A magnificent Great Western adventure, revisited. Following an enjoyable visit earlier this year, I’m back on the Severn Valley Railway again!

The forecast is for a scorching hot August bank holiday weekend, and we’re spending all of it staying with a good friend in Bewdley. Needless to say, I’ll be getting a full day out on the railway, starting off from the nearby Bewdley station. I’ve already described my earlier visit to the SVR in some detail in the post ‘Every Journey ends with a Memory’, so I’ll not repeat those details here. Today’s post is just a quick photo journal of some of the new locomotives I spotted and trains I travelled on.

Bewdley station, early in the morning
Bewdley station, early in the morning

First train of the day was a class 50 diesel, which I took all the way to the northern terminus at Bridgnorth. With a whole day ahead of me, I wandered down into Bridgnorth low town for a look around by the river, then took the funicular cliff railway up to high town before heading back again to the station. Timetabling for the day meant that the class 50 was still waiting at the station, so I boarded and headed straight for the 1930s buffet car. With temperatures outside already heading for 30 degrees, a bottle of local beer from the Bewdley Brewery was most welcome!

Class 50 diesel 50031 'Hood' in full Intercity Swallow livery at Bridgnorth
Class 50 diesel 50031 ‘Hood’ in full Intercity Swallow livery at Bridgnorth

I alighted at Highley station for another quick look around the ‘Engine House’ museum which I had visited previously, and this time I was fortunate enough to get an individual guided tour by an extremely knowledgeable volunteer around the inside of the wartime royal carriage used by King George V. It’s an incredible piece of craftsmanship, with all manner of modern conveniences for its royal guests – telephones, a full bathroom and even a primitive air conditioning system with air blown across huge blocks of ice suspended in trays beneath the carriage.

Ex-LMS Ivatt class 4MT No.43106 at Highley, hauling a rake of LNER teak coaches
Ex-LMS Ivatt class 4MT No.43106 at Highley, hauling a rake of LNER teak coaches

My next train from Highley to Kidderminster was hauled by a Midland 4MT, and consisted of a rake of beautifully refurbished teak carriages as used by the old London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) on their express services to Scotland, the most notable of which being of course the ‘Flying Scotsman’.

Inside one of the LNER teak coaches from the 'Flying Scotsman'
Inside one of the LNER teak coaches from the ‘Flying Scotsman’
LNER teak restaurant car from the 'Flying Scotsman'
LNER teak restaurant car from the ‘Flying Scotsman’

I finished my day with a couple of full runs of the line, up to Bridgnorth then back to Bewdley again, spotting a few more engines along the way.

Class 40 diesel No.40106 'Atlantic Conveyor' at Kidderminster engine sheds
Class 40 diesel No.40106 ‘Atlantic Conveyor’ at Kidderminster engine sheds
Ex-LMS Ivatt class 4MT No.43106
Ex-LMS Ivatt class 4MT No.43106
GWR Tank No.4144 visiting from Didcot Railway Centre through 2019
GWR Tank No.4144 visiting from Didcot Railway Centre through 2019

Thanks for reading!