Much-loved steam locomotive Clun Castle is set to make a very special Birmingham to Severn Valley journey this autumn.
The preservation pioneer will haul a specially chartered train from Birmingham Snow Hill to the Severn Valley Railway to mark the 75th anniversary of the heritage rail movement.
The train, named ‘The Volunteer’, has been timed to coincide with the HRA Autumn Conference in Birmingham and is designed to evoke the early days of railway preservation, when mainline steam charters carried enthusiasts out to the first fledgling heritage lines.
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Clun Castle (GWR 4-6-0 No. 7029) is regarded as the locomotive that began mainline steam preservation in Britain and is based at Tyseley Locomotive Works in Birmingham.
Nick Ralls, managing director of Vintage Trains, said: ”With Clun Castle being key to the beginnings of mainline steam preservation, we feel there is no better engine to mark 75 years of the movement she helped create.
“This is a day for the people who have kept heritage railways running, often as volunteers, for decades.”
Watch this video of Clun Castle pulling into Moor Street Station in 2019:
When is Clun Castle hauling ‘The Volunteer’
The special journey will take place on Monday November 2.
Clun Castle will depart Birmingham Snow Hill at around 11.30am, running via Stratford upon Avon before joining the Severn Valley Railway as far as Highley.
At Highley, passengers will have the chance to visit the Engine House museum.
The train is due back into Snow Hill by around 7pm, with exact timings still to be confirmed with Network Rail.
The trip is happening thanks to a three-way partnership between the Heritage Railway Association (HRA), Vintage Trains and the Severn Valley Railway (SVR).
‘The Volunteer’ is being run on a not-for-profit basis.
The HRA and SVR are waiving their costs, and Vintage Trains is looking to cover only its direct operational expenses, keeping ticket prices to a minimum so that as many current and former heritage rail volunteers as possible can take part.
Vintage Trains is the UK’s only charitably controlled train operating company, based at Tyseley Locomotive Works in Birmingham.
It operates steam and diesel hauled excursions on the national mainline network, with all ticket income funding the restoration and engineering of historic locomotives.
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