SEVERN Valley Railway is set to round off a year of celebration marking the 40th anniversary of its founding fathers having the idea of restoring the line.

Actor Jenny Agutter is visiting this weekend, with the SVR anniversary year coinciding with the centenary of the first publication of the timeless literary classic, The Railway Children.

The star of the film of the book will be signing copies of a new illustrated version of the novel, with some proceeds from sales on the day going to charity.

Jenny's visit takes place during SVR's annual autumn steam gala - three days of non-stop running of the steam engines up and down the track from tomorrow until Sunday.

With trains running for 58 continuous hours, one Bewdley couple have taken up the offbeat challenge of travelling on the line for the total duration of the gala weekend.

Neil and Linda Cocksedge have worked out that their marathon effort of 15 return journeys - all for charity - will transport them 500 miles in all.

"Most people think we're completely mad," said Mrs Cocksedge, 52, who is originally from New Zealand.

She explained: "We wondered if anyone had ridden up and down the line for the whole weekend, so we said 'why don't we do it?' It was one of those mad ideas you have."

As worshippers at Wribbenhall's All Saints' Church, Mr Cocksedge, 51, and his wife have decided that will be one cause to benefit from their fund-raising during their great rail journey, together with SVR's rolling stock trust, Landmine Action and Macmillan Cancer Relief.

Mr Cocksedge who was born in Welwyn Garden City, is a marketing manager with steel firm, Corus, while Mrs Cocksedge is an investment adviser with Aspire Consultancy in Cleobury Mortimer.

They have lived in Bewdley for 13 years. Mrs Cocksedge said: "Neil is interested in trains and we can see them from the top of our garden. I think that was one of the attractions of living here."

From humble start to national treasure

WHEN a group of steam enthusiasts submitted a letter published in the Kidderminster Shuttle in 1965, little did they realise they would be setting off a chain of events that would dramatically revive the dormant Severn Valley line.

Forty years on, the thriving tourist attraction carries 250,000 passengers each year and is on course to match or surpass its record-breaking annual performance.

This weekend's annual autumn steam gala, held along the line over a continuous 58-hour period from tomorrow until Sunday is a popular event in its own right but this year climaxes the anniversary year of celebration.

Back in 1965, a group united by the seemingly fanciful notion of buying and restoring the closed Severn Valley line held a public meeting in the Coopers Arms, latterly the Jolly Taverner at Habberley, to drum up support for their plan.

Around 50 people attended and the scheme built up a head of steam that led, eventually, to the purchase of the line, negotiated by a team led by the late John Garth, for £25,000.

The first train under the new regime ran on July 18, 1970 - five years to the month since that original meeting in the Coopers Arms.

Since then, SVR has gone from strength to strength - which has been a recurring theme of this anniversary year.

John Leach, the company's marketing manager, said events during the year had gone well. "The summer months have been fantastic - August, in particular, has been super," he explained.

"The weather has been pretty kind to us - we're well up on 2004."

Even allowing for the five-week closure of part of the line for bridge strengthening last year, Mr Leach said revenue was on a par with the record year of 2003.

The autumn steam gala this year will be a Great Western weekend, said Mr Leach, with 11 Great Western engines and one Southern engine participating. With six visiting engines from other railways, the gala will be setting a new benchmark.

More than 250 steam train movements will take place over the weekend, beginning at 9.25am tomorrow, with the final one at 7.41pm on Sunday.

Among attractions will be rare opportunities for the public to see trains negotiating a turntable and work being carried out in the carriage sheds.

The SVR has the highest turnover of any steam heritage line in the country and carries the second highest number of passengers.

Reflecting on the company's origins, Mr Leach said: "Even the most optimistic of people wouldn't have realised how much it would evolve into a major tourist attraction for Wyre Forest and Shropshire."