Conditions of Booking:

Participation in a Footplate Experience has two elements:

• The initial purchase of the experience
• The selection of the experience date.

The Experience fee in full is required at the time of booking.

If we cancel your Experience. . .

Whilst every effort will be made to operate Footplate Experiences on the dates advertised and agreed, there may be occasions when we have to curtail or cancel an Experience. We will endeavour to inform you of any changes at least four weeks before the Experience. If we cancel your experience we will offer you:

• An alternative date.
• Or, a full refund of the full experience fee to the person who paid for it.

We will not reimburse any additional expenses directly incurred by the purchaser of the Footplate Experience package.

If you wish to cancel your Experience. . .

Once confirmed in writing, Footplate Experiences cannot be cancelled or monies refunded. However, in exceptional circumstances refunds may be considered, but will be at the discretion of the Managing Director whose decision will be final. Requests for refunds will need to be supported by appropriate documentation.

Once the date of the experience has been agreed it will be confirmed in writing. If the experience participant(s) requests to postpone or change an experience once confirmed the following charges will apply:

More than 60 days before the date of the experience –  Free.

Between 28 and 60 days before the date of the experience –  £50.00 administration charge (If we are unable to book another customer onto your experience)

Less than 28 days –  Loss of full experience fee (If we are unable to book another customer onto your experience)

Participant Responsibilities . . .

Footplate Experiences are available for any person over the age of 18 years.

No alcohol is to be consumed by passengers or guests, on the experience.

The SVR will refuse access to its trains or premises to any participant who appears intoxicated,  disorderly, under the influence of drugs or is behaving in an offensive or abusive manner. In that event SVR shall not be liable for any refund or compensation nor for facilitating that person’s completion of their experience. 

If you fail to arrive in time for the departure of your train, the SVR will not refund any monies paid.

If you are unable to travel to the SVR as a result of severe weather or illness, no refund will be made.

Appropriate clothing must be worn at all times. You should bring with you a cap or beret (wide brimmed hats are unsuitable), gloves (not plastic) and strong shoes or boots, preferably with steel toecaps. If you wish to protect your clothing, we suggest you bring overalls. We cannot provide any items of clothing to borrow for the experience. Please be aware that clothing of red or green colouring, including on overalls is STRICTLY NOT permitted, we suggest blue or black or other plain colours.

Electronic cigarettes, cigarettes and pipes are not allowed within any building or enclosed space at the SVR. This is in line with government legislation, ATOC advice, railway bye-laws and for passenger comfort. This includes all station concourses, ticket hall, footbridges and subways at station premises. All trains are non-smoking environments. Smoking is not allowed on any area of the Severn Valley Railway estate. When you purchase a ticket you are agreeing to enter the estate and are subject to the bye-laws enacted.

 Advice for the Less Able . . .

For safety reasons, extra conditions apply to those with limited mobility or those with other learning or behavioural difficulties.

For safety and comfort all Experience participants need to:

• Be reasonably fit with good eyesight and hearing and possess full use of both hands.
• Be able to climb into and out of a locomotive cab safely. They should be capable of climbing, unaided, a six foot vertical ladder with widely spaced rungs.
• Be able to withstand a locomotives hard ride and an area that is hot and noisy with coal dust and ash blowing around. Those with heart, respiratory or back problems may find the experience difficult and are advised to seek medical advice before booking.
• Be able to understand the safety procedures on and about the locomotive, which will be given to them at the start of the experience, to retain that information and be able to react positively to it during the experience.
• Be able to fit into the cab of a locomotive through the narrow access doors.   

 As a guideline, in cases where there is doubt as to a person’s ability to meet these criteria, the holding of a current driving licence will usually satisfy this requirement. 

Applications from persons with learning difficulties are acceptable providing the person for whom the course is made meets the above criteria and can safely undertake footplate work.

Safety constraints limit the number of people on the footplate to not more than four at any one time. Helpers or carers CANNOT be accommodated on the footplate when the locomotive is moving.

To avoid disappointment on the day, please be as accurate as possible in your assessment of the applicant’s suitability to safely undertake the experience.

The Severn Valley Railway retains the right to refuse entry to an experience for any person where it is considered that their inclusion on an experience might be detrimental to their own safety or that of others.

Locomotives . . .

Locomotives sometimes release cinders and other oily deposits into the atmosphere. The SVR cannot take responsibility for damage to visitors’ clothing, vehicles or other personal belongings caused by these occurrences. Steam locomotives operate under high pressure and as a result can be noisy when releasing steam, or during their standard operation. Whilst every effort will be maintained to control the noise SVR cannot take responsibility for the level of noise issued by our engines.

And finally . . .

Your booking will be taken as an assurance that the person for whom the booking is made fulfils the above safety criteria.