[1] The Severn Valley Railway was built between 1858 and 1862, and linked Hartlebury, near Droitwich Spa, with Shrewsbury, a distance of 40 miles (64 km).

Important stations on the line were Stourport-on-Severn, Bewdley, and Arley within Worcestershire; and Highley, Hampton Loade, Bridgnorth, Coalport, Ironbridge and Broseley, Buildwas, Cressage, and Berrington in Shropshire.

Most Kidderminster to Bewdley trains continued through the Wyre Forest line (dismantled in the 1960s and now forming part of National Cycle Route 45) to Tenbury Wells or Woofferton.

At Buildwas Junction (now the site of the former Ironbridge Power Station near what is now Telford) Severn Valley trains connected with services from Wellington to Much Wenlock and Craven Arms.

Passenger numbers began to fall after the First World War, particularly at the large intermediate stations of Stourport, Bewdley, and Bridgnorth,[6] with measures such as the opening of halts in the 1930s to attract more local custom having only limited impact.

The Severn Valley Railway Society was formed in July 1965 by a group of members who wished to preserve a section of the line which had closed in 1963.

Even at that early date, the objective of the company was to "preserve, retain and restore the standard-gauge railway extending from Bridgnorth to Kidderminster via Bewdley".

[11] The Light Railway Order was granted in May 1970, allowing regular services to begin between Bridgnorth and Hampton Loade; the balance of the £25,000 purchase price being paid to BR on 24 June 1970.

[12] The end of coal trains from the colliery in 1969 allowed SVR to acquire a further 8+1⁄2 miles of the line from Hampton Loade to Foley Park in 1972, the purchase price of £74,000 (£1.23 million in 2023)[13] being raised by the flotation of a public company initially under the chairmanship of Sir Gerald Nabarro MP (the line was partly in his former Kidderminster constituency).

[16] Following the end of freight traffic from the British Sugar factory at Foley Park in 1982, the SVR purchased the final section of the line to Kidderminster at a cost of £75,000 (£334,000 in 2023).

Many special gala days are held, often with visiting engines and rolling stock from other heritage lines; these and other attractions have seen visitor numbers increase and exceed 250,000 per year.

On the evening of 19 June 2007, during violent thunderstorms that struck the area, the railway suffered major damage, more extensive than at any other time in its history.

[27][28][29] Between Bridgnorth Outer Home signal and Northwood Halt, numerous landslides occurred, with several sections of the line around Fisherman's Crossing and Highley being left suspended in mid-air.

Many cuttings were filled with debris, while at Highley, the Up Starter signal and the embankment it used to stand on were washed away due to the torrent of water that had flowed down station road and on to the track.

On 19 July, another torrential storm caused further wreckage in at least 45 separate locations as rain fell on the already saturated ground, and in at least ten of these spots damage was so serious that major engineering work was required before reconstruction could get under way.

[31] It was also said later that the crucial link between Hampton Loade and Arley, including Highley station and the new Engine House museum, would probably not open until as late as Spring 2008.

The first passenger train to Hampton Loade since 19 June 2007 departed on time at 10:30, comprising five LMS coaches hauled by 45xx Class no.

[citation needed] Although other drainage work enhancements remained to be completed, the line between Kidderminster and Bridgnorth reopened fully to the public on Good Friday, 21 March 2008.

Bridgnorth also has a ground frame at the northern end of the layout allowing movements from the Hollybush siding (which also serves as the headshunt for locomotives running round their trains) into and out of the Boiler Shop.

Most of the signal boxes on the line bear original cast iron GWR name plates, with the sole exception being at Bridgnorth which has a replica.

Download coordinates as: With the exception of the three request halts (Eardington, Country Park and Northwood), all intermediate stations have the ability to pass trains on the single line.

For many years the SVR official website confirmed that 'the railway land north of Bridgnorth has been long since sold, and there is now no possibility of Severn Valley trains reaching Ironbridge and Shrewsbury ever again'.

[45] In January 2019, Campaign for Better Transport released a report identifying the line between Shrewsbury and Ironbridge which was listed as Priority 2 for reopening.

The IRT application named both the Severn Valley Railway and Telford Steam Railway among the stakeholders, noting that the SVR had expressed an interest in understanding the outputs of the proposed RYR study although no discussions on operational engagement had been held, while the TSR had expressed caution about IRT's concept and proposed a Power Station-Ironbridge tram scheme, but was willing to work together going forward.

These included: The SVR owns the trackbed of the former Bewdley to Hartlebury section through Mount Pleasant Tunnel to a point 302 yards beyond its southern portal, approximately mid-way to the former location of Burlish Crossing.

However, from the Hartlebury direction the trackbed is intact as a bridleway from Mitton (the eastern throat of the original station), with only a span over the A449 Worcester to Kidderminster main road missing.

Locomotives and vehicles from the railway are now only infrequently used on excursions on the National Rail network, but in the past have operated across Great Britain.

The Engine House, built on land adjacent to Highley station, provides covered accommodation for locomotives currently out of service, as well as space for displays of other rolling stock and an education/interpretation centre.

The SVR had planned to use the area for a facility to store and display locomotives that did not hold current operational certificates as early as 1973.

A second dedication, along with that of the newly constructed footbridge at Highley station, was performed on 21 October 2009 by Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who had been unable to attend the first ceremony due to illness.