Attendance at Severn Valley Railway spring event down 30 per cent after landslip but still ‘biggest diesel gala of the year’

But a landslip that hit near near Hampton Loade earlier this year, leaving part of the 17-mile heritage line inaccessible, meant visitor numbers were down nearly 30 per cent compared to last year when more than 5,000 turned out to the gala.

The spring festival between May 15 and 18 saw a diverse range of guest locomotives including Freightliner's Class 66 66509 and Class 70 70020.

There were two Class 56s from Colas Rail, a Class 69 from GB Railfreight, plus a West Coast Railways Class 37, a Class 57 from Locomotive Services Group, a Class 58 and a pair of Rail Adventure powercars, 43468 and 43480. The visitors complemented members of the SVR home fleet.

On the Saturday of the event, there was a re-dedication ceremony for 50033 ‘Glorious’ at Kidderminster Town station. The locomotive was named for the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Glorious, which was sunk in 1940 in the Norwegian sea, along with two escorting destroyers, HMS Ardent and HMS Acasta.

Representatives of the HMS Glorious, HMS Ardent and HMS Acasta Association (GLARAC) and the Royal Navy and Worcester Sea Cadets attended to commemorate the 85th anniversary of the occasion, when 1,207 lives were lost.

Despite the lower turnout compared to 2024, SVR managing director Jonathan Dunster said it was a “fantastic show”

He said: “Our spring diesel event traditionally showcases the best of both heritage and modern diesel traction, and this year’s event was absolutely up there with the best.

“I’m delighted with what we’ve achieved here, especially with the added challenge of a shortened running line between Kidderminster and Hampton Loade only, due to the landslip at Mor Brook.

“We experienced some delays, mainly around the Kidderminster to Bewdley shuttle service and its associated run rounds and shunts at Bewdley, but nevertheless there were plenty of highlights across the four days.

“Whilst our visitor numbers were down compared to our equivalent event last year, we were expecting this, bearing in mind the reduced line length we’re currently able to operate on. For those who came however, the event clearly delivered a great experience, and we have had extremely positive feedback.

“A really good factor for us has been that secondary spend actually increased on 2024 at all locations except Bridgnorth, which remains cut off from the rest of the line because of the landslip."

Work on repairing the landslip has now begun. The SVR has not given a precise date for the line to fully reopen, but has indicated that it expects this to happen during the main summer season.

Plans are already being put in place for the SVR’s Autumn Diesel Bash between October 2 and 5, which will celebrate 65 years of Class 37s.