The National Railway Museum (NRM) has stepped in to aid the flood-stricken Severn Valley Railway with the loan of the Class 37 D6700 locomotive for a fundraising event.

“Valley Aid” is a three-day celebration of Britain’s railways’ steam and diesel heritage hosted by the North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) between 2nd and 4th November. Two-thirds of the proceeds will be donated to the Flood Damage Appeal to help rebuild the Severn Valley Railway (SVR), and all the locomotives being provided without charge by their owners.

The event is firmly on track to be a rail enthusiast’s dream, with appearances from significant steam and diesel engines including the steam–powered Sir Nigel Gresley, The Great Marquess, and B1 No 61264, alongside English Electric diesel engines Defiance, Alycidon, and D6700. Trains will be running on the NYMR between Whitby and Pickering and on the Esk Valley line between Whitby and Battersby Junction.

Philip Benham, general manager at the NYMR said: “Like everyone in the heritage movement, we were horrified to see the damage caused to the Severn Valley. We are delighted to help the Flood Damage Appeal in this way, and are also very grateful to the locomotive owners, including the NRM, who are so generously making their engines available free for our event.

Director of the National Railway Museum, Andrew Scott, said: “The NRM works tirelessly to keep Britain’s rich railway history alive, and supporting heritage railways such as the SVR and the NYMR is part of the museum’s work within the community. We are delighted to be able to do something to help the Severn Valley Railway’s volunteers rise to the challenge of repairing the flood damage.”