The Severn Valley Railway’s Spring Diesel Festival between 15 and 18 May welcomed more than 3,700 visitors and saw 20 locomotives in action, for what organisers believe was 2025’s largest diesel event on the preservation circuit.
‘What a fantastic show we put on!’ said managing director Jonathan ‘Gus’ Dunster. ‘Our Spring diesel event traditionally showcases the best of both heritage and modern diesel traction, and this year’s event was absolutely up there with the best.
‘I’m delighted with what we’ve achieved here, especially with the added challenge of a shortened running line between Kidderminster and Hampton Loade only, due to the landslip at Mor Brook.
‘We experienced some delays, mainly around the Kidderminster to Bewdley shuttle service and its associated run rounds and shunts at Bewdley, but nevertheless there were plenty of highlights across the four days.’
The event saw a diverse range of visitors, including both Freightliner’s Class 66 66509 and its Class 70 70020. There were two Class 56s from Colas Rail, a Class 69 from GB Railfreight, plus a West Coast Railways Class 37, a Class 57 from Locomotive Services Group, a Class 58 and a pair of Rail Adventure powercars, 43468 and 43480. The visitors complemented members of the SVR home fleet.
On the Saturday of the event, there was a re-dedication ceremony for 50033 ‘Glorious’ at Kidderminster Town station. The locomotive was named for the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Glorious, which was sunk in 1940 in the Norwegian sea, along with two escorting destroyers, HMS Ardent and HMS Acasta.
Representatives of the HMS Glorious, HMS Ardent and HMS Acasta Association (GLARAC) and the Royal Navy and Worcester Sea Cadets attended to commemorate the 85th anniversary of the occasion, when 1,207 lives were lost.
‘Whilst our visitor numbers were down compared to our equivalent event last year,’ explain Gus, ‘We were expecting this, bearing in mind the reduced line length we’re currently able to operate on. For those who came however, the event clearly delivered a great experience, and we have had extremely positive feedback.
‘A really good factor for us has been that secondary spend actually increased on 2024 at all locations except Bridgnorth, which remains cut off from the rest of the line because of the landslip.’
Work on repairing the landslip has now begun. The SVR has not given a precise date for the line to fully reopen, but has indicated that it expects this to happen during the main summer season.
Plans are already being put in place for the SVR’s Autumn Diesel Bash between 2 and 5 October, which will celebrate 65 years of Class 37s.