The Severn Valley Railway is celebrating the success of yet another enthusiast-focused event, the Autumn Diesel Bash which took place from 29 September to 1 October.
More than 3,660 fare-paying passengers visited during the four-day event, along with additional pass-holder visitors such as shareholders. This was an increase of 28% on last year’s figures for the event.
The leading heritage line has confirmed that the event generated more revenue than it had expected, along with a very healthy secondary spend. Two photo charter events and an excursion day that were arranged using locomotives from the event line-up brought in additional income.
The results were welcomed by Jonathan ‘Gus’ Dunster, the SVR’s managing director:
“We’ve seen a great atmosphere around the railway, with a timetable that ran almost perfectly to time. A couple of minor delays were soon made up. All-in-all, I’m delighted with how well-planned and executed this event has been, along with its clear commercial success. I literally lost count of the number of people who’ve personally told me how much they’d enjoyed it.”
The SVR advertised the event as a finale in its celebration of 50 years of diesels in preservation. The roster of locomotives was focused on former Western Region diesel-hydraulic types, supported by a number of diesel-electric types associated with the Western Region of British Rail.
“We wanted to present a really strong line-up,” added Gus. “And to make sure we had something for everyone to enjoy. I think we got it just right. In fact, both this, and our Autumn Steam Gala earlier in September, have been strong commercial successes. This demonstrates very clearly that making the most of enthusiast events was the right strategy for us to take this year.”
There’s more in the SVR calendar for diesel fans this year, as the railway has announced an end-of-season Diesel Day on 29 December.
“This is something completely new for us,” explained Gus. “We’ve seen the popularity of diesel events in 2023, and we spotted an opportunity here that was too good to miss. For the first time ever, we’ll have two diesels available to us that can provide steam heating. Our SVR-based Class 40 No 40106 will be supplemented by Class 46 No 182, which has stayed on following the Autumn Diesel Bash.”
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