Perfect setting for steam journey on Severn Valley Railway
A vintage train in full steam chugging through a landscape in full autumnal splendour was a double delight for anyone who happened on this stunning sight.
The Britannia, which was once owned by record producer and train enthusiast Pete Waterman, was captured crossing the Victoria Bridge on a run between Bewdley and Arley on the Severn Valley Railway at the weekend.
The 67-year-old locomotive has run for many years on the SVR line, carrying steam fans between Bewdley and Kidderminster, and passengers chose the perfect day on Sunday, when this scene was snapped, for a trip with the colours of the Shropshire countryside in October reflected in the River Severn below.
Britannia, built in 1951, has been tasked with some important duties in her time. The locomotive pulled the funeral train of King George VI from Norfolk to London following his death in 1952 at Sandringham House.
Withdrawn in 1966 after 15 years service, it was not the end of the line for Britannia. The train went on to work on other heritage lines but after a series of mechanical failures was bought in 2000 by Walsall-born Pete Waterman but he ended up selling her on because of the amount of restoration work needed.
The loco underwent an extensive overhaul and in 2013 pulled the Royal Train with Prince Charles on board to Wakefield, where he rededicated the locomotive.
