The Severn Valley Railway (SVR) has revealed GWR Small Prairie No 5526 will appear at its Autumn Steam Gala in September – its second visit to the Railway.

The loco will visit the Railway, which runs between Shropshire and Worcestershire in the West Midlands, between 17 and 20 September. It will attend courtesy of the South Devon Railway, and joins what SVR calls “an impressive line-up of guest locomotives for one of the SVR’s most anticipated events of the year”.

In June, the SVR announced that Ivatt Class 2 2-6-2 tank locomotive No 41313 would be its first visiting locomotive, and later the same month added that the second visiting locomotive would be BR(W) Pannier Tank 9681. It plans to announce one further guest loco before the event.

The Railway believes that the GWR Small Prairie No 5526 tank engine will be an appropriate companion for its own GWR Large Prairie No 4150, which has recently completed an overhaul and is expected to make its gala debut. It boasts that the combination of visitors and home locos “promises to recreate the atmosphere of the Severn Valley in the years before preservation”.

The 45xx and 4575 class Prairie tanks were used widely for branch line operations across much of the Great Western Railway’s network.

The Autumn Steam Gala will include an intensive timetable of steam locomotives, both guest and home, running on the line between Kidderminster and Bridgnorth, a distance of sixteen miles. Visitors will be able to ride behind every locomotive that is in service, and to visit The Engine House at Highley. They will also have the chance to relax in the Railway’s pubs.

“We’re delighted to welcome No 5526 to the Autumn Steam Gala and are very grateful to our friends at the South Devon Railway for making the visit possible.

“Our aim this year is to transport visitors back to the Severn Valley of old, and this latest announcement helps us do exactly that. Seeing a Small Prairie working alongside our own beautifully restored Large Prairie No 4150, together with our other guest locomotives, will create some wonderful sights and sounds for enthusiasts and families alike.”

Gus Dunster, chief executive officer, Severn Valley Railway