SVR General Discussion

The Severn Valley Railway Charitable Trust has won £75,000 in a Department for Transport competition, for its ambitious scheme to transform the Railway’s travel offering for disabled passengers.

The Trust took part in a national ‘Dragons’ Den’ style competition, pitching their project to a panel of senior government figures, including Lord Faulkner of Worcester, Sir William McAlpine, Mark Garnier MP, and Deirdre Wells of UK Inbound. More than 200 organisations applied for funding from the DfT’s Heritage and Community Rail Tourism Innovation competition, and the SVR was one of those shortlisted to pitch in person to the Dragons.

Reacting to the announcement that the SVR had been chosen as one of the competition winners, SVR General Manager Nick Ralls said:

“This award means we can transform our facilities for disabled visitors. We think it’s essential we offer all our passengers, regardless of their mobility level, the same level of convenience and access, along with the on board heritage dining facilities for which our railway is so well regarded. This funding from the DfT gives us the key to make that happen, and we’re extremely excited about getting started on the work.”

The first phase will see the restoration and conversion of a currently un-used British Rail vehicle into a dedicated wheelchair-accessible carriage, providing accommodation for five wheelchair users and their companions, along with a disabled toilet. The team of staff and volunteers at the Railway has extensive experience in this type of adaptation, having carried out similar projects in recent years. The Trust’s chairman Hugh McQuade explains more:

“We learn from every one of our restoration projects, and we’re constantly adapting our approach. We pay great attention to getting an authentic match to each carriage’s period style. It’s about giving passengers the richest heritage experience that we can.”

This carriage will complete the Railway’s fleet of adapted carriages, and will mean that there are wheelchair facilities on every single timetabled train on the Railway.

Perhaps the biggest challenge for the restoration team lies in the second phase of the project. This involves rebuilding a second carriage to provide dining accommodation for up to 16 wheelchair users. Hugh McQuade explains more about its design:

“We’ve come up with an innovative zig-zag layout for the tables, that means we can allow for many different configurations of wheelchairs and conventional seating. As far as we know, nothing like this exists anywhere else in Britain.”

The expansion of the Railway’s existing wheelchair-accessible fleet and the creation of a dedicated dining car mean that we’ll be able to offer charter and party facilities for large groups of people with disabilities.

The third part of the scheme is the purchase of lightweight wheelchair ramps, to be carried in every adapted vehicle, including the ‘new’ dining car. The current station-based ramps are heavy and cumbersome, and because of security issues cannot be kept at every station and stop along the line. The new set of portable ramps will allow disabled passengers to get on and off trains at all stations and halts, giving them full access to all the attractions on the route.

The DfT’s £75,000 will form part of the project’s overall cost. The remainder of the funding comes from the Charitable Trust’s own funds, those of Severn Valley Railway (Holdings) plc, and also includes an in-kind costing for more than 3,000 volunteer hours that will be worked on this project.

 

There were comments on facebook about there being very few visitors about today. I assume lots of people might have decided to go to Gloucester and Warwick instead or just a general trend for people shopping or doing other things on a bank holiday.

 

A slight bit of exaggeration I feel. Whilst not the busiest of days, it was far from empty. People seem to have a habit of sleeping in on a bank holiday, I don't know why
Certainly the afternoon was better, the weather had improved for a start. The final run back to KR with the Western had a fair few on.

 

I know, it's so boring when a railway only has four locos in operation to run the everyday service isn't it?

Seriously now: I saw that Facebook post and was slightly disconcerted at how quickly it went from "Bewdley was a bit quiet today" towards "Oh no! The sky is falling! We need a Diesel Gala every weekend to save the railway!" (I exaggerate a bit of course) To my eyes - not that I'm the best person to ask - Bridgnorth seemed reasonably busy yesterday. As this bank holiday is at the start of a school holiday, I'd expect this weekend to maybe be slightly quieter than the May Day bank holiday.

