Didcot Railway Centre’s Saint steam locomotive to star at the Severn Valley Railway Spring Steam Up

The Severn Valley Railway has just officially announced this morning that GWR ‘Saint’ No. 2999 ‘Lady of Legend’ will be the star guest at their upcoming Spring Steam Up.

The event will be taking place between the 15th and 18th April 2021.

2999 Lady of Legend was set to visit in 2020, but the coronavirus pandemic but a stop to the event.

2999 is the only Saint locomotive left and appears thanks to the Didcot Railway Centre and the Great Western Society.

Parts of GWR ‘Hall’ No. 4942 ‘Maindy Hall’ were used to recreate the locomotive and the project took 45 years to come to life.

Announcing the VIP visitor, Helen Smith, general manager at the Severn Valley Railway said, “We wanted to offer up something extra special to our supporters this year, after everything that happened with Covid in 2020.

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“We know that Lady of Legend hits a lot of sweet spots for so many people; not only is it literally the only one of its kind in the world, but it’s also a Great Western locomotive which is perfect for us. Plus this is the first time that 2999 will be been seen away from its home at Didcot Railway Centre, and the first opportunity for it to really go through its paces on our 16 miles of line.”

Graham Hukins, head of visitor experience and marketing at Didcot Railway Centre, commented, “We are delighted to make 2999 available for the Spring Steam Up as a similar visit planned for last year was one of the many things postponed when coronavirus hit. We hope the gala will be really successful and help signal to the whole sector that tourism and leisure businesses are getting back on track.

“Having our locomotives visiting other heritage railways is key to us engaging as wide an audience as possible with the history of the Great Western Railway, so it is very fitting the first trip away from Didcot for this unique engine is to the Severn Valley Railway – a line with an impeccable GWR pedigree.”

Joining 2999 Lady of Legend at the event will be GWR ‘Hall’ 6960 ‘Raveningham Hall’, her last gala appearance before withdrawal, 34027 Taw Valley and 2857, which starred in the Enola Holmes film.

All tickets that are booked for the event are backed by the SVR Covid Guarantee, with tickets available from the Severn Valley Railway website.

History of 2999 Lady of Legend

A prototype Saint was built in 1902 and was used for stopping and express passenger services on the Great Western. They made the basis for the Hall class when 2925 St Martin was rebuilt in 1924.

They lasted until 1951 when the class were withdrawn in 1951. Fast forward to the 21st Century – the Didcot Railway Centre started the new-build locomotive in 2009, and the completed 2999 steamed in passenger service in 2019.

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