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Heritage Railway Opinion - 10 June

Less than 10 miles from the West Midlands conurbation, it might as well be half the world away. Dreamy little riverside bungalow and caravan parks and occasional farms nestled in a valley which no major road has ever successfully penetrated lengthways; and canoe boats passing the time on the shallower sections of the British mainland’s longest river. As with the Welsh Highland Railway, the Severn Valley shows just what the train can do that the car and motor coach simply cannot.

The Severn Valley may be described as the perfect heritage railway, in that by itself it rarely makes headlines, the flash floods of summer 2007 and the subsequent national campaign to restore the deluged sections apart. It runs from A to B, usually like clockwork and on time, over 16 miles, much of which is outstanding and unspoiled countryside.

As an entity, it is fairly complete: there are no serious plans to extend it over any of the adjacent vacant trackbeds, and the original stations are intact. In short, renowned for its reliability, for the visitor it does what it says on the tin – offers a guaranteed quality steam train ride whatever the weather, and just a short hop from a major centre of population.

In this year when many anniversaries are being celebrated, not least of all GWR 175, the Severn Valley remains as a beacon for others to follow.

Admittedly, the early revivalists had a major foundation on which to build in that the track was already there, and the extensions to Bewdley and Kidderminster did not have to be laid.

However, they were breaking new ground in trying to bring the Bluebell Railway concept to a West Midlands where there was a growing thirst for all things steam big time. With the demise of BR main line steam haulage, there was suddenly a ‘you don’t know what you’ve got till its gone’ feeling, and Bridgnorth and Hampton Loade back in 1970 just happened to be in the right place at the right time.

The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway’s achievements to date may be considered even more amazing in that its members – none of which have even been paid – have built a 10-mile line where the tracks had been ripped up and almost all of the stations were demolished.

The first public train back over Stanway viaduct marks another milestone for this line, another GWR cross-country route.

The success of both lines begs the question – did the Great Western Railway really die on 1 January 1948, or did it merely pass its torch over to the Western Region, and then on to the heritage movement when the time was right? Thanks to Bob Meanley & Co at Tyseley, it is still possible to enjoy regular GWR steam on the main line, even timetabled services in the form of the summer Sunday ‘Shakespeare Express’ series.

Will there ever be more heritage lines of the ilk of the Valley or Glos Warks?

It is easy to say no, because of the nationally declining numbers of overall volunteers, and the fact that the public appetite for steam is served by many more heritage railways than there were in 1970.

Yet the Weardale Railway, which commendably launched its new public DMU services in May, could easily become the Severn Valley of the north, offering superb romantic landscapes and a string of traditional villages within striking distance of the Tyne & Wear conurbation. Support it and it will do for Bishop Auckland what the Severn Valley did for Bridgnorth and Bewdley.

It may have been a small player until now, and indeed it has taken 27 years to attain a town centre presence, but don’t dismiss the Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway. Already the southern extension has opened up some exciting photographic opportunities, and if there is ever the chance to extend northwards, more striking scenery will be opened up. Over the years, there have been several attempts to start a major heritage railway scheme in the valleys, but this one now appears to have emerged as the clear winner, and has incredible potential waiting to be tapped.

Yes, there is much to cheer this year, and we haven’t even seen the Bluebell’s 50th anniversary gala yet!

Robin Jones
Editor