SAINTS ALIVE!
Lady of Legend steals the show at the Severn Valley’s Spring Steam Up
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IT WAS the pairing GWR enthusiasts had been demanding for years, and when it came to the crunch, the sight of ‘Saint’ No. 2999 Lady of Legend on the Severn Valley Railway’s (SVR) Churchward ‘Toplights’ did not disappoint.
The SVR’s Spring Steam Up on April 15-18 must rank as one of the most eagerly anticipated galas for several years. Not only did it give the Great Western Society’s re-created Churchward 4-6-0 the chance to show what it could do with a good load over a long distance for the first time since its completion in 2019, but it also provided the ideal tonic (for enthusiasts and SVR volunteers) to the last year of living with Covid-19 and its many restrictions. In short, this was an event that was both wanted… and needed!
No. 2999 arrived from Didcot Railway Centre on April 4 and during subsequent days underwent load and weight testing ahead of its star turn.
Visitors to the railway from its reopening on April 12 may have been lucky enough to catch sight of the ‘Saint’, which made several trial runs with a rake of eight ‘Chocolate & Cream’ coaches, enabling the photographers ‘in the know’ to secure their first shots of this Great Western dream.
As safe as possible
Obviously, with Covid-19 still a big concern, the SVR planned the gala to keep visitors as safe as possible and minimise risk. A four-train timetable was devised that saw each train make three departures from Kidderminster or Bridgnorth each day, the first leaving Kidderminster at 08.25 and the last departing Bridgnorth at 19.00.
Pre-booking was essential and, unsurprisingly, most trains were booked solid. Passengers were sat in socially-distanced bubbles in open coaches or in compartments, and all seating was pre-allocated. Hand sanitiser was provided on board trains, and carriage door handles were cleaned at the end of each trip.
Furthermore, numbers were controlled in the shops and food outlets at Kidderminster and Bridgnorth (no intermediate stations were open), and visitors were requested to wear face coverings in and around the stations. A wristband system, rather than tickets, ensured contact between on-train staff and passengers was kept to a minimum.
The timetable saw locomotives change at the end of each single journey, which meant that each departure was hauled by all seven locos during the course of a day. These included ‘Modified Hall’ No. 6960 Raveningham Hall, which looked equally at home on the GWR set as No. 2999, and was making its final SVR gala appearance before its boiler ticket expires in June.
HRH honoured
Also in action were ‘28XX’ 2-8-0 No. 2857, Ivatt ‘4MT’ Mogul No. 43106 and Bulleid ‘West County’ Pacific No. 34027 Taw Valley, several of which carried wreaths to honour HRH The Duke of Edinburgh. A minute’s silence was observed at 15.00 on the Sunday.
Arguably the most popular locos after Lady of Legend were the tank engine pairing of Nos. 813 and 7714. The duo worked together throughout the event and put in some of the most memorable performances as they took on the climb of Eardington Bank.
BR ‘4MT’ 4-6-0 No. 75069 was the standby loco for the event and unfortunately had to step in on the Sunday to deputise for the ‘Saint’ after it was failed during the previous evening with a bent motion pin.
Efforts to repair it in time for Sunday’s services were unsuccessful, and as such it played no part in the final day’s operations, but instead sat on view in Bridgnorth yard. With No. 75069 covering No. 2999’s duties, ‘15XX’ No. 1501 became the standby loco that day.
Extra ‘Saint’ dates
Thankfully the gala was blessed with bright sunshine, and the mood of the volunteers and the passengers was both buoyant and positive. All in all it was a resounding success and gives the railway a firm foundation for its planned Autumn Steam Gala on September 16-19. No. 2999, meanwhile, had its stay on the railway extended and, subject to the repairs being completed, was expected to run services on April 23 and May 5-7.