The Severn Valley Railway has confirmed a second visiting locomotive for its inaugural Summer Gala, taking place on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 July.
Joining the line-up is Neilson & Co No 2937, a fascinating industrial steam locomotive with a rich heritage stretching back to the Victorian era. Built in 1882 by Neilson & Co, the locomotive was delivered new to William Baird & Co at Bedlay Colliery near Glenboig, where it carried the number 11.
The locomotive later became part of the complex industrial changes that reshaped Scotland’s heavy industries during the 20th century. Following the reorganisation and voluntary liquidation of William Baird & Co in 1938, the company’s Lanarkshire interests merged with Scottish Iron & Steel Co Ltd to form Bairds and Scottish Steel Ltd. In 1939, Bairds and Scottish Steel linked their Gartsherrie Works with the Northburn Steel Works.
With the nationalisation of the coal industry in January 1947, the locomotive passed into the ownership of the National Coal Board before returning to Bairds & Scottish Steel Ltd at Gartsherrie Ironworks, Coatbridge, around 1950.
After withdrawal from industrial service, the loco was acquired in June 1968 by the Railway Preservation Society at Hednesford, Staffordshire, before later moving to the Chasewater Light Railway. Following a period in storage and an extensive restoration at the Chasewater Railway, the locomotive returned to traffic there in August 2025.
The Summer Gala is a brand-new addition to the SVR’s events calendar and will celebrate both the railway’s distinctive home fleet and a selection of visiting locomotives, including several rarely seen examples. Across the two-day event, trains will operate a busy timetable along the full line between Kidderminster and Bridgnorth, offering passengers the chance to travel behind a wide variety of steam and heritage diesel traction.
Neilson & Co No 2937 joins Kerr Stuart ‘Witch’ class locomotive No 4388 as the second confirmed guest locomotive. No 4388, appearing courtesy of Jack Dibnah and the Foxfield Railway, was built in 1926 for the British Gas Light Company’s gas works at Etruria in Stoke-on-Trent and is noted for its distinctive outside-cylinder design and unusually small saddle tank.
Additional attractions across the railway will help create a festival atmosphere throughout the weekend. Visitors will be able to explore The Engine House at Highley, enjoy refreshments including real ales in station pubs, and experience ‘little trains’ at Kidderminster Station, where a live-steam Gauge 1 model railway will be operating throughout the event.
The expected home fleet includes GWR 813, GWR 1450, GWR 7714, Class 14 D9551, Class 17 D8568 and Class 20 20048, alongside the visiting locomotives, with more guest announcements still to come.
Gus Dunster, managing director of the Severn Valley Railway, said: “As a completely brand-new event for the Severn Valley Railway, the Summer Gala is all about offering visitors something a little different and showcasing unusual and characterful locomotives alongside our home fleet. Neilson & Co No 2937 is a wonderful addition to the line-up, bringing with it an incredible industrial heritage story and a type of locomotive that many of our visitors may never have seen in action before. We’re grateful to the Chasewater Railway and delighted to be welcoming it to the SVR for what promises to be a fascinating and varied weekend.”
For more information and to book tickets, visit svr.co.uk