Diesel-only at Severn Valley Railway over fire risk in hot weather
Severn Valley Railway is to temporarily only run its heritage diesel locomotives to reduce the risk of fire in the on-going hot and dry weather.
The Railway has taken the precaution following a number of small fires which broke out along the line on Sunday.
To reduce the risk of further fires and the added pressure on the fire service, the SVR's heritage diesel locomotives will be replacing their steam counterparts to take passengers on journeys along the line. The measures will be reviewed on July 18 and reviews continued on a day-to-day basis.
Nick Ralls, the SVR's general manager, said: "Despite the best efforts from our volunteers and staff on the railway to work appropriately for the dry conditions, the fire service was called out to a number of fire incidents along the line on Sunday.
"As an important part of the local community, we must consider the added pressure on an already stretched fire service during this extended dry spell as well as the disruption to our neighbours and this is why these measures have been taken.”
He added: "This really is an exceptional occurrence, though will let some of our lovely fleet of heritage diesel locomotives shine for a short while – there will still be the same regular timetable, comfy, historic carriages and plenty to see and do along the line, including the chance to experience a short journey on the footplate at Bewdley, which is a really special opportunity.
"We’d like to thank all our visitors and neighbours for their patience and will be announcing the latest updates on the situation on our website and Facebook Severn Valley Railway Official Site and Severn Valley Railway Families pages."
