The World's most famous steam engine reopens the Severn Valley Railway
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ITV News
4 hours ago
- ITV News
Alstom hosts The Greatest Gathering event to celebrate 200 years of railway
Thousands of people are expected to come to Derby this weekend to an event which will celebrate 200 years of the modern railway. Alstom's Litchurch Lane site in Derby is opening it's site to the public for the first time in 50 years for the greatest gathering event which is sold out. Derby Litchurch Lane Works is one of the world's largest rolling stock factories, and the only UK facility that designs, engineers, builds and tests trains for domestic and export markets. The factory was opened by the Midland Railway in 1876 and the city of Derby has been building trains continually since 1839. The event will feature more than 100 vehicles from the past, present and future. Organisers have said it will be the largest temporary gathering of trains and rail exhibits in a generation featuring the world's most famous steam locomotives, the Flying Scotsman. It's part of wider celebrations for the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR) on 27 September 1825. Campaigners will also be calling for funding to extend the electrification of the midland mainline, a rail project they say will create thousands of jobs, boost regional transport capacity, improve rail services and cut climate emissions. They are urging the government to switch the cash from destructive road schemes like the A38 expansion in Derby to rail electrification. Groups from across the East Midlands will be campaigning outside Litchurch Lane in Derby on Friday and Saturday 2 August. What's the history of the railway in the Midlands? The Midlands Counties Railway formed in 1832, played a key role in connecting key cities like Derby, Nottingham and Leicester. It was formed through merging several companies including Midlands counties and later incorporated the Birmingham and Derby Junction railway. In the 20th century, the Midland Railway was absorbed into the London Midland and Scottish railway in 1923. The Midland main line saw significant changes and the eventual restructuring into franchises like East Midlands Railway. The future of the railway HS2 have also revealed the concept designs for the interior of it's class 85 high speed trains at the event. Visitors are able to have a guided tour of a life size model carriage which is fitted to demonstrate the concept design for HS2's new trains. Once in operation, the trains will be developed at a depot in Birmingham and it's estimated this will create 2,500 jobs across the midlands and north. The fleet has been built under a 2 billion pound contract awarded in 2021 to the Alstom High Speed joint venture, the project spans three manufacturing centres which includes Derby. The Alstom site in the city is fitting out the interior for the HS2 trains. All profits from The Greatest Gathering will be split between Railway 200's five chosen charities - Alzheimer's Research UK, Railway Benefit Fund, Railway Children, Railway Mission and Transport Benevolent Fund CIO - and railway heritage partners.
Spectator
2 days ago
- Spectator
What it means to be English
How can you ever put your finger on the comfort, the joy, the absurdity, of being English? Not, perhaps, through some attempt at definition: but in a hundred moments linked by that invisible thread, Englishness. Such a moment occurred for me last Friday. The place was Kidderminster in Worcestershire, the occasion the re-opening of the heritage Severn Valley Railway to Bridgnorth in Shropshire, at the lovely station from which the line, formerly Great Western Railway (GWR) and closed by British Rail in the 1960s, runs. Let's not be sentimental about Kidderminster. Described by Pevsner as 'uncommonly devoid of visual pleasure and architectural interest', the town has been smashed up by philistine planners. What was intended to be a complete ring road (but never completed) severs the fine St Mary's church from Church Street, at whose head the church was supposed to preside. Having wrecked the symmetry, the council, with unconscious irony, then named the ringway after the church. But Kidderminster Town station is a jewel. The Severn Valley Railway (SVR), which has taken it over, named it that to distinguish it from Kidderminster's mainline station. A perfect reminder of a GWR station, with its period waiting room part of the King and Castle pub, was where we gathered for the reopening of the line. Let me explain. There was once a branch line from Kidderminster all the way to Shrewsbury. Though it did serve passengers, the economics depended on freight from the coal mines along the route. Once these were defunct, British Railways planned closure. A group of railway enthusiasts raised the funds to buy the single-track line and its 'halts' (sweet little stations) as far as Bridgnorth, in stages, so the track was never ripped up. But the line had deteriorated badly, and the SVR (as the enthusiasts named their great project) laboured mightily to restore and maintain track, bridges, tunnel, signalling and stations, to build a magnificent engine house, to restore museum-piece carriages (first, second and third) and to run steam and diesel excursions. For the past 40 years they've run these along the 16 scenic miles of track from Kidderminster to Bridgnorth. After lockdown they recommenced operations, but were struggling to get back the pre-lockdown crowds – and then, in January, disaster! After rain, a huge section of high embankment collapsed, leaving rails hanging in the air. To hand over the repair to contractors would have spelt financial ruin. In a Dunkirk-style operation, volunteers were mustered, people with civil engineering experience and retired rail employees. Britain's railway companies helped and some half a million pounds had to be raised… but within seven weeks, well ahead of schedule, the job was done. And the world's most famous steam engine, the Flying Scotsman, was hired to showcase the reopening and haul a series of excursions for three days. Tickets sold out in three minutes. My partner, a trustee of the National Lottery Heritage Fund which has helped support the SVR, was invited, and I was with him. We joined an expectant crowd at Kidderminster Town, waiting to board. Such an English scene! The scarlet-clad Kidderminster male choir were singing songs from the shows. Dreadful instant coffee flowed. The concourse was packed with a crazy mix of boy trainspotters, middle-aged train buffs, mums, grandmas and families on a day out, excited children. Locomotives whistled, the choir sang, there was an inaudible announcement on the loudspeakers, a barrier opened, and we surged towards the polished chestnut carriages, at their head the gigantic, glorious, shiny green Flying Scotsman hissing and steaming like some kind of friendly steel monster, impatient for action. In the observation car we munched Danish pastries, custard tarts and savoury flans. The townspeople waving behind fences as we chuffed out of Kidderminster were no surprise, but I had hardly expected this to continue in open countryside. Yet all along the hillsides and meadows and woods as we whistled along the beautiful Severn Valley, there were spectators, picnickers, photographers, waiting for the Flying Scotsman to pass. As the loco belched, old-fashioned signals clunked down, and children squealed and waved, while at the halts uniformed Fat Controllers dutifully acknowledged our passage… until, with a deafening hiss of released steam, we pulled into Bridgnorth station. Crowds awaited us. Crowds descended from the carriages. Crowds gawped from the bridge. Crowds held smartphones aloft to photograph the scene. Then came the speeches. A welcome from the Mayor of Bridgnorth, 'a few words' from SVR organisers, some thoughtful reflections from a veteran volunteer. And finally – why not? – a Church of England vicar who, audible between hisses from the engine, spoke rather well, read a poem about concrete and steel, made a faintly disrespectful remark about politicians, then blessed the engine, carriages, passengers and volunteers. No true Englishman sees any theological reason why a vicar should not bless a signal box; and if scripture doesn't specifically mention steam engines, they are undoubtedly implicit in the psalmist's rapture. What is religion for if not to exalt heritage? What could be a more luminous exemplar of faith than the SVR's willing shovels at that collapsed embankment? What can better surpass incense than the perfume of coal smoke and hot vapour with a little smut in the breeze? To see the celestial in spadework is divine and, as George Herbert did not quite write: A man that looks on steam/ On it may stay his eye/ Or if he pleaseth through it pass/ And there the Heaven espy. That is what they meant, all those picknickers waiting to glimpse the Flying Scotsman. It is not English to say this, but it is the very essence of Englishness to know it.
BBC News
4 days ago
- BBC News
Everything you need to know about The Greatest Gathering in Derby
The countdown to a new festival - dubbed "the Glastonbury of railways" - is almost over, as more than 40,000 steam enthusiasts prepare to head to Derby for The Greatest event will see more than 40,000 people come together for the three-day event at train manufacturer Alstom in the city. Taking place between Friday and Sunday, it will celebrate the 200th anniversary of the world's first passenger train the locomotives, modern high-speed trains, and technology on display at the Litchurch Lane factory will be the world famous Flying Scotsman. Here's everything you need to know about the event before it opens. What is the event and why is it happening? The Greatest Gathering is a three-day festival, celebrating two centuries of British railway innovation, engineering, and heritage. Organiser Alstom has hailed the event as being the world's largest-ever collection of historic and modern rolling event will bring together more than 140 locomotives and railway vehicles from different part of Railway 200 - a nationwide, year-long celebration commemorating the 200th anniversary of the world's first passenger railway journey. That milestone took place in 1825, with the opening of the Stockton and Darlington will see not only steam giants like the Flying Scotsman, but also modern electric trains such as the Class 390 Pendolino. Where and when is it taking place? The event takes place at Alstom's Litchurch Lane Works in Derby from Friday to Sunday, with opening hours from 10:00 to 16:00 BST each marks the first time the factory has opened its doors to the public in nearly 50 site in Derby is one of the most historic train factories in the UK, and has been building trains since the 19th factory remains the only facility in Britain that designs, engineers, builds, and tests trains on a single site. It will also become the future home of Great British Railways. What can visitors expect to see and do? Visitors in attendance will be able to see more than 140 rolling-stock site will also host exhibitions, rail simulators, a model railway village - curated by record producer and train enthusiast Pete Waterman - as well as interactive family-friendly shuttle buses and food outlets will be available throughout the weekend. What vehicles will be on display? Here are some of the vehicles, which are set to be displayed over the course of the weekend:Locomotion No. 1 - The pioneering steam engine that launched public rail travel on the Stockton and Darlington Railway in 1825, courtesy of the National Railway MuseumMidland Railway No. 1000 - Built in Derby in 1902 and designed by Samuel Waite JohnsonD6700 (Class 37) - The original member of the diesel-electric Class 37 series, built in 1959 and still operationalClass 390 Pendolino (Unit 390119 "Progress") - A modern high-speed electric train from AlstomFurness Railway No. 20 - Britain's oldest working standard-gauge steam locomotive, dating back to 1863 and presented by The Furness Railway Trust Are tickets still available? The event is sold out, with no tickets available on the day. All visitors must have pre-booked released extra tickets in June following high demand, but organisers have confirmed that capacity has now been manufacturer said it would be welcoming more than 40,000 visitors over the three days. How do visitors get there, and is parking available? Visitors are encouraged to use public transport, as there is no general parking on site. The event is about a 10-minute walk from Derby railway station, with signposting along the route.A free vintage shuttle bus service will run between the station and the event entrance on Cathedral Road from 07:00 to 17:00 over the three Badge parking was available in advance but has been fully booked. Organisers advise attendees not to drive to the site unless using pre-arranged accessible transport. Missed out on tickets? Here's what else you can do Derby's Guildhall Market will host a Greatest Gathering fringe event over the weekend to coincide with the and family-friendly, the fringe event will include model railways, games, and heritage displays. Visitors do not need to book tickets in advance - they are encouraged to just turn up and enjoy the celebration of the city's railway history.
