To celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, the Western Locomotive Association is renaming one of its locomotives for the 2022 operating season. All Western Locomotive Association-hauled services on the Severn Valley Railway will be hauled by D1040 Western Queen.
This year’s operating dates will be published soon, however, Western Queen’s first public appearance will be at the Severn Valley Railway Spring Diesel Festival from Thursday, May 19 to Sunday, May 22, so mix with royalty and enjoy the sight and sound of a majestic Class 50 Western diesel hydraulic locomotive on the 32-mile return trip between Kidderminster and Bridgnorth.
D1040 Western Queen was built at Crewe and introduced to traffic on September 20, 1962 in coach maroon livery with yellow buffer beams, and was first allocated to Old Oak Common in London. D1040 was re-painted blue with full yellow ends on April 17, 1970, this being the livery that the WLA will be displaying for the 2022 season. D1040’s last day on traffic was February 26, 1976, and IT was withdrawn from service the following day. Moved to Swindon on May 3, 1976, D1040 was cut up by August 11 that year. During its life on the Western Region, it travelled 1,248,000 miles.
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The Western Locomotive Association is the owner of D1013 Western Ranger and D1062 Western Courier, which are maintained and operated on the Severn Valley Railway. The association was founded in 1974 and in 1976 successfully purchased D1062 Western Courier, restoring it to full operational condition by May 1977, only a few months after the final demise of the class in February 1976. D1013 Western Ranger, having been purchased by a private businessman and WLA member, was also placed in the care of the Western Locomotive Association, eventually being purchased by the WLA in August 2004.
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