GWR ‘28XX’ No. 2857, a popular member of the Severn Valley Railway (SVR) steam loco fleet, worked its last train for the foreseeable future on January 2, its boiler certificate having come to an end.
The 2-8-0’s owning group, The 2857 Society, arranged for a train to be formed of 10 coaches, a load of approximately 320 tons. Formed up of nine of the SVR’s GWR carriages, plus a BR Mk.1 kitchen car, 102 diners boarded the ‘Severn Valley Limited’ dining train for a three-course meal as the locomotive made its final 32-mile round trip of the railway. The other seven coaches were filled with regular SVR passengers and that portion of the train was full and standing for the entire day.
Since its last major overhaul in 2011, No. 2857 frequently recorded the highest annual mileage of any steam loco on the SVR, having reached a total well in excess of 100,000 miles since its rescue from Woodham’s scrapyard in 1974.
Both No. 2857 and No. 1501 (see separate story) now await an overhaul at a suitable date to be defined by Severn Valley Railway (Holdings) and Severn Valley Railway (Guarantee Company) and as it stands neither company has made any plans or commitment for any overhauls to commence in the near future.