 

It was about the same IMO as I worked CS1 on the 1st and 2nd as well as the 30th. Today seemed fairly well loaded considering the dodgy forecast.

 

I'm sure this hasn't been posted yet, the Bridgnorth Redevelopment plans:
https://pa.shropshire.gov.uk/online...s.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=O0YI6MTDK4T00
Still awaiting a decision, there appears to be quite a few objections over the staff hostel.

 

Those objections are being discussed at the moment. The objection is over the tower that would hold the sprinkler water tank. Other options are being discussed/ designed.

 

Our monthly news round up is available at http://www.svrlive.com/Pages/ExpressPoints.aspx including the web round up at http://www.svrlive.com/Documents/WEB ROUND UP 06.2016.pdf

(As I type both links on the page go to the web round up. I have advised Simon and hopefully he will fix it shortly)

Patrick

 

This summer there is a special offer on 'Family' tickets. Rather than £55.50, the family summer saver is priced at £39 and is valid on normal days from 23rd July to 4 September. Available in advance and on the day.
http://www.svr.co.uk/NewsItem.aspx?a=732

 

Next week onwards till the last week in August is now B service for the weekdays while a mix of C and S are in use at weekends.

 

It's Peep Behind the Scenes this coming Saturday http://www.svr.co.uk/SEItem.aspx?a=50
For £5, you have access to many areas not usually open to the public. At Kiddy, the Carriage Works, Carriage Shed and Diesel Depot are all open, while the shed at Bridgnorth is open for viewing.
At Bewdley, there is a shuttle planned to run along the Tenbury and Stourport spurs using the DMU.

 

Plus there's also the 4150 Fund area at Bewdley, beneficiaries of the Peep Behind The Scenes admission fees; the carriage and wagon workshops at Bewdley; and the signalboxes at Kidderminster, Bewdley North and Bridgnorth.

 

The provisional events for next year http://www.svr.co.uk/NewsItem.aspx?a=736

"Spring Steam Gala March 17th - 19th Revised fares
Open House Weekend April 8th & 9th Normal fares
Peppa Pig & George Visit May 6th & 7th Revised fares
Spring Diesel Festival May 18th - 20th Revised fares
Mixed Traction Day May 21st Normal fares
Step Back to the 1940s June 24th & 25th, July 1st & 2nd Revised fares
Peep Behind the Scenes July 15th Normal fares
Classic Vehicle Day July 30th Normal fares
Steam on the Road August 12th & 13th Normal fares
On the Buses September 2nd Normal fares
Autumn Steam Gala September 21st - 24th Revised fares

A number of other events and dates for 2017 are still being finalised, including: Engine House Events, Ghost Trains, Season Finale Gala and Santa & Christmas Experiences.

Further event information will be available in the Autumn."

 

I am glad the Diesel gala is staying in May weather is better for it wonder if the spring gala will be not the usual branch line theme with the end of season gala only in November this year being similar smaller loco event.

 

Maybe, it depends on what is available.
The one bit I'm unsure about is having another Season Finale Gala. This year it is a sort of replacement for the ASG, but as we have the ASG back next year, do we really want/need the Season Finale Gala?

 

I suppose the argument there would be that it worked well in 2015, if you count Manor 50 as a proto-SFG.

 

I wonder if there is a new model for the ASG no more local and making the end off season gala the one with the locals and freight trains but just using the home fleet.
Maybe some changes to the spring gala to make it more commercial as numbers were poor this year as soon as the hall was not available.

 

I rather enjoyed last years ASG I know there were a complaints about lack of locals but as a 'big engine' gala I thought it worked. I think there could be a market for a small engine EOS gala dosn't have to be anything OTT, couple of smaller visitors eg a pannier/prairie and maybe somthing like say a Standard tank? And make use of the home fleet, the SVR as it was a secondary (G) WR route.

 

Don't care what they do with them, I just want the late night/overnight running back. Such an incredible experience, still annoyed they aren't doing it an any of the SVR's events this year.