Swanage Railway - heritage line, Norden to Swanage, Dorset

[whole diary]

[bradshaw]

On the bright side, having the mainline connection does allow through running of railtours and mainline steam on to the railway.
Sad though the decision might be, it is financially sensible. Though could they put on a service during special events?

Many years ago the South Devon Railway ran through to Totnes but the costs were too great. The end result was Totnes Riverside, with the station building coming from Toller on the Bridport Branch

[Ralph Ayres]

Though could they put on a service during special events?

Sadly I suspect a Wareham service would be particularly problematic during special events. More trains running than on a normal operating day so more to go wrong, and the last thing you then need is to be worrying about getting the Wareham shuttle out and back on time so it doesn't delay SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) services.  I do hope the occasional practice of running an incoming special guest loco on a passenger train will continue though; rather less fraught with reliability problems as they tend to arrive the day before an event, as well as then allowing an overnight B&B stay ready for the main event.

[Mark A]

RIP Wareham's two bay platforms (both long gone).

Also, the footpath crossing on the site of the removed level crossing at the east end of the station. It's open 06:00 - 01:00 seven days a week. That must be a bit of a rare arrangement.

Mark

[grahame]

RIP Wareham's two bay platforms (both long gone).

Also, the footpath crossing on the site of the removed level crossing at the east end of the station. It's open 06:00 - 01:00 seven days a week. That must be a bit of a rare arrangement.

Mark

As I understand it, the costs of such things as equipment (extra on the train) and hiring main line qualified and up to date drivers was unsustainable.  I don't know the details but from what I could see when I used the service it was hard to envision it being viable in that form. I did bump into Community Rail and SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) folks on one of the days I was there last year, so I'm sure the whole thing has been thoroughly looked into, although I suspect there may be a couple of "them's the rules", "more than my jobs work", and "can't change things - always done like that" types around in managers. And of course safety must come first.  Electric railways are even more dangerous ...

[didcotdean]

There has been a lot of public money spent on this, from being included in the NR^» (Network Rail - home page) resignalling so the branch wasn't severed, to the purchase of the DMUs^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) etc. The trial services seem to have been organised around people coming to travel on the heritage railway, being of little practical use to locals without even considering the premium fares being charged.

Questionable really why it was attempted as not clear what it was really trying to achieve.

[grahame]

Various reports on the news feeds of a class 50 on the rear of a train at Corfe Castle derailing yesterday evening - clearly a very serious immediate concern, but happy to report that a two-train service with trains passing at Haman's Cross has been running today, so it would appear that there is sufficient known about what went wrong for running trains today to be considered safe

From The Standard

An investigation has been launched after a restored diesel locomotive partially derailed from a heritage railway line during a festival in Dorset.

Evening diesel gala and beer festival train services on the Swanage Railway heritage line were suspended on Saturday after the diesel locomotive partially derailed at Corfe Castle station.

[article continues]

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Heritage steam railway to trial wi-fi service

[Image from here is not available to guests]

A heritage railway line is set to trial a wi-fi service on its steam train and