LNER B1 No. 61306 Mayflower is set to visit the Severn Valley Railway for a short visit as part of staff training.

Whilst the locomotive will not haul any public services, the visit of Mayflower is part of an agreement between Locomotive Services Group and the Severn Valley Railway.

The B1 has never visited the railway before and is just one of two class members that survive into preservation today.

Mayflower follows on from visits from 4498 Sir Nigel Gresley, 34046 Braunton, 70000 Britannia and 46100 Royal Scot in visiting the SVR for testing in recent years.

Training will take place from Monday 31st October whilst no SVR services are running, having been halted whilst the railway prepares for its Christmas schedule.

Mayflower will be moving by rail to the Severn Valley Railway, and timings for this can be found by clicking here.

Mike Ball, chairman of Severn Valley Railway, said: “Over recent years, we’ve strengthened our relationship with Locomotive Services Group and we are very pleased to be hosting them again, along with another of their impressive engines.”

“This is the perfect venue for us,” said Ian Walker, head of steam locomotive engineering for LNWRH, part of LSG. “The main line connection at Kidderminster makes accessing the SVR very easy. With no public services due to run on test days, we’ve got 16 miles of track to put our crews through their paces. We’re delighted to be working once again with our friends and colleagues at the SVR.”

Mayflower features in RailAdvent’s 2023 Calendar, you can find out more information here.