Severn Valley Railway

The floods in the summer of 2007 caused over forty landslip problems along the line of the Severn Valley Railway (SVR).  Throughout the rest of 2007 and early 2008 extensive repair and restoration work took place the SVR was fully open again by Easter 2008.

The SVR is a well maintained heritage railway running through the beautiful Shropshire and Worcestershire countryside, along the banks of the Severn and is one of the top 3% of tourist attractions in the country, with over 250,000 visitors each year. 

A day out on the line was further enhanced in 2008 by the opening of the new Engine House exhibition centre at Highley.  You can buy tickets at the Engine House itself, but the best value is to buy a combined and discounted ticket giving rail travel and entrance to the Engine House.

The Engine House Visitor and Education Centre at Highley has been a great success in 2008 and has greatly exceeded expectations : with double the expected visitor numbers in the first couple of months of opening, and with over 30,000 visitors between March and August.

At the entrance to the Engine House sits a Morris Minor, which seems incongruous, but is a reminder of the role of the motor car in the demise of the branch railways.  The brand new, purpose built building houses up to ten locomotives, which are displayed along with special sound effects and dry ice. There is also a mail sorting van, (playing extracts from Auden’s ‘The Night Mail’).  You can explore the engines  - there is even wheelchair access to one - and both from the viewing gallery above, and from ground level (which is well below the normal platform height) you can really appreciate the size and power of these engines.

Other exhibits inside include an illustration of the restoration work, an explanation of how a steam engine works and a re-creation of the founding meeting of the SVR in the Coopers Arms pub in Kidderminster.

The Engine House is a major new addition to the SVR, and is sure to consolidate its position as one of the UK’s leading tourist attractions.  It is a very accessible exhibition centre with something for all the family: there are baby-changing facilities, an outdoor play area and a very spacious outdoor picnic table area.

For the complete SVR experience, why not buy the combined travel ticket and Engine House entry ticket ?. Enjoy a train journey and a visit to the Engine House and maybe pause in Buffers Cafe Restaurant and watch the trains go by as you eat. Buffers Restaurant seats 150 and on a sunny day enjoy sitting on the spacious outdoor balcony with a view of the line and the river.

The Engine House is very entertaining and informative, the scale of the engines is impressive. The whole place is well thought out and very entertaining for the whole family - from the climb-aboard experience of the engines, to the views from the cafe, and the play area next to the picnic tables - informative and enjoyable for the whole family.

Make sure you break your journey there and spend some time at the Engine House at Highley - which is a major new tourist attraction in its own right - but when combined with a day on the SVR it makes a great day out on the line !

Telephone 01299 403816 for the SVR
Telephone 01746 862387 for the Engine House