Severn Valley Railway to welcome Royal Visitor

HRH the Princess Royal is to visit to the Severn Valley Railway heritage attraction next month.

Locomotives will be buffed and polished in preparation for the Princess Royal’s first visit to the Railway on Monday 13 April, during which she will meet a range of SVR staff, volunteers, founding members and apprentices as well as being invited to ride on the footplate of one of the Railway’s much-loved heritage steam engines.

A welcome party of local dignitaries and SVR representatives will welcome her and her escort, the Lord Lieutenant of Worcestershire, at Bewdley where she will also meet an enthusiastic group of SVR pioneers and young volunteers before taking to the tracks.

A self-confessed fan of steam locomotives, the Princess Royal will then be invited to don a dustcoat and gloves and climb aboard the footplate of one of the SVR’s resident steam locomotives, however, if admiring the views of the picturesque Severn Valley from the comfort of a carriage is preferable, she will be escorted into the luxury of the SVR’s Observation Saloon for the journey to Kidderminster.

The SVR is currently celebrating 50 years since a small group of young rail enthusiasts gathered in their local pub and decided to reopen the line which was closed in 1963, and four of those founding members will be on hand to greet the Princess Royal and reveal key landmarks in the Railway’s 50 year heritage. She will then be asked to unveil a plaque celebrating 50 years of the SVR and to sign the anniversary Visitors Book.

Finally, she will be given a behind the scenes tour of the Carriage Works at Kidderminster, to meet volunteers and some of the young apprentices on the Heritage Skills Training Academy (HSTA), one of a range of key projects financed by the fundraising efforts of the SVR Charitable Trust (SVRCT) and the SVR’s Share Offer scheme.

The Severn Valley Railway Charitable Trust has been launched to raise vital funds to assist in the preservation and operation of the Railway and through initiatives such as the HSTA, the Severn Valley Railway hopes to become the UK’s Heritage Engineering centre of excellence.

The Princess Royal will be shown a practical demonstration of the heritage skills taught through the scheme, which are essential in the on-going programme of coach maintenance and restoration.

Nick Ralls, the SVR’s general manager, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be able to welcome HRH The Princess Royal to the Railway and to be given the opportunity to demonstrate how much the SVR has grown and developed during its 50 years in operation.

“We have had the privilege of meeting Her Royal Highness in the past and she has revealed her enthusiasm for heritage steam, so we are very excited to be able to offer her the opportunity to travel along the line for the first time.”

She added: “We have a whole host of events and activities taking place this year to mark our Golden Jubilee, and this Royal visit is such a wonderful highlight.”