The Severn Valley Railway Charitable Trust has reached its fundraising target to carry out desperately-needed improvements to the locomotive works in Bridgnorth.
The target was reached thanks to the incredible support of 3,000 donors, and grant makers with £475,000 raised.
The Railway is now forging ahead with plans to transform the locomotive works. Critically, the roof, which is full of holes and leaking badly, will be repaired and energy-efficiency measures installed including better lighting and insulation.
Another welcome part of the project will be the arrival of an overhead travelling crane which will allow engineers to move heavy items safely and more easily when working on locomotives.
Four contractors have now been selected to carry out the works following detailed evaluations of the competitive bids submitted by all the shortlisted companies, with a particular focus on delivering requirements effectively and safely in a live working environment.
Volunteers are pivotal to the project with over £40,000 worth of time committed in addition to donations. The project will be managed under the expert supervision of Antony Bartlam – a Bridgnorth-based volunteer who is a professional structural engineer and project manager, with support from fellow volunteers Nick Yarwood – experienced with contracts and project programming – and Ben Wright – a qualified architect – together with senior leaders from the Railway – Chris Bond, Martin White and Richard Morris.
“This project is going to make a huge difference to the volunteers and paid staff who work hard to keep the locomotive fleet operational,” said Martin White, the SVR’s head of engineering. “Volunteers are already clearing the way and carrying out small-scale construction activities that need to be completed before the main contractors’ work begins. A deposit has also been placed on a refurbished, second-hand overhead crane which offers a great value solution to requirements.”
Shelagh Paterson, executive director for the SVR Charitable Trust said, “Thank you to all the donors who, in spite of the challenges of the Covid pandemic, rallied around to help raise funds for the Home & Dry appeal. The locomotive works are vital to the running of the Severn Valley Railway, helping create memorable experiences for so many people. We’re looking forward to seeing the transformation.”
These important works are due to be completed later this year.