SVR General Discussion

As I'm not privy to such details, could someone give me an idea of the difference in running costs between a DMU and a longer diesel-hauled rake? I only ask because it would seem to me like a full rake would provide more room for social distancing than a DMU.

 

The SVR have quite a few compartment coaches mixed amongst the various rakes, which should be better if there does need to be social distancing when they reopen.

 

I was advised earlier today elsewhere that if social distancing remains in place then between one "household unit" using a compartment and the next one using it the compartment would have to be deep cleaned. If that is correct then it makes it pretty difficult to operate any sort of service short of pre selling round trip tickets for which your journey cannot be broken and then taking the carriages out to be deep cleaned.

 

Only until your passengers meet in the corridor while boarding! Something like a class 117 DMU would at least allow most to have their own door.
I expect heritage railways won't re-open until it is acceptable for people to mix freely as they did before the crisis (Whether they will want to is of course another question).
Anything else will be very difficult to enforce (and who is going to enforce any restrictions). Will volunteers want to work in an environment that requires anything less than complete freedom of movement?

 

(SVR has class 108s by the way, and not all are serviceable due to bogie work).

Lots of clever people on here and on heritage railways will be working through different scenarios: compartment stock only, staggered bay seating in opens*, premium pricing, single/double use per day and enhanced cleaning, organised boarding and alighting, branded masks or whatever. Each will throw up bunches of queries to be overcome, or not (what happens if someone wants the toilet, how does Santa interact?) If you can techically do it there are questions of whether it's attractive, whether people would attend, and would it pay?

I've chosen not to speculate, to hope for the best and expect the worst, to trust those with the unenviable job of working through lots of uncertain scenarios to use their skill and judgement to pick the least bad, and to be thankful I don't have to!

Patrick

* I mean this:
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The May editions of the Express Points and Branch Lines e-newsletters are up https://www.svrlive.com/newsletters

Patrick

 

I might be wrong on this, but I think that a shortish section of the line on the approach to Bridgnorth was engineered to double track dimensions due to a proposal for a rail link from Wolverhampton to Bridgnorth, a link that never materialised.

46118

 

Yeah I know about that, you can still see the earthworks by Crossing Cottage.

 

The original SVR contract specified that the formation and bridges would be wide enough for double track throughout. Victoria Bridge is wide enough for double track - it is the same width as Albert Edward Bridge. Some parts of the formation may have changed over time of course. The tunnels at Bridgnorth and Burlish were also originally specified as wide enough for double track but were only built as single, so they would have been the only significant problem if the line had been doubled later.

I am a bit sceptical about those earthworks. They presumably relate to the 20th century GWR proposal but construction began at the far end and only reached Wombourn. There is no mention in histories of that branch of any work being carried out at the Bridgnorth end. Although the route planned suggested a connection somewhere in the Crossing Cottage area, I also wonder why you would route the line across a bridge on the Severn and then climb all the way to the top of Eardington Bank to join the Severn Valley Branch, rather than joining lower down nearer Bridgnorth.

Sorry, we've hijacked the NYMR thread.

 

McAfee doesn't like that site anymore.
Pat

 

Does it block it?

Patrick

 

No, it just asks me if I really want to go there. It was fine a couple of weeks ago. (I'm sure that I've had this on another site recently, but blowed if I can remember which one.)
Pat

 

Still working OK for me (Win 8.1 + McAfee Total Protection v16.0)

 

Knowlesands tunnel is double track width. Oldbury viaduct is the same width. The cuttig on the south side of Knowlesands isnt but it widens out as you approach Crossing Cottage. My understanding was the GWR branch was to leave around Eardington station.
Much further down. Falling sands viaduct is double track width as well. Mount pleasant tunnel, I dont remember being any wider than Bewdley tunnel.

 

For purposes of the SVR construction contract Knowlesands was classed as an overbridge, although it is indeed a short tunnel. The two long tunnels were to be 24ft wide per the contract but in the event Mount Pleasant was only 16ft and Bridgnorth 16ft 8in as built. Bewdley tunnel on the loop line was built about 15 years later and was originally 19ft wide before being relined in 1910.

The first proposals for Wolverhampton to Bridgnorth railways at the time the SVR was being built were to have had connections north of Bridgnorth, so I can't see any reason why the line south of Bridgnorth would have received special consideration. The GWR 1905 Act proposed a 'triangle' junction with a north facing connection 1 mile south of Bridgnorth (a short way south of Knowlesands tunnel) and a south facing connection at 1.5 miles, close to Crossing Cottage. Eardington station itself is about 2.25 miles from Bridgnorth. All info from John Marshall's history.

 

And it is also classed as an overbridge rather than a tunnel for most operational purposes.

 

The SVR Charitable Trust annual report to June 2019 has been uploaded to the Charity Commission beta website last week. A poignant note is it was signed in March by John Leftwich, who died last month.

The report shows a single legacy for GWR projects of £503,173 (shown in the notes as restricted for 4930 and/or turntable) plus £447k in unrestricted bequests.

In all charitable support to the railway was £696k.

Patrick

 

"By 13th May, we have raised more than £680,000 in donations and share purchases"

https://www.svr.co.uk/NewsItem.aspx?a=921

Patrick

 

Thanks man!! :-D Well, there is a plan I have for something to be on tv at some point, so stay tuned for that in 2021. ;-) Also, I know it's been over 2 years since replying to this, but I'v only just seen it! Haha! :-D Thanks again!