Success at gala event for Severn Valley Railway
Severn Valley Railway (SVR) bosses have hailed the spring steam gala as one of its most successful events ever - despite some challenges.
The gala, held over the weekend of April 21-24, attracted 7,500 visitors and brought a welcome boost to the railway's finances, said Helen Smith, the managing director.
It saw locomotive 4498 ‘Sir Nigel Gresley’ relaunched and appearing in wartime black livery throughout the event, and 2999 ‘Lady of Legend’ returning to the SVR following its debut at last year’s spring event.
Income was also boosted by pre-sales of the Hornby limited-edition 00 gauge model of No. 70 ‘Elizabeth II’.The Hornby model launched on the first day of the Gala, and the SVR sold out its allocation of models within hours.
Helen said "The event surpassed all our expectations and the sheer number of visitors was extremely gratifying, not to mention the hundreds of very positive comments we received in person and online.
"A few challenges also presented themselves during the course of the gala. There were a number of line side fires, some of which required attendance by the fire service, and on one occasion there was a 70-minute delay to services as a result.
"On the Saturday, SVR-based locomotive GWR 813 failed, with the fracture of the large casting that supports the rear axle springing under the cab floor, extending beneath the coal bunker.
"It is likely to be a significant repair, which will take its owners, the GWR 813 Preservation Fund, considerable time and money to rectify.
An additional challenge was the current difficulty in securing reliable coal supplies, and Helen added:
“Like other heritage railways, the SVR is facing considerable challenges in obtaining coal.
"Even though we’ve taken measures such as postponing footplate experiences and dropping some less busy running days this season, we decided to protect our Spring Steam Gala.
"We wanted to give our supporters the best possible event we could. The only casualty of coal supply issues was the cancellation of the goods train services.
“We plan to go ahead with our Autumn Steam Gala event between 15th and 18th September, and are working hard to ensure this will be an equally spectacular and enjoyable event that represents the very best the SVR can offer."
