GWR carriages (the usual single coach having been nicked for strengthening service trains) up the bank to the tunnel from Bewdley was great fun. Very friendly staff running it who made it very easy.

 

Absolutely smashing day today. It was very busy between 11 and 3, with standing room only on most trains, but it was such an intensive timetable there were always loco movements going on somewhere. Had my first ever ride behind visiting loco 926, in fact my first ever ride behind any of the Schools class, so that was a highlight for me.

 

It was all going so well but now Bradley Manor has pulled a wobler, and the timetable fallen a bit by the wayside (currently a good 20+ mins behind). Sure it'll be made up overnight, but suspect loco allocations tomorrow might not be as expected. Have to wait and see.

 

The hope is to have the manor back in traffic by 10 o'clock tomorrow morning.

 

My video plus a couple of photos from today at the gala!

 

I really enjoyed the video. Thanks for that!

 

Really like that photo of 813, guessing that's at Highley, it dosn't look like it though!

 

A video filmed on Thursday and part of Friday

 

That one's a lovely photo!

Tom

 

I think theres too much slack in the t/t, long station dwell times and not much in the way of inspired running

 

Looking at a standard B timetable trains are timed at 1h10m to 1h18m. Looking at the public gala timetable it's around 1h17m to 1h23m.

Previous complaints have been late-running and lack of recovery in the timetable. 7802 had a problem yesterday and the timetable went out by 20 minutes or so, but AIUI it recovered. In addition, part of the reason for the relaxation will be that at County Boundary there is a severe speed restriction while the SVR repairs a landslip beneath the embankment, which requires a longer section time. That in turn backs up trains.

Patrick

 

All seems well again with 7802. Attached to rear of 09:53 Bridgnorth - Kidderminster which should see it back at Kidderminster in time to meet its rostered duties

 

Took the first photo and thought of @Jamessquared. The rest - men at work, or talking about work maybe!

 

Looks like it is going to be a very busy day. Queue for the ticket office at Kidderminster town was snaking out the door and round the building almost reaching the national rail station at 10 this morning.

 

And that was when about 50% of anticipated visitors had already booked tickets online.

 

On the (national rail) train back from Kidderminster as my time at the gala has ended (got work at 9am tomorrow...). Stayed on the trains till 1:00am last night, such a great thing to run so late, I wish other lines would do the same. Time table went wonkey today as well, something to do with goods doing something funny and then a local shunt taking a lot longer than was hoped but no one minded. Very busy trains though, literally couldn't fit any more on the one that got into Kidderminster about 5pm, and that was a full length service. Really enjoyed the brake van rides around Bewdley, hope they make a return next year. There was just so much going on. I was at Bewdley in the middle of the day and had 5 locos in steam at that station (two on full line service trains, one preparing a local, one on brake van rides and one in light steam in the yard). 5 locos at most lines would be a gala, but the SVR can have that at a single station.
My favourite event of the year, every year.

 

I understand that The Prince had a close conversation with a brick wall?