For a wide range of railway memorabilia, from model
trains to magazines to books, visit our shop at Bewdley
Railway Station.
Visit our shop
You can find this out on the “Meet our locomotives” part
of their website at www.svr.co.uk/MeetTheLocos.aspx
If you are planning a trip on the Severn Valley Railway
why not do so when one of our engines is in steam?
Photo credits: Duncan Langtree, Jason Holders, Leo Roberts, Chris Field, Alan Gormley.
www.erlestokemanorfund.co.uk
/ErlestokeManorFund
Please send share enquiries to:
EMF, c/o David Kilner, 3 Woodbury Park,
Holt Heath, Worcester WR6 6NT
If you’d like further information, please email
[email protected]
or call Marketing and Fundraising on 07731 369942
Enjoy some leisure time
By becoming a shareholder we can ensure that we get the
regular funding we need. And in return you’ll be helping
to keep these locomotives running.
Become a member
Help with a wide variety of tasks, from cleaning, painting
or engineering to marketing, sales and finance.
Become a volunteer
Getting involved
at a glance
Be part of a
winning team
It is now nearly 80 years since Bradley
and Erlestoke Manor were built by
the GWR.
Thanks to the very generous support
of shareholders, volunteers and
benefactors they are both regularly
running on the Severn Valley Railway –
50 years after they were withdrawn
by British Railways.
Our locos need major overhauls every 10 years –
costing in the region of £300k–£500k – plus ongoing
maintenance each running season.
However, as our locos become older and older,
it is increasingly likely that they will require major
expenditure to replace worn out parts – examples
being new cylinders and perhaps eventually a
new boiler; that will be the only way to keep them
operational on the SVR through the coming decades.
Erlestoke Manor Fund is planning for
the future – and we are now looking for
new supporters.
Become a shareholder
You can work with us by volunteering in any of the
following areas. It’s a fantastic way for the hobbyist or
enthusiast to really get close to these locomotives.
Your involvement
does make a
difference to what
we can achieve
A wonderful
opportunity to work
with us – as a hobby
or to gain experience
• Work on the locos – anything from cleaning, through
painting to serious engineering
• Fundraising – help on our sales stands, or come up
with your own ideas
By becoming a shareholder you can help us raise
essential funds. And in return you can get extra special
benefits from merchandise, rides on the footplate
through to a driving experience, depending on the
level of your donation. You’ll also get invited to
shareholder events and be kept updated through
our newsletter.
Any donations in cash, or goods that we can sell in our
Bewdley shop, are always welcome.
• Archives – help us compile a comprehensive portfolio
of EMF over the last 40+ years
Donations
• Admin support – website maintenance, social media
help and membership database development
• Photography – for working parties and social events
• Publicist – for PR work to get our message out
Or come up with your own ideas on how you can help!
Legacy donations
A gift in your Will, however small or large, can help us
keep these two locos running for generations to come.
About the
locomotives
The Erlestoke Manor Fund (EMF) is the proud owner of
7802 Bradley Manor and 7812 Erlestoke Manor, both
based on the Severn Valley Railway (SVR), and between
them they have run over 200,000 miles in preservation.
Bradley Manor was purchased from Barry in 1979
for £7,500; at that time it was heavily stripped. This
popular performer first ran in preservation during 1993.
Since then it has run over 110,000 miles, mainly on the
SVR, but has also visited other heritage lines, including
WSR, GWSR and Swanage. Bradley Manor has also
had a number of mainline outings, including several
trips on the Cambrian Railway. Its third overhaul was
completed in November 2015. It returned to traffic
for Manor 50 – an event that was an EMF initiative,
commemorating the fact that both of EMF’s locos were
running – 50 years after they were withdrawn by BR.
Erlestoke Manor was the first loco purchased by the
fund in 1974 and ran on the SVR between 1979 and
1985. After a comprehensive overhaul – and boiler
swap with Bradley – it eventually returned to service
in 2008 – hauling the first train on the SVR after it reopened following the floods in 2007. Since then it has
been a regular and reliable performer on the SVR and
was used for the Olympic Torch Special train and for the
visit of Princess Anne. It is popular with other heritage
railways and has visited, amongst others, the WSR,
Llangollen and the Keighley and Worth Valley Railways.
Where does the
money go?
All monies or goods received are invaluable to
the EMF. Here are a few of the things we’ve done
recently together with two major items of expenditure
for which we are currently seeking funds:
•
•
•
At the end of the 2010 season 7802 Bradley
Manor’s boiler needed major repairs to put
the loco back in service for the next ten years.
Thanks to the generous support of EMF
shareholders and benefactors – existing and
new – the 2011 Boiler and Tender Appeal
raised very important funds to help ensure
Bradley Manor returned to traffic in 2015.
We have made progress constructing
the new tender for 7802 but more funds
are still needed to complete this.
Sister engine Erlestoke Manor will also be due
for its 10 year major overhaul by 2018. This
will be a major expense (over £300,000) so all
contributions for this will be most welcome.
From a volunteer’s perspective
From a family’s perspective
“Since joining the EMF at the start of 7802’s overhaul,
it has greatly improved my understanding about the
technical and practical aspects of steam locomotive
maintenance and operation, which I can put to good
use when I carry out my fireman’s duties on the SVR.
“Who would have thought it? Just over two years ago
my wife and I took our three young grandchildren to
see the trains at Kidderminster’s Severn Valley Railway
station and now I’m doing the voluntary marketing for
the EMF.
Not only does the fund allow me to work with likeminded people but also gives me the opportunity to visit
other preserved railways when taking our locos on tour.
We meet fellow enthusiasts throughout the country and
make long lasting friendships.
Our children bought us
a very special birthday
present, an annual Family
Ticket for the railway.
Over the next year we
spent many days on the
railway with various family
members who it’s fair to
say weren’t all fans, but
they all had a great time
and now share our interest.
Being part of the EMF and SVR went a long way to
ensuring I got the start I wanted for my professional
railway career – an apprentice technician with London
Midland Railways. For this I will always be grateful to the
EMF and SVR.”
Chris Field – Shareholder and Volunteer
– engineering, events and IT
“I enjoy the chance to meet and work with like-minded
people and the satisfaction of a job well done. Also
the opportunity to ‘put something back‘ into the
preservation of our railway heritage. It is nice when
7802/7812 are running to stick your chest out and say
‘I helped that to happen’.”
Steve Owen – Shareholder and Volunteer
– painting and general support
One day I made a
comment on a rail
message board that I’d
like to be more involved
and use my skills at
marketing, which I’d spent
a lot of time doing in the
past. I guess when people
think of volunteers at a
railway they naturally think
of rolling up their sleeves
and mending the locos.
That is a major part of the
job but there is so much
more as I have found. I
guess the purpose of this
piece is to say that if you
have an interest in railways
and want to have fun by
getting involved, then the
Erlestoke Manor Fund
has a place for you.”
Alan Gormley
Shareholder and
Vounteer – Heritage
Railway Marketing