A 46-foot long, solid steel artwork, depicting the Severn Valley Railway’s flagship locomotive, is now in place at Kidderminster main line station.

The project is the result of years of planning and determination by local woman Sue Langley.

Sue, who lives in Arley, formed the Wyre Forest & District u3a Station Adopters group in 2021, and with her colleagues, set about smartening up Kidderminster station, tending to the gardens and working with local heritage attractions to reflect the rich history of the town to passengers.

Sue felt that the Severn Valley Railway should form a key part of the heritage interpretation that the Adoption Group was working on. Her grandfather was a steam engine driver for British Rail, and as an SVR volunteer herself, she knew how important the heritage line is to the local area. She contacted the SVR.

The Station Adopters chose Smethwick-based AJS Profiles, who used precision equipment to cut out the design in six separate pieces. The company also part-funded the cost of production, which Sue says was an enormous help:

The heritage rail artwork complements other initiatives that the Station Adopters have put in place, including panels from the Museum of Carpet, and other places of historical interest around the Worcestershire town. There’s a repurposed boat planter symbolising Kidderminster’s twinning with the German fishing town of Husum. The volunteers have also transformed the long, sloping bank at the station entrance with colourful planting, herbs for passers-by to help themselves and a bug hotel for hibernating insects.

For more information, visit: svr.co.uk