SVR General Discussion

Unfortunately not. No suitbale tail loads available for traffic.

 

Class 50 50049 was requested by Network Rail last night to help clear snow on the national network:
From Class 50 Alliance on FB:
This afternoon we received a call from Matt Robinson who works at the Severn Valley Railway within the Operations Team. Matt had received a call from Network Rail in Birmingham asking whether the Severn Valley Railway had any mini snow plough fitted locos at Kidderminster for hire this evening as route proving and snow patrol locos. Matt spoke with us to see if one of our locos was available of which it was, and that we would ready 50049 Defiance for this task. We spoke with Network Rail also, along with the operator who would supply the crew; Hanson & Hall and a plan was formed.
Special thanks to the SVR’s Nigel Hanson for trekking to Kidderminster this evening to work Signal Box, Class 50 Alliance team members Anthony Middleton, James Gregory and Stephen Tripp, and Matt Robinson for pulling together this evenings plans. Well done to all involved.
50049 is now sat waiting on the Exchange line at Kidderminster awaiting its path out onto NR for its nocturnal duties. Hopefully after the efforts of all concerned including the Hanson & Hall driver it does, and helps keeps the train services moving within the Midlands region.

 

And it did go out. Pics on FB of it at New st and other parts of the West Midlands.

 

Congratulations to the team and an acknowledgement that heritage lines are not simply "boys playing with trains" but basic training grounds for future employment and a source of experienced and trained railwaymen with proper equipment.

 

The strategic reserve is live and well.....

 

I would say rather a strategic reserve. Not a large number of locos and most of them needing diesel fuel, so very different from the supposed (or maybe real in one or two other countries) strategic reserve of steam traction.

 

Out of interest, because I don’t know, was the loco Network Rail certified or was it a question of needs must?

 

50049 is NR certified, and sees a fair bit of use on railtours.

 

Yes it's a great loco. I've been all over with it, from Penzance to Inverness. It will be going to Oban in June for the BLS Lord of the Isles tour. I'm just waiting for bookings to open.

 

The SVR have 3 mainline certified Class 50s and a 52.
They also have several mainline certified Class 20s which call the SVR a base (& see occasional use on SVR services), plus they also host Rail Adventure HST power cars on occasion. Gus Dunster has said in recent interviews that this is a potential area of growth for the SVR in providing services to the mainline industry.

 

I don’t think anything is allowed on NR unless it’s certified and has all the electronic safety gear. The only concession is that if the OTMR fails during the journey that trip can be completed before declaring the engine a failure.

 

Where there’s a will there’s a way



Tom

 

It didn’t go anywhere beyond station limits though

 

Or it's in a possession.

 

Do any of those still exist?

 

Indeed, I was being a little facetious!

In a possession, in connection with Network Rail refurbishing the station.

Moving back to the SVR - calling such operations a "strategic reserve" is I suspect a bit wistful, but clearly Network Rail in particular do obtain significant benefits from heritage railways in many ways, so I think such collaborations will only become more common - and beneficial to both sides.

Tom

 

I worked on the Barmouth Bridge reconstruction, I had high hopes of seeing a Pannier or Prairie for the reopening under a possession, but sadly not!

 

Did anybody ask??

 

Thanks for this and the other responses. I'm way out in terms of knowledge of such things with regard to diesels.

 

I suggested it to one of the project engineers from NR.