Severn Valley Railway launching network of livestream cameras

The camera feeds will go live on the railway's YouTube channel at 9am on Wednesday.

Head of marketing and communications Lesley Carr said: “We’ve worked in partnership with expert livestream consultants Railcam to install and set up our network, which gives viewers a grandstand view at various locations across the railway.

"Railcam’s expertise has been crucial in terms of deciding on the best positions to site the cameras, and ensuring that the microphones don’t capture conversations but do capture all the excitement of heritage locomotives coming and going.

“We are thrilled that our livestream service is up and running in time for our first special event of 2021. The Spring Steam Up starts on Thursday and you’ll be able to view all the train movements at key locations on our 16-mile line.”

The heritage railway, with a base in Bridgnorth, has two cameras located at Kidderminster station and two at Bewdley. There’s one with a view across the line from The Engine House at Highley, and another at the line’s northern terminus at Bridgnorth station with a view over the loco yard and platforms. As well as providing a free viewing facility for the public, the camera network has an important role to play in assisting the smooth operation of the railway.

SVR’s senior duty officer Dave Brattan welcomed the initiative.

Locations

“We’ve been hoping for something like this for a long time," he said.

"These cameras will significantly improve the way the duty officer will be able to manage the day-to-day running of the train service and improve how we deal with any delays, to help keep our passengers happy and more informed.

"Duty officers will be able to see what’s happening in these locations in real time, which will help us when we are recovering delayed services."

Railcam’s director Adrian Bradshaw added: "Heritage railways are an important part of what we do at Railcam UK and the SVR has always been right up there on our wish list.

"For Railcam, the SVR is ideal, offering both steam and classic diesel traction, a busy timetable and plenty of attractive locations to consider. We are delighted therefore, to have been able to work with the fantastic people at the SVR, to bring to our viewers and the wider internet audience, some of the best that the UK heritage scene has to offer.

“The SVR project is by far our biggest single install, with six cameras on the SVR and a seventh, which is exclusive to Railcam viewers, covering the main line at Kidderminster.

"The project has been very much a joint effort between Railcam UK and the SVR, and we would like to thank all involved for making a complex scheme a pleasure to be involved with.”

All six livestream feeds are available at youtube.com/SevernValleyRailwayOfficial