My invite to a planned big day out started badly after missing my first local train to Kidderminster due to a taxi failure, so an hour later I finally made my way to Kidderminster for The Peak Locomotive Company Ltd (PLC Ltd) fundraiser on the SVR, organized initially by our great friend and fellow Peak crank Steve Fulcher, who hired the train and loco 46045, for his 56th Birthday jolly with the help of PLC Ltd's Mike Kerry & Cameron Johnson, for 3 round trips nonstop, end to end of the SVR. This train was private hire and only charter tickets were valid, many great things were organised on the day to raise extra money for PLC Ltd by Andy Piper including a raffle with many prizes. So, getting on the non-stop charter train on its first return journey at say middle of the line or so at Hampton Lode or Arley wasn't going to happen, as I missed the Peaks 1st departure from Kidderminster, but in the end there's surely worse things going on in the world! So once at Kidderminster I settled in for a steam hauled trip to Bridgenorth behind a very pristine GWR 4930 Hagley Hall that I last rode behind on the main line, Welsh Marches Express on 14th Feb 1981, also our good friend Dave Limerick ex Gloucester Train Driver was manning the buffet on this service train (see photo). Once at Bridgnorth I met my fellow Gloucester Peak Bashers (GI's) Jer, Chris, Gareth, Roy and many others who had a pint waiting for me in the luxurious 1948 Hawksworth GWR Observation Saloon behind our Steed for the day! To ride in the saloon car was a £5 supplement and very nice it was too with old and young fellow cranks and Bewdley Brewery finest Ales! On the return journey we settled into Hossing up and down the SVR with lots of thrash and beer to boot! Mr Piper worked hard all day ensuring that all monies from tickets and raffles/donations were amassed. The day was a Peak Army reunion for many of us. I met many old bashers from my peak bashing days like Mike Smith, Carl Nanette, as I always named him, Nick Bircham, Mark H, Jim, Kev Coumbe, Hovis, Rosie, MFI, Trev Dorrington and many others, it was also sad to know some bashing mates had passed away in the years gone by, but we are all starting to age now! After an awesome day on the SVR on my train home back to Cam & Dursley station, I reflected about my final class 46 bashing moves and Railtours, seeing the final remaining handful of the original total of 56 Class 46's being withdrawn at the end of 1984, so it was a kind of 40 years since class 46 withdrawal from British Rail, or Preservation. But back to the mega day out on the 16/3/24, the Gloucester lads and I would like to thank the SVR and PLC Ltd a lot for a great and memorable day out. But we would also especially like to thank Steve Fulcher for hiring the train and Andy Piper for relentlessly working hard to sell the Tickets. Cheers! We salute you, from the GI'.s
Copyright of all pictures in this gallery belong to R Kelsey.