Severn Valley Railway Diesel Gala 2nd-4th October 2014

Totally agree with the bunch of mates who Im attending with Im the youngest my glory days were 37's on the coast, but compared with them... I'm just a boy! Beer wise tho...

 

No disrespect to anyone but when I said 'younger' I meant younger than appeared to be the average at the Autumn Steam Gala!

 

Steam fans can be any age really but the majority are 50s and higher (like most staff), while most diesel fans seem to me to be late 30s to 50s. That's just from observation.

 

But some of us wear our age well - I speak as one born in the same year as British Railways and I am not the oldest by far !

 

Has 40.106 and Western Champion arrived at the valley yet, please? I understand that Colas was having a problem getting the locos across/around Birmingham. Suggested routes from Network Rail were via Stoke or Banbury. <BJ>

 

This ansewer your question?

 

I'm in a minority, I'm younger than all of those ages.

 

Absolutely cracking day on the SVR today. Thanks to those who organise it. 2 Westerns, 2 50's, 2 Deltics, a 40, a 37 and a 20 - what's not to like. I only wish I could go back again tomorrow!

 

Thank you - it is nice to get positive feedback

 

I hope the crowds picked up, loadings seemed very light on Thursday.

 

I had a good day yesterday. Just the right amount of locos, not too many, so all locos worked at least two round trips each day. The way the locos was diagrammed was good, usually a layover at each end for an hour or so. The timetable is excellent, simple, easy to understand, very robust and no late running. Lots of round trips plus shuttles between Kidderminster and Bewdley. Far, far better than the mess of the steam gala timetables.

 

Will need to see the final figs but from talking to colleagues friday was better than thurs. My set was however never heavily loaded. Today, saturday started out v wet which will have effected photo opportunities. Will have to see effect on numbers

 

I don't mind in the least paying for a steam gala working timetable to find out which engines are hauling which trains.
But with the WTT it takes me ages to convert it to a simple user friendly timetable with loco allocations. I would gladly
pay the same amount for a basic timetable with loco allocations as happens with the diesel gala. <BJ>

 

The steam gala timetables seem to be done by someone who enjoys writing timetables, and cramming in as much as possible. It's not user friendly, and leads to delays with all the shunting and empty stock moves in and out of sidings. The diesel guys have the right idea. End to end running, with shuttles at one end only. And you don't spend ages waiting at Arley waiting for two trains to go the other way! The longest wait was 10 minutes at Bewdley.

 

