Severn Valley Railway - Spring Steam Gala 2023

The Severn Valley Railway Spring Steam Gala took on a Great Western appearance this year, with five out of the eight locos running being of GWR origin.
The star of the show was recently restored 'Castle' Class No 4079 'Pendennis Castle', making its first visit away from Didcot since returning to the UK from Australia at the beginning of the millennium. It was also joined by Small Prairie No 4555, making the trip north before returning to its home base of the Dartmouth Steam Railway following a lengthy hire period at the East Somerset Railway. The final guest was BR Standard 2MT No 78018, and while not a loco with western pedigree, did do an excellent job of filling the lineup!
The event also saw the appearance of West Country Class No 34027 'Taw Valley' in its latest guise as No 21C127 in Southern Sunshine Black, a stark contrast to the lilac it carried during 2022! It would also see the return to service of Manor Class No 7812 'Erlestoke Manor' following overhaul, this event being the only chance to see the loco before it heads to the West Somerset Railway for the 2023 season.
The weather for the event saw a mix of sun and rain, with Saturday being the best day seeing the sun shine for the majority of the day, and Friday being a complete washout!
The full loco lineup was:-
| GWR Castle Class No 4079 'Pendennis Castle' (courtesy of Didcot Railway Centre)
| GWR 45XX Class No 4555 (courtesy of Dartmouth Steam Railway)
| BR Standard 2MT No 78018 (courtesy of Great Central Railway)
| GWR Hall Class No 4930 'Hagley Hall'
| GWR Manor Class No 7812 'Erlestoke Manor'
| GWR 57XX Class No 7714
| SR West Country Class No 21C127 'Taw Valley'
| LMS 4MT No 43106

[@greatwesternproductions2857]

Great to see the SVR’s flagship back in action. Shame it’s just sitting at Bridgnorth now, not earning its keep. Great film, well done.

[@PreservedSteamUK]

Very good video. Think I ended up seeing you when you filmed the Small Prairie on goods!

[@Northerner_Transport_Hub]

Oh ello there

[@stephencameron4032]

Hi Adam, lovely video, thanks for sharing, I found the Bullied Pacific in Southern wartime black interesting, presumably, it will eventually become BR green again,(although, my personal preference would be experimental blue, but that's just me), anyway, take care, all the best from Scotland, Stephen.

[@AndreiTupolev]

10:10It's number 69 again!! He gets in everyone's shot 🤗

[@ex48bw]

Here comes an unpopular opinion: 'Erlestoke' might just make more noise than 'Odney'! I'm looking forward to having 7812 on the West Somerset for the summer. Having 'Taw Valley' for our upcoming Spring Gala is a bonus, too. As always, super job filming and editing!

[@dominicbarden4436]

Erlestoke was superb, definitely back with a bang! Plus it was really nice to see a Manor running on the SVR for the first time in four or five years. Enjoy having her over the summer, she'll do a job for sure!

[@AndreiTupolev]

Nice to see the correct flag 🇬🇧 being flown at Arley, rather than that of some other country 🇺🇦