Severn Valley Railway – Gala Roundup 2024

Gala time is always a special time on the Severn Valley Railway which is now one of Britain’s

premier heritage railways. The year 2024 saw the railway hold several key enthusiasts themed

events including the regular Spring and Autumn Steam and Diesel Galas and the newly formed

Winter Steam and Diesel events. 2024 saw nearly fifty steam and diesel locomotives traverse

the 16-mile railway including 16 steam and 30 diesel locomotives.

WINTER STEAM GALA, 6-7 January

A newly formed event in the SVR calendar was the ‘Winter Steam Gala’ which heralded a strong

LMS theme with the reintroduction to service for the was unique Stanier ‘Mogul’ No. 2968 appearing

in its post-1935 LMS black livery which had returned to steam only a few weeks prior following a

major overhaul. The gala also said farewell to the other unique LMS mogul ‘Ivatt 4MT’ No. 43106

which was appearing for the final time before the end of its boiler ticket and withdrawal for overhaul,

another farewell was that of SR Bulleid Pacific No. 34027 Taw Valley which was still appearing in its

inauthentic wartime black livery and numbered 21C127, however the West Country was unexpectedly

given one final appearance before withdrawal later in the year. The trio were joined by two

Great Western engines including 7714 and 7812 Erlestoke Manor.

OPEN HOUSE WEEKEND, 6-7 April

In early April, enthusiasts and families alike were treated to a ‘behind the scenes’ look at various

aspects of the SVR including a shed and workshop tour at Bridgnorth which gave visitors the

chance to get up close and personal with the ongoing projects including the restoration of

‘Large Prairie’ 4150 and the construction of new-build BR ‘Standard 3MT’ 82045. Another attraction

for visitors were Signal Box tours at Highley and Kidderminster with a selection of trains operating

including Class 50 No. 50035, BR ‘Standard 4MT’ 75069, GWR Hall 4930 Hagley Hall and the

BR Class 108 Diesel Multiple Unit.

LOCOMOTIVE ON TEST, March/April

We take a look at Jeremy Hosking’s LNER ‘A2’ Pacific 60532 Blue Peter which had undergone a

major overhaul at Crewe Diesel Depot and we view the engine in late March and early April

when it spent a period of time of rigorous testing on the SVR to ensure that the engine was

working properly for a return to the mainline with Locomotive Services Limited.

SPRING STEAM GALA, 18-21 April

The first big enthusiasts event on the SVR calendar was the annual Spring Steam Gala, the

event was scheduled to feature some of the first runs for the brand-new GWR ‘Grange’

6880 Betton Grange, sadly due to the locomotive still undergoing the final stage of

construction at Tyseley Locomotive Works the ‘Grange’ was sadly a no show, which resulted

in an extra final appearance for 34027 Taw Valley. The Railway also anticipated to feature

the return to service for Port Talbot ‘Saddle Tank’ 813, however due to the discovery of a

problem with a leaking saddle tank; the engine was replaced with a last minute visitor

in the form of ex-Weymouth Quay ‘Pannier Tank’ 1369 from the South Devon Railway.

The outside-cylinder ‘Pannier’ joined the other visitors including LBSCR A1X ‘Terrier’

No. 72 Fenchurch from the Bluebell Railway and Kitson ‘Lambton Tank’ No. 29 from the

North Yorkshire Moors Railway, with the trio giving the event a diminutive Branch Line feel.

The visitors and 34027 joined LMS ‘Stanier Mogul’ 13268 now wearing its early 1934 LMS

lined black livery, BR ‘Standard 4MT’ 75069, GWR ‘Manor’ 7812 Erlestoke Manor, ‘Hall’

4930 Hagley Hall and ‘Pannier Tank’ 7714, as-well as the newly overhauled Class 108 DMU

which was used on shuttles between Kidderminster and Arley.

SPRING DIESEL FESTIVAL, 16-19 May

The first diesel enthusiasts event on the SVR calendar was the annual Spring Diesel Festival,

the event featured a wide variety of both heritage and modern traction which included 25

locomotives from 14 different classes including Classes: 14, 17, 20, 33, 37, 40, 43, 46, 50, 52, 59,

69, 70 and 73. The gala was well supported by mainline operators including: Locomotives

Services Ltd, GB

Railfreight, Freightliner, Colas Rail, and RailAdventure. The main highlight for visitors was the

appearance of Locomotive Services Ltd’s 37409 which was making one of its first public

appearances in the inauthentic BR ScotRail livery. Another highlight was the modern traction

including the newly completed GBRf 69009 which was wearing the Western Region maroon

livery which was a common sight on the Class 52 ‘Western’ locomotives during the early 1960s.

AUTUMN STEAM GALA, 18-21 September

The biggest and final steam event at the SVR in 2024 was the annual Autumn Steam Gala,

the event took a slightly LMS theme with the appearance of ‘Jubilee’ 45596 Bahamas

which was making its first appearance on the SVR in 30 years after appearing in 1984.

Joining the Green ‘Jubilee’ were a trio of other guests including LMS ‘Black 5’ 44932

visiting from West Coast Railways, it was the first time 44932 had visited the SVR and the

first appearance on a heritage line since 2014. The newest locomotive appearing at the

event was GWR ‘Saint’ 2999 Lady of Legend making its third SVR appearance from the

Didcot Railway Centre; and finally the rare appearance of Lancashire and Yorkshire

Railway ‘23’ class saddle tank 11456 which was visiting from the East Lancashire Railway

and was also making its first appearances in LMS black livery for the first time in 80 years!

Also making appearances from the home fleet were LMS ‘Stanier Mogul’ 13268, GWR ‘Hall’

4930 Hagley Hall and ‘Pannier Tank’ 7714 and the BR Class 108 DMU evoking memories of a

classic Western Region branch line during the 1960s.

AUTUMN DIESEL BASH, 3-6 October

The final diesel event at the SVR in 2024 was the Autumn Diesel Bash, the event once

again celebrated the era of the heritage diesels with a few modern traction appearances

as-well. The gala witnessed a total of 20 locomotives including Classes 17, 20, 25, 33, 37,

40, 42, 43, 46, 50, 52 and 58. The main attractions for the event were the five guest

locomotives including the first preservation runs for Class 58 58023 Leicester Depot,

and the pairing of two Class 25s in the form of newly painted into BR Blue 25262(D7612)

from the South Devon Railway and BR two-tone Green D7628(25278) Sybilla which

was making a rare visit away from the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. The event also

saw the return to service after repairs for Class 42 ‘Warship’ D821 Greyhound and

Class 50 50033 Glorious. It was also the first chance to witness 50007 Hercules and

50049 Defiance at an SVR gala since they were repainted back into BR large logo Blue.

The event also witnessed an appearance of a withdrawal GWR ‘Castle’ class ‘HST’ which

until recently had been used on front line service between Cornwall and South Wales.

WINTER DIESEL DAY, 30 December

Another new event in the SVR diary is the Winter Diesel Day, the event was held in late

December and was the final event of 2024. The gala included the appearance of nine

diesel locomotives including: D9551, 20048, 20205, 33108, 37263, 40106, 46045, 50035,

D1015 as-well as the Class 108 DMU and ex-GWR Class 43 HST set, as-well as the newly

overhauled GWR ‘Auto Tank’ 1450 which was used to provide steam heat alongside 40106 and 46045.

 65 minutes duration

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ISBN: Severn Valley Railway – Gala Roundup 2024