The Stratford on Avon and Broadway Railway project (SBR) was an English railway project whose aim was to re-open the closed railway line from ,

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Av ...

to Honeybourne railway station,

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see H ...

for main-line re-connection. A later extension was planned to

Broadway, Worcestershire Broadway is a large village and civil parish in the Cotswolds, England, with a population of 2,540 at the 2011 census. It is in the far southeast of Worcestershire, close to the Gloucestershire border, midway between Evesham and Moreton-in-Mars ...

where the line could link up with the proposed northern extension of the

Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway (GWR, GWSR or Gloucs-Warks Steam Railway) is a volunteer-run heritage railway which runs along the Gloucestershire/Worcestershire border of the Cotswolds, England. The GWSR has restored and reope ...

. The railway operated at the former Long Marston Ministry of Defence depot. The railway operated at the north west corner of the site which is now the location of the proposed new Middle Quinton Eco-town.

Activities

A short section of track remains as a freight-only line from

Honeybourne Honeybourne is a village and civil parish about east of Evesham in Worcestershire, England. Much of the parish is farmland. RAF Honeybourne just south of the village was operational from 1940 until 1947. History Honeybourne was two village ...

to Long Marston and initial efforts were concentrated on this. A newsletter for members was published under the title ''The Shakespeare Express''. The SBR project was run by the Stratford on Avon and Broadway Railway Society (1999) Limited (SBRS) and the Society had locomotives and

rolling stock The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, freight and passenger cars (or coaches), and non-revenue cars. Passenger vehicles can ...

stored at the former Ministry of Defence depot at Long Marston. The site was not generally open to the public but there were occasional open days. The site was also visited by railtours.

Dissolution

On 14 February 2010 the ''Stratford on Avon and Broadway Railway Society (1999) Limited'' was dissolved because "...with little chance of opening the line between Stratford and Honeybourne within the next 10 years and the fewer volunteers, we only had two choices: find a new home or sell the stock". The ''Stratford on Avon and Broadway Railway Trust'' (a separate body) still exists. It was envisaged that the rolling stock would be moved to the Berkeley Vale Railway which plans to use the Sharpness Branch Line. The Vale of Berkeley Railway eventually moved into the old engine shed at Sharpness Docks in August 2015. Some of the stock was sold and the remainder will be loaned to other railway societies. The Somerset & Dorset Railway Heritage Trust took delivery of two ex-Navy goods vans and a two-car diesel multiple unit on loan in October/November 2011. As of January 2016 the railway has some 80 members and has moved some of the assets to their new engineering base.

Locomotives

;SBR locomotives

Steam

Hawthorn Leslie and Company R. & W. Hawthorn, Leslie and Company, Limited, usually referred to as Hawthorn Leslie, was a shipbuilder and locomotive manufacturer. The company was founded on Tyneside in 1886 and ceased building ships in 1982. History The company was formed ...

0-4-0ST, works no. 2800, ''Met'' * Hawthorn Leslie and Company 0-4-0ST, works no. 3718, ''Swanscombe No.4'' *

Peckett and Sons Peckett and Sons was a locomotive manufacturer at the Atlas Locomotive Works on Deep Pit Road between Fishponds and St. George, Bristol, England. Fox, Walker and Company The company began trading in 1864 at the Atlas Engine Works, St. George, ...

0-4-0ST, works no. 1903, ''LITTLE LADY'' * Barclay 0-4-0ST, works no. 2220, ''Invicta No.8''

Diesel

* Barclay 0-4-0DM, works no. 362, ''Mulberry 70047'' * Fowler 0-4-0DM, works no. 4220022, ''ROF Chorley No.4'' The Long Marston site is also used for the storage of surplus main line locomotives and rolling stock which do not form part of the SBR fleet.

References

* ''The Shakespeare Express'', issue no.31, winter 2006 * SBR Stock Book, September 2006 {{authority control Heritage railways in Warwickshire Railway museums in England