This film is part of Free

Severn Valley Railway

Is Chris Tarrant up to shovelling a ton and a half of coal to keep the fire burning and the steam up between Bridgnorth and Bewdley?

Non-Fiction 1976 7 mins

From the collection of:

Logo for Media Archive for Central England

Overview

Train services on the preserved Severn Valley Railway had begun in 1970 and four years later they were extended to operate on the picturesque former main line between Bridgnorth in Worcestershire and Bewdley in Shropshire. Chris Tarrant travels on the line the hard way: as a locomotive fireman with over a ton of coal to shovel and a fire to maintain at 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. It's hot, back breaking work and, as he finds out, harder than it looks.

The Severn Valley Railway was extended to Kidderminster in 1984.