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Severn valley railway.

Hi Carol love the special events at Arley the 40's theme is brilliant. It's usualy on every station but because of repairs to the track it was not such a big event this year.Friends of ours own the Harbour Inne and the stretch of water half way up to the bridge. My husband Pete used to balif it for the previous owner Riki who also owns Ye Olde New Inns. We are fortunate enough to have a caravan on Bank farm Upper Arley. Let you know if there is anything special on before Xmas. Bye. Jean.
 
One early January day, we went to The Harbour Inn and caught the last train back to Kiddie, about 4-40pm. We waited in the dark station , admiring the station masters Christmas tree through his windows, the train came towards us out of the dark blowing its whistle, I'm not kidding when I say the hair on the back of my neck stood up!! It was a sight I'll never forget.
Keep in touch Jean x
 
We are back down there on Wednesday and may put in an official complaint about the overgrown trees. Not on is it. GGJ.
 
If you wait a few weeks all the leaves will drop off, should see the river then.
 
As mentioned in an earlier post, there were two American-made feature films during the 1970's in which the SVR was used as a location.

The one of them, a Walt Disney family film "Candleshoe" starring David Niven, is coming on normal TV this weekend. Channel 5, this Saturday 11th October (tomorrow, in other words) at 3.00 pm.

Can't guarentee how much of the original location filming has been left in to fit in with TV schedules.
 
We visited Arley station a couple of weeks ago,although Steve often fished there in the 70s we had never been to the station ,a steam engine came in just as we got there,beautiful.
We then went to Highley where the open fire was lit in the Waiting room.

We were in the area to 'recky' a touring caravan site we had heard of in the area,what a disappointment ,I took one look and knew it wasn't the sort of place I wanted to park our van,should have read site reviews online like I usually do.

Should have come to yours Jean,I hear they have good touring pitches.

The flooded river water had subsided and the banks looked so sad not the Severn I remember at all.
 
Alberta wish we'd known we could have met up. Which site did you book into?. Try Bank farm next time where we are they have a touring site and the views are splendid. Look on the net under that name. TTFN. Jean.
 
Visited Severn Valley Railway October 2004.
My Husband took a few PICS thought they might be of interest.
Iris Hollyoak
 
Anyone attend the Bonfire Nights at Bridgenorth Station in the late 1960's?. They were so successful that you couldn't move for the crowds of people. What was really good was the chance to ride a steam train after dark when the railway takes on a completely different atmosphere with the glow of the fire from the loco cab and gaslit stations.
 
I fancy that Mike but I'm not sure they do it now. It was great this weekend to hear the trains whistle as it came past the caravan. We walk up the hill [2 mins] and watch it go by. So lucky. Jean.
 
Hi Jean,
The only time I stopped in the Severn Valley was on my Honeymoon many many years ago at Bridgnorth.
Regards
Iris
 
Lloyd,
Isn't that old Arley ferry (post #7) now docked (dumped) at the side of the river in Bewdley? I think I can remember it, or something similar, being used as landing station where motor boats were hired out in the late 50s/early 60s.
 
Looking at some of the photos and posts reminds me of my first holiday as a child towards the end of WW2.
We stayed in a real gypsy caravan in a farmer's field near Arley. The caravan had large wheels and steps between horse shafts up to the end door. It was decorated with bright colours inside and out.
My sister and I used to go down a hill to the River Severn, and I'm sure I remember a small island in the river at that point - maybe I'm dreaming this !
We used to watch US airplanes flying along the river so low we could look down on them.
I went on my first ever rail journey to Bridgenorth and was disappointed that it was not a steam engine, it was a GWR diesel railcar coloured brown and cream.
Here's a couple of photos taken a few years ago - a Gresley Pacific on the SVR looking a bit out of place but was impressive and a view of Bewdley Bridge just before it rained.
Union_of_South_Africa.JPG



Stormy_Sky__Over_Bewdley_Bridge.JPG
 
Hi Old Mowhawk I think you stayed either on Bank Farm or Hungry Hill. The island is at the bottom of the hill. Both these places have been going for yonks. Had a lovely day on Sunday and did the four pubs [shame Peter could only have l drink] shan't say how many I had. It was the Santa special but we couldn't get near the station as it was packed. We didn't take one of the Button Oak or the New Innes.
 
Hi Jean,
Thanks, I've just had a look on Google Earth and can see the island. I can also see a path crossing the railway line and now remember having to walk across the line with my sister. I remember that we went on a Midland Red bus to Bewdley, but don't know how we got to Arley. I remember a lot of walking and a slight argument between my Mom and Dad about which way to go at a signpost !
oldmohawk
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The times I've walked down that path and across the railway track TO DELIVER PETE'S BACON AND EGG SANDWICH. If you look at a thread under the name of Sleigh I have put a photo on overlooking the railway track. Maybe you caught the Whittles coach from Bewdley but not sure if they were a company back then. Will sort some photo's out of the island where I caught my biggest chub ever and nearly fell in. Jean.
 
This is my favourite card this year from an original oil painting by John Austin. It is the G.W.R. Large Prairie No. 5164 leaving Bewdley on the Severn Valley Railway. Jean.
 
Old Mowhawk here is a picture of my twins our dogs and myself on the island and two taken from where you would have stayed. Also a few others of Arley and Bridgenoth station taken when the twins were quite young. Jean.
 
Thanks Jean.
The island looks quite large, my memories of it are rather faded now ! I like the pic of the train in the snow
I've just logged on after spending an hour or so looking at the B'ham pics on the SkyscraperCity site.
oldmohawk
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Hi must take a look myself. The island is much smaller now as Trevor dug another channell through but then again when the river is in flood it doesn't exist or only part of it. All being well in the fishing season I will take photo's of it from both ends. One year when the lads were young it was completely flooded and when the water lowered it left loads of stranded fish in pools. We netted as many as we could and returned them to the river. Bye. Jean.
 
G G Jean said:
This is my favourite card this year from an original oil painting by John Austin. It is the G.W.R. Large Prairie No. 5164 leaving Bewdley on the Severn Valley Railway. Jean.
Click to expand...

Stone me Jean, I'm impressed with your knowledge of the loco in that lovely pic. All my wife would say was "it looks like a steam engine to me". LOL
Mike
 
Hi Mike: Jean's Christmas card is great. A lot of people don't know much about steam trains unless they were around brothers who collected numbers or had family members who worked for the railways. Girls were never allowed to go with their brother's to collect train numbers.

In my case, because I worked where I could see amazing steam trains every day at New Street Station I had a secret love for them and besides that our family holidays often started at Platform 7 Snow Hill Station in the early l950's.

My parents belonged to the Royal Society of Arts social group in New Street and when I came to Brum for a visit in the early l970's, I remember seeing this amazing group of oil paintings of famous steam engine's hung there at a social gathering. There was an auction for one of the paintings that evening. I have never seen such a great group of painting of steam trains as they had on show there.

I have a friend John Tucker, who at one time was a director of the Severn Valley Railway group, lives in Brum. He loves trains. His dream was to resurrect the station at Adlestrop on the Moreton-in-the-Marsh main line. A famous poem was written about this station years ago. He owns the station land there but he hasn't made any progress on the resurrection of the station buildings. He takes me out when I come for a visit and we always go somewhere where he can see a train or two. I remember Llangollen in Wales last time we went out where the station was being refurbished at a great cost and a stop in Betwsycoed, also in Wales, where there was a train or two at the station. It would have been a diesel though.
In l985 I took my children on the steam train from Kidderminster to Bridgnorth. It was a great experience.
 
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