The Severn Valley Railway’s flagship locomotive 4930 Hagley Hall has been declared fit for service following an incident at Bridgnorth motive power depot in July, although its tender will require repairs before it can return to the railway.

Technical examinations into the potential damage to the locomotive have now been completed, alongside a programme of boiler testing. These have confirmed that Hagley Hall itself is fit to return to traffic.

Duncan Ballard, the SVR’s head of steam engineering, said:

“We’re very pleased with the outcome of the examinations and tests. It’s excellent news that the locomotive has come through this process and been declared fit for service.

“Unfortunately, the tender has sustained damage which will require repairs to its tank and buffer beam. Arrangements are now in place for this work to be carried out by a specialist contractor, and we expect the tender to return to the SVR in the spring.”

In the meantime, the SVR has secured the loan of a 4,000-gallon tender from 7903 Foremarke Hall. The tender arrived at the SVR earlier this week and will be paired with Hagley Hall as a temporary arrangement.

This combination will recreate an interesting chapter in the locomotive’s history, echoing its initial appearance in preservation when it ran with a Hawksworth tender.

Duncan added: “We’re extremely grateful to our colleagues at the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway to the owners 7903 Limited for making the tender available. It means we can get Hagley Hall back into service without having to wait for its own tender repairs to be completed.

“Visitors will have the opportunity to see this distinctive combination in action over the Christmas and festive season, when Hagley Hall and its temporary tender will join the pool of locomotives operating our services.”

The incident occurred on the evening of Sunday 12 July at Bridgnorth motive power depot, when the locomotive made contact with the door of the building. Fortunately, no one was injured. The SVR notified the Office of Rail and Road and the Rail Accident Investigation Branch before beginning its own investigation, which is still ongoing.

Meanwhile, works are ongoing regarding repairs to the building after the impact. The former roller shutter door opening is now fully cladded as the door was no longer required. Repairs to a damaged crane will start next week and will be completed by the end of November. There will also be repairs to a floor slab.