In July, the Severn Valley Railway will be celebrating 40 years since the opening of Kidderminster Town station.

The opening of Kidderminster station was the last piece in the puzzle for the line, as it allowed trains to operate on the whole 16 mile branch to Bridgnorth, and also allowed for better connections for visitors coming from Birmingham, the Black Country and the wider area.

The anniversary will be celebrated with a weekend of recreations, including the very first train to depart Kidderminster Town in 1984, which was hauled by 4930 Hagley Hall.

Also, as part of the weekend, a classic vehicle display will be available to view as well as a chance for visitors to see behind the scenes at Kidderminster’s signal box and carriage works.

‘Opening up the line from Kidderminster made a huge difference to us in 1984. Quite simply, it meant we were within easy reach of hundreds of thousands of visitors from across the Midlands, and beyond. The fact that Kidderminster also had a main line station really was the golden egg, as the SVR was infinitely more accessible to more people than ever before.

‘During the last weekend in July, we’ll be celebrating this important milestone in true SVR style, and it’s very fitting that ‘Hagley Hall’, our much-loved flagship locomotive will haul the Kidderminster Venturer on both days.

‘We’d love to hear from anyone who remembers Kidderminster Town station opening in 1984,’ added Gus. ‘Especially if they’ve got a photograph from the day. We’re asking people to post memories and photographs on either Facebook, X or Instagram, tagging in the Severn Valley Railway, so that we can share these with our followers.’

Managing director Jonathan ‘Gus’ Dunster