SL Transportation Limited, trading as Severn Lamb and sometimes known as Severn-Lamb, is a manufacturer of various forms of transport systems and equipment, principally aimed at the leisure market. They are based at
Alcester
Alcester ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon District in Warwickshire, England. It is west of Stratford-upon-Avon, and 7 miles south of Redditch. The town dates back to the times of Roman ...
in the English county of
Warwickshire
Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...
, but sell their products worldwide.
As of January 2023, the firm is managed by Severn Lamb's grandson and employs 26 people.
[
]
History
The company was founded by Peter Severn Lamb in 1948 in Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon ( ), commonly known as Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon (district), Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands region of Engl ...
. In its early days it predominantly manufactured steam locomotives for model
A model is an informative representation of an object, person, or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin , .
Models can be divided in ...
and miniature railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
s. Today it builds live steam and steam outline electric and diesel hydraulic locomotives for narrow gauge railway
A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and .
Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with Minimum railw ...
s in theme park
An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...
s and similar venues, together with road train
A road train, also known as a land train or long combination vehicle (LCV) is a semi-trailer used to move road freight more efficiently than single-trailer semi-trailers. It consists of one semi-trailer or more connected together with or wit ...
s, monorail
A monorail is a Rail transport, railway in which the track consists of a single rail or beam. Colloquially, the term "monorail" is often used to describe any form of elevated rail or people mover. More accurately, the term refers to the style ...
s and various themed custom vehicles, including electric vehicle
An electric vehicle (EV) is a motor vehicle whose propulsion is powered fully or mostly by electricity. EVs encompass a wide range of transportation modes, including road vehicle, road and rail vehicles, electric boats and Submersible, submer ...
s, bus
A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a motor vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van, but fewer than the average rail transport. It is most commonly used ...
es, and boat
A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size or capacity, its shape, or its ability to carry boats.
Small boats are typically used on inland waterways s ...
s.
Notable customers include Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
, with vehicles built for the Wildlife Express Train at Disney's Animal Kingdom in Walt Disney World Resort
The Walt Disney World Resort is an entertainment resort complex located about southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Experiences, a division of the Walt Disney Company. ...
, the Disneyland Railroad
The Disneyland Railroad (DRR), formerly known as the Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad, is a 3-foot () narrow-gauge railway, narrow-gauge heritage railway, heritage railroad and attraction in the Disneyland theme park of the Disneyland Resort in ...
at Disneyland Paris
Disneyland Paris is an entertainment resort in Marne-la-Vallée, France, located about east of Paris. It encompasses two theme parks, seven Disney-owned hotels, two convention centers, a golf course, an arena, and a shopping, dining and entert ...
, and the Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad at Hong Kong Disneyland. Vehicles have also been built for many other theme parks and resorts, including Busch Gardens Tampa in Florida
Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
, Mirabilandia in Italy, Kuwait Entertainment City in Kuwait
Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...
, Genting Highlands
Genting Highlands is a hill station located on the peak of Mount Ulu Kali in the Titiwangsa Mountains, central Peninsular Malaysia, at 1800 metres elevation. Located in the state of Pahang, it was established in 1965 by the late Malaysian busi ...
in Malaysia
Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
, and Thorpe Park, Irtra Xetulul/Xocomil Themeparks in Retalhuleu Guatemala and Legoland Windsor
Legoland Windsor Resort (), styled and also known as Legoland Windsor, is a theme park and resort in Windsor, Berkshire in England, themed around the Lego brand. The park opened on 17 March 1996 and is currently operated by Merlin Entertainment ...
in the United Kingdom.
Severn Lamb also built the 52 electrically powered platforms that provided the moving stage that encircled the perimeter of the arena for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens
Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
.
In November 2022, it was announced Severn Lamb had acquired the US and global supplier of trams, Trams International.[
]
Gallery
File:Sir John Betjeman Train On Southend Pier.jpg, A diesel train built for Southend Pier Railway in 1986, and named after poet John Betjeman.
File:Southend Pier Railway, Southend-on-Sea, UK.jpg, An electric train built for the Southend Pier Railway in 2021.
File:Hkdisrailtrain.JPG, A steam outline diesel locomotive built in 2004 for the Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad at Hong Kong Disneyland.
File:Animal Kingdom Wildlife Express Train 01.jpg, A deliberately distressed steam outline diesel locomotive built in 1997 for the Wildlife Express Train at Disney World.
File:Euro Disneyland Railroad No.4 Eureka.jpg, Disneyland Railroad
The Disneyland Railroad (DRR), formerly known as the Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad, is a 3-foot () narrow-gauge railway, narrow-gauge heritage railway, heritage railroad and attraction in the Disneyland theme park of the Disneyland Resort in ...
No. 4 ''Eureka'', a live steam locomotive built in 1993 for Disneyland Paris
Disneyland Paris is an entertainment resort in Marne-la-Vallée, France, located about east of Paris. It encompasses two theme parks, seven Disney-owned hotels, two convention centers, a golf course, an arena, and a shopping, dining and entert ...
.
File:Atal Express - Kankaria.jpg, The Atal Express at Kankaria Lake, Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad ( ), also spelled Amdavad (), is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 ...
, India, named after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Atal Bihari Vajpayee (25 December 1924 – 16 August 2018) was an Indian poet, writer and statesman who served as the prime minister of India, first for a term of 13 days in 1996, then for a period of 13 months from 1998 ...
.
See also
*List of locomotive builders
This list of locomotive builders (companies, government agencies and railways) is ordered by country and includes both modern-day and defunct builders. Since many entities changed their names over time, the most recognisable name is used – gener ...
References
External links
Official Page
Companies based in Stratford-upon-Avon
Locomotive manufacturers of the United Kingdom
Manufacturing companies of the United Kingdom
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