Open House Weekend

About

The Severn Valley Railway's Open House Weekend sees the doors thrown open to give you the chance to go behind the scenes. On these special days, you can gain access to rarely-seen areas of the Severn Valley Railway!

You'll see the work that goes into getting carriages ready for service, how we create new boilers for decades-old steam locomotives, uncover the state-of-the-art facility that houses our diesel locomotives, see the locomotive shed at Bridgnorth and much, much more. And you'll encounter plenty of steam engines and diesel locomotives during your visit as well!

Get tickets to travel and see the hidden areas of the SVR with ease, at your leisure PLUS discover The Engine House where a selection of our 'resting' engines are on display!

Plus, April 1st & 2nd are our first two weekends of full line running in the 2023 season, operating timetable C. See the timetable at svr.co.uk

Things to see and attractions

Attractions are open from 10am-4pm unless otherwise stated

Kidderminster

Diesel Cab Tours
Climb aboard the cab of Class 50 diesel locomotive and see how this powerful engine works, with guided tours of the cab and engine room. The Class 50 Association will conduct tours between 10am-4pm, two people per tour.

Signal box – Guided Tours
Kidderminster Town Signalbox will be open during the event for guided tours

Carriage and Wagon – Guided Tours
Bewdley

Brake Van Rides
Get a truly unique view of the SVR from a brake van with rides will take place each day from the north end of Platform 1. Available between 10.30am-4pm.

Yard – Carriage & Wagon
Bewdley Carriage & Wagon Yard will be open offering guided tours to show how carriages are restored to full working order, often from nothing more than a chassis! Tours available at 9.30am, 10.45am, 12noon, 1.30pm, 2.45pm and 4pm.

Highley

Signal Box – Guided Tours
One of the most popular signal boxes on the line, Highley Signal Box will be open for guided tours to show you the work that goes on behind the scenes. Guided tours take place at 10am, 11.15am, 12pm, 1.30pm, 2pm, 3.15pm and 4pm

The Engine House
As well as being open to explore our out-of-service locomotives at your leisure, volunteers from a number of departments will lead interactive Guided Tours around our Visitor Centre to give you the hidden history of the SVR, Britain's Railway and give you the opportunity to tour the King's Coach! Tours available at 10am, 11.15am, 12noon, 1.30pm, 2.00pm, 3.15pm and 4.00pm. There's also the chance to win a footplate ride by entering a raffle!

Bridgnorth

Signalbox – Guided Tours
Our most northerly signal box will be open for guided tours to see how our signalman work behind the scenes to safely welcome your train into our Shropshire terminus.

Machine Shop & Workshop – Open for viewing
Bridgnorth Engineering Services & Motive Power Depot will open the Machine Shop and Workshop to allow you to get an behind-the-scenes look in our state-of-the-art facility – you might even spot a locomotive or two being restored!

Bridgnorth Yard Project
Discover more about the Bridgnorth yard project, with a selection of photography and information available to showcase the hardwork of our team and any future plans.