Day of celebration as Severn Valley Railway reopens Bridgnorth line with legendary locomotive Flying Scotsman

A sun-drenched day of celebration took place on the heritage rail line, with Britain's most famous locomotive, the Flying Scotsman, drafted in as the guest of honour.

The legendary locomotive carried passengers from Kidderminster to Bridgnorth, with the line fully open for the first time since January.

It marked a milestone day for the railway, and for Bridgnorth, with the Shropshire station having been cut off from the rest of the line since the January landslip at the Mor Brook.

While the fully functioning line is key to the railway's ability to operate, the route also draws in huge numbers of tourists and visitors to Bridgnorth, boosting businesses and footfall across the town.

Bridgnorth's Mayor, Councillor David Cooper, who was there to greet the Flying Scotsman, and ride on the train back to Kidderminster, spelled out just what it means to the town to have the line re-opened.

Addressing a packed platform after the historic train's passengers had disembarked, he said: "It really is important.

"There has been a strong continuity between the railway and the town of Bridgnorth. It does draw a lot of people into the town, it is very much valued by the businesses in the town, and as part of our offering, so we are very grateful that the service is now back up and running - and in time for the school holidays. It is brilliant news."

Ahead of the arrival of the Flying Scotsman the station was abuzz with anticipation, decked out with bunting, while the aroma of the cafe refreshments floated out onto the time-warp platform.

The arrival of the locomotive, with the booming steam engine reverberating through the station, was followed by hundreds of happy passengers spilling out onto the platform, smiles on their faces as they surveyed the celebratory scene around them.

For Bridgnorth station master Chris Thomas there was huge relief and joy at seeing the line fully up and running again.

He said: “I am delighted the line has reopened. It means not only do we get trains here, I look upon it as today is the day when the rest of the world is connected to Bridgnorth.

”I deliberately put it that way because business in Bridgnorth really suffers when we are not here, particularly hospitality.”

Rev Suzan Williams, vicar of St Mary Magdalene and Surrounding Parishes, echoed the sentiments ringing around the venue - saying the reopening is great for the railway, and great for Bridgnorth.

She said: “It is going to be such a boost for the town. I had a conversation with one of the landladies in the town the other day and she said it had impacted businesses all through the town so there is a real excitement that tourists will be back.”

Meanwhile for passengers who enjoyed the journey it had been a rare opportunity to step back to the golden age of British steam power.

Craig Hopkins and his son Harvey from Birmingham enjoyed their trip, describing the journey as “very smooth” and remarking on classic carriages.

Craig said they had missed out on tickets when they went on sale and were lucky to be invited by friends.

Young train enthusiast Harvey was clearly thrilled at the occasion, exclaiming “I really loved it,“ and he showed off his toy train.

Gus Dunster, managing director of the Severn Valley Railway, addressed the crowds as they marked the reopening.

He said: "I would just like to reflect a little bit on what the Severn Valley Railway means to people because I have been absolutely bowled over at the generosity that has been shown to this railway by our friends and supporters and stakeholders and just about everyone else in the communities we interact with.

"I have had people come up to me in the street over the last six months and just literally give me money to say 'please get the Severn Valley Railway back open again', and it has been really, really touching just to understand how people feel about this railway."

Mr Dunster thanked a host of people involved in the rebuilding work, and making it possible for The Flying Scotsman to mark the opening.

He said: "Everyone across the railway has really pitched in and delivered. Running a truncated service to Hampton Loade was not necessarily as straightforward as it seemed, and everyone has really adapted and got on with that.

"I would like to say particular rhanks to Chris and Diane and the team at Bridgnorth who have really kept this place alive in difficult circumstances for the last six months and made sure there is still the sound of a railway in Bridgnorth for that six-month period."

Antony Bartlam, Severn Valley Railway's project manager for the Mor Brook bridge repairs, also spoke about the scale of the task completed by the railway, its contractors, and supporters - and thanked everyone for invaluable contributions.

He specifically thanked the railway's insurers, saying: "Without the claim I am confident we would not be standing here today. It is a huge amount of money that has been spent to get this back up and running and I don't think the railway would have been in a position to fund that fully."

Because of the current high risk of lineside fires, a Class 20 diesel locomotive provided assistance to the Flying Scotsman to avoid the need for it having to work overly hard.

Mr Dunster explained: “The vegetation alongside our line is still very dry, and the last thing we want on this very special day is a spark from Flying Scotsman inadvertently starting a fire. Placing the diesel directly behind the steam loco gives the best level of assistance, which is so important when the train is tackling the infamous incline of Eardington Bank.

“We thought long and hard about this, because ideally we’d have liked 60103 to be able to run unassisted. However, our priority has been to make sure the day goes smoothly, giving the best experience to our passengers and, as a responsible train operator, taking the safest course of action.”

Tomorrow (July 26) will see The Flying Scotsman receive a musical welcome from Kidderminster Male Choir.

The ‘Men in Red’ will entertain the crowds with a free, hour-long concert on the Kidderminster station concourse from 1.30pm, as part of SVR’s Swingin’ Sixties weekend.

Beatles classics will be a highlight of their programme.

A choir spokesman said: “We are honoured to be taking part in this special weekend, which celebrates the 60th anniversary of the preservation of the SVR line.”

Although the concert is free, the choir will have collecting buckets to raise money for local charities, including KEMP Hospice.