Good show at the SVR, September 2019

The Thursday and Friday of the SVR Autumn Steam Gala were warm and sunny. We met up with friends for the first two days of the event, starting with a leisurely lunch at the Mug House in Bewdley, outside in the sunshine.

Spam can, City of Wells, was visiting from the East Lancashire Railway, as were the Bluebell Railway’s ex-SR Q Class and the Standard Class 4 from the Mid-Hants Railway. We also took in the Railart Exhibition at the railway museum at Kidderminster station and Rob Rowland’s excellent one-man art show, in the waiting room at Bridgnorth station.

The SVR is my favourite heritage railway. The valley scenery is very attractive and the event itself is always well organised and a pleasure to attend. Bewdley station has a commanding setting and is a hive of activity during gala days, with three well used platforms and the stabling point siding accommodating as many as four steam locomotives at a time.

Kyle of Lochalsh

Kyle of Lochalsh station was opened by the Highland Railway in 1897 as an extension of the line between Inverness and the former terminus at Stromeferry. These two photos were taken forty-six years apart. Today, there is a modest railway museum within the old station building. Although there are only a few trains a day and they are all two coach units, they are well used and the station is a hive of activity for relatively short bursts around arrival and departure times.

Its position is stunning, of course, with the Island of Skye as the backdrop. When we first went there it was by ferry, but a modern bridge and an improved main road now whisk you to the heart of the mountains at Sligachan, affording views of the comparatively smooth surfaced Red Cuillins to the left and the very different, jagged-peaked Black Cuillins to the right. We took the road through the pass to Loch Eynort and interrupted a trio of young golden eagles exploring their territory at a lower height than they are often seen, following a wooded ravine cut into the mountain side next to the narrow road.

Duirinish

We cycled through the woods at Achrianderact, a good spot for pine martins, we were told, though we didn’t see any. After morning coffee at the excellent Croft café, a converted barn on the outskirts of the next village, we made our way carefully over the level crossing and cattle grid at Duirinish station in time to see the 12.16 departure for Inverness. The road took us down to Pointneora, a good spot for otters we were told, though we didn’t see any of them, though the scenery was breath taking. Luckily we did not see any bulls roaming free and blocking our route.

Plockton

The first train of the day, the 11.17 to Kyle of Lochalsh, approaches the single platform at Plockton. The train left Inverness at 8.55 but surely most passengers won’t have minded the lengthy journey through some of Highland Scotland’s finest scenery, with even the chance of a fleeting glimpse of a sea eagle or an otter along the way.


The Highland Railway station was opened in 1897 when the line was extended to Kyle from the former terminus at Stromeferry. The original station building is a protected structure which became a restaurant before its current use as self-catering accommodation.