I arrived at a chilly Kidderminster station on Thursday morning in anticipation of a good weekend but not expecting much. No Sulzers, no D821, no double-headers (exept for the gronks) and only 9 mainline locos on a 16-mile-long line didn't herald a great event for me. Little did I know that I was about to experience the best diesel gala I've ever attended (and I've attended a few!). It all started off with the gronks making an unearthly amount of clag as they left the station and I thought, "this isn't half bad so far." I got on 55019, which, as usual, only had one engine on. The run to Hamton Loade was pretty good and I was in a good mood. When we got to Hampton Loade there was a roar and everyone cheered as the second unit was fired up. We all enjoyed a frisky run up the bank to find the stunning-looking 40106 in Bridgenorth. The driver put in a thunderous performance back to Kidderminster where my second favourite diesel-electric 50015 awaited. She was even louder than the 40 and I thought, "it's a pitty I've gone on this so early because it won't get any better that this." I wasn't expecting much from the chopper back to Kidderminster but the gutsy engine made an incredible noise on 8 mk1s. The evening run behind D1062 was a little disappointing and I was slightly dejected by the time I got to Bridgenorth for the tractor, as Westerns are my favourite diesels. 37109 put in a suitably strong performance on the way back and I went to my accommodation feeling pleasantly surprised with the day.
I began the next day with another superb run behind the 40. I'd never heard a 40 like it and was in a very good mood when I reached Bridgenorth only to find that 55019 was on 2 engines!! I charged off the train and managed to get a window in the back of the first coach. The engine left the station timidly and drifted towards the tunnel. What followed can only be described as one of the greatest runs I'd ever had on a preserved line the first engine kicked in and as we entered the tunnel the second unit roared into life and we accelerated at an unbelievable rate with the engines howling at an unbelievable volume. This was a taste of what was to come. I've never heard a deltic make that much noise (even on the 2 deltic rail tours I've been on) and the clag was out of this World! People were talking about that run for the rest of the gala. Next came D8059, which put in another ear-shattering run. The return journey was with 50015 and, as I had expected, it shook the Earth. At this point I was surprised to be thinking I was going to say a boat had given the performance of the gala but that was before I'd ridden behind D1015 on the next run! I managed to get the front window. The driver turned both engines on and I knew I was in for something spectacular. The run was so loud I couldn't have my head sideways out of the window. I had to look directly in front of me to save my poor right ear. Still, by the time we had reached Bridgenorth, both my ears were literally hurting, which has never happened to me before (and I'm a drummer in a metal band). 40106 put in another incredible run back to Kiddey and in Bewdley tunnel the driver put the breaks on and did about 10mph all the way through on notch 8. I was looking forward for my night run behind 50015 to Bridgenorth and it didn't disappoint. Even though I was at the back of the 2nd coach the sound shook me. I made sure I got the front window for the return journey and the sound was phenomenal. I returned to my accommodation shaking with excitement but a little sad because I was sure the final day would be an anti-climax.
It began with another epic blast behind D306 to Bridgenorth where D9009 was waiting. The return run was OK by most standards but not by what had already been laid down in the gala. I got on D1062 to give it another chance. The driver turned both engines on and she well and truly redeemed herself!!! I got D1015 back to Kiddey, which was even more spectacular than Courier had been. I got on the syphon for the run back to Bridgenorth only to get to Arley and hear that 50026, the only engine I hadn't had, had failed. I wasn't too disappointed. After all, people were saying it wasn't as loud as 50015 so perhaps the last run would be behind that or the whistler... At Hamton Loade, the driver gave the growler the hammering of her life all the way to the summit of the bank and there was a fair bit of flailing going on! When we got to Bridgenorth, D9009 was waiting with both engines on. She made a ridiculous amount of clag on her departure from Hampton Loade, which I hope to find on Youtube or in Carry on Clagging. When we got to Bewdley tunnel, the driver let her go and every single coach was filled with smoke. I know because I was in the front coach and walked to the back coach to be in a good position for the last train.
To my amazement, when we got to Kidder, 50026 was on the front of the train. I managed to get the second window from the front and when we passed the carriage shed she spluttered into life with an enormous cloud of white smoke. The noise was deafening. I hadn't expected 26 to be as loud as 15 but she was even louder. When we got to Bewdley I got out of the train to see 37109 coming into the station. As she was passing me she did the famous class 37 sudden opening up which was incredibly loud and made me and everyone else jump. It was incredibly loud as it ran non-stop through the station with the rad fans roaring half a second behind each snort from the exhausts - an unexpected bonus for me as it hadn't been timetabled to stop! We resumed our run to Bridgenorth behind Indomitable, which was the best of the gala at that point and I knew the run back would be good so I got the middle window of the first coach and experienced the run of a lifetime back to Kiddey. It was even better than the run to Bridgenorth and was the best run of the gala. Every clatter from the exhausts made my ears retreat. I've never heard anything like it. I don't think I could have stood it had I been any nearer the front. There was a German man in the window opposite me who kept on pulling his head in when the engine was at full boar because he couldn't bear the noise. The run through the tunnel was at that level of noise when you can't even tell what you're listening to. I don't know how she was so loud. 37906 had been my first favourite engine with electric transmission before then but I've never heard a noise like that coming out of her. It was frightening! Does she not have any silencers?! There were also sparks shooting out of the exhausts when she was at full cry. I really hadn't expected that to be the best run of the gala but it was and that was fitting with it being the last run of the event.
What a gala. A huge well done to the lads at the SVR! More of the same next year please!!!!!

 

Top Gala as said before timetable worked no faffing with locals. Lots of noise, a few beers and good company Well done to all concerned. 20059, 37109 & 40106 were the the stars for me honourable mentions to the Deltics and the vacs though. As said before Well done to all concerned.

 

Intrigued to know more about the passenger numbers as I was surprised to read the comments above. I was there on Friday and every train looked pretty well-filled bar the DMU shuttles. To my eyes, it seemed pretty healthy.

Really enjoyed it, the Cl.40 in particular was outstanding, the timetable worked well, there was a good chance to get every loco in and all the staff were friendly, helpful and courteous, though I did seem to walk through the middle of a bunch of volunteers have an argument about health and safety on Bewdley station platform at one point, which was a bit odd. Maybe they were joking.

For me, the only way in which this event could have been better was if I'd been there longer (and it had featured a working Hymek, and maybe a DEMU... but that would only have been additional dusting on a very, very well-iced and filled metaphorical cake).

 

I attended on the Saturday and apart from the wet start on the morning it was a great day. The two westerns and the 40 made it for me I think the trains were well loaded for the event.
I do thing having it in October maybe hot food on the trains would be nice toaster teacakes are always good when on the GCR events.