ANOTHER eight bodies are expected to come to light at Severn Valley Railway shortly, bringing the tally of victims in the spate of murders to almost 80 over the last 10 years.

The horrific catalogue of crime in which victims have been shot, strangled and poisoned, looks certain to continue for some time - because that is what the public demands.

People need fear not though as it is not real murders that the SVR is promoting, but realistic staged ones which will be acted out on the railway's eight Friday and Saturday night whodunnit evening dining trains this year, starting next month.

Amid the romantic 1930s gaslight era ambience of a Great Western Railway dining car, in an authentic Edwardian steam train, players from the specialist acting troupe Murder By Appointment will unfurl the sinister plot to a captive audience of up to 119 dining passengers.

Each of the trains will have a different plot and, during the course of their journey from Kidderminster to Bridgnorth and back, diners will have to work out who committed the crime.

The events run on Saturday, March 4; Saturday, April 22; Friday, June 9; Saturday, July 22; Friday, August 4; Friday, September 1; Saturday, October 14, and Saturday, November 11, with prizes for those who correctly identify the killer.

The special evening have been running for 10 years now and the £32.50-a-head covers varying three-course menus and the normal train fare.

SVR's marketing manager John Leach said he expected every seat on the special trains to sell out quickly.

He added: "The atmospheric mix of a steam train at night, a balcony seat at the theatre and a sumptuous three-course dinner seem to be irresistible.

"We always sell out and we'd like to run more, but unfortunately because of the continuing demand for private charter trains on the railway, eight is all we can fit in."

The eight murder mystery specials slot into a busier-than-ever programme of no fewer than 125 dining trains on the SVR in 2006, including salmon-and-strawberries lunches and scenic evening land cruises.