Severn & Wye Timeline Part 6
"Into the 21st Century"
2000-
April 2001
A new station at Lydney Town is opened, just south of the site of the original station.
August 2001
Passenger services commence north of Norchard as far as Tufts Bridge. It is the renovation of this bridge that is now the princple hurdle in restoring sevices northwards, with environmental considerations and Foot-and-Mouth disease hindering progress.
October 2003
Passenger services are extended to as far as Whitecroft level crossing, although the lack of station means that passengers cannot alight or board trains here, and the lack of run-around facility means that most services are done by the DMU set (although a steam autotrailer is occasionally used). The principle hurdle to Parkend is now putting gates on Whitecroft crossing.
July 2004
The South Wales Pannier Group, owners of 9642, decide to put the locomotive up for sale. The DFR decides to make a bid for it
January 2005
9642 is sold to Andrew Goodman, (the DFR's bid being unsuccessful), and is transferred to the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway later in 2005.
December 2005
Work is completed on the Parkend section and a members' day is held on the 3rd to allow members to travel on the new section
March 2006
The new section to Parkend opens to the general public on the 25th of this month, nearly 77 years since regular passenger services were withdrawn north of Lydney. Whitecroft station still awaits rebuilding at this point.
May 2006
The Parkend extension is formally opened by HRH Princess Anne. Ex-GWR Manor class no 7802 "Bradley Manor" is used to haul the Royal Train; 7802 being only the third tender locomotive to work the line in preservation (3440 "City of Truro" and 3205 being the other two), and the heaviest locomotive to work on the Dean Forest Railway to date.
April 2007
The 22nd of April sees the first mainline steam tour to Lydney Junction. Originally planned to work through to Parkend, the last-minute change of motive power from a British Railways Standard class 4 to a LMS "Black 5" means the tour has to be taken to Parkend using 9681 and class 27 diesel no. 27066 as there is no time to check the suitability of the "Black 5" for the line.
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