This weekend, Saturday 25th and Sunday, 26th May, the Severn Valley Railway will celebrate the 95th birthday of one of its most cherished steam locomotives – No 4930 Hagley Hall.

Throughout the weekend Hagley Hall will be on passenger service, including hauling the Severn Valley Railway’s beautifully restored First Class dining cars that serve premium afternoon teas.

No more bookings are being taken for the afternoon teas, but passengers will still be able to travel behind the vintage locomotive on both Saturday and Sunday.

In 1973, the locomotive was rescued from the cutter’s torch at the famous Woodham’s scrapyard in Barry.

After a six-year restoration, Hagley Hall entered service on the line, which ran between Bewdley and Hampton Loade in 1979, and also made several appearances on the main line, including hauling the first passenger train between Bewdley and Kidderminster Town in 1984.

In 1986, the Severn Valley Railway withdrew Hagley Hall from service after some boiler stays were found to have failed.

On the weekend of Saturday, 27th and 28th July, Hagley Hall will re-enact that historic occasion by making special commemorative trips to mark the ruby anniversary of this very important development in the railway’s history.

As well as recreating the first train from Kidderminster Town station hauled by No. 4930 Hagley Hall, there will be a display of vintage vehicles and model railways, and a new station sign will be unveiled at the front of the station.

Throughout the weekend an intensive timetable will be in operation featuring locomotives in service in 1984 including, as well as Hagley Hall, Standard Class 4 No. 75069 and Class 52 Westerns Nos. D1015 Western Champion and D1062 Western Courier.

Hagley Hall’s most recent major overhaul was in 2022, and the same year, the railway launched a major appeal to raise £500,000 for the restoration of its locomotive yard at Bridgnorth., with everyone who donated to the appeal receiving a copy of a poster featuring Hagley Hall.

During its British Railway’s career Hagley Hall was a bit of a wanderlust, being allocated at various times to Tyseley, Bristol Bath Road and Bristol St. Phillips Marsh, Westbury, Exeter, Taunton, Exeter, Old Oak Common, and finally ending its days at Swindon from September 1962 until it was withdrawn from service in November 1963.

We’d like to wish our special locomotive very many happy returns.

It has a special place in the hearts of many of our volunteers and visitors. We were absolutely thrilled to welcome it back in 2022, following 36 years out of service when it was on static display and under restoration.

Jonathan ‘Gus’ Dunster. Severn Valley Railway Managing Director