Shropshire Star

Historic additions to railway gala

An iconic heritage railway has added Urie S15 506 to its bumper Spring Steam Gala line-up and the freight engine will be the first of its type to appear on the line between Kidderminster and Bridgnorth.

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Supporting image for story: Historic additions to railway gala
S15 506 at Ropley, Watercress Line. Picture: Kenny Felstead

The 4-6-0 freight engine, arriving courtesy of the Mid-Hants Railway (Watercress Line), will make its appearance on the Severn Valley Railway.

In the last five years, the powerful S15 has celebrated the 100th anniversary of its original build and, in 2019 after an 18-year restoration, it joined the fleet of seven other S15s in preservation.

The S15 will run all four days of the Gala, from April 21 to April 24, alongside fellow guests 4498 Sir Nigel Gresley, running in ‘wartime black’ livery and 2999 Lady of Legend.

However, the 142-year-old Terrier 2678 will no longer be available to appear at the event, because it requires urgent mechanical maintenance.

Railway bosses hope that the visit of this popular engine can be rescheduled later in the year.

The Spring Steam Gala offers an exciting variety of locomotives and carriages and two of the smallest home fleet engines, 813 and Welsh Guardsman, will double-head, while 4498 will be paired with the railway's fleet of Gresley teak carriages at selected times during the event.

Michael Dunn, head of visitor experience at the Severn Valley Railway, said: “We have got an unrivalled line-up for our first steam event of the year.

"With just a month to go, we’re making preparations for impressive carriage formations, eye-catching double-headers and an intensive timetable.”

Alongside a traditional hop-on, hop-off style Gala, the railway has brought back multi-day rover tickets, allowing passengers to book for more than one day while saving money against individual day prices.

The railway will begin its season on April 2 with an Open House Weekend, when visitors will have the opportunity for a peek behind-the-scenes at various workshops, signal-boxes and other areas that are not usually accessible to the public.