Open House Weekend (Behind the Scenes)

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 now.

Things to see and attractions

Kidderminster

• Diesel Cab Tours

Members of the Western Locomotive Association will conduct tours of one of their Class 52s 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

• 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!

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.

• 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!

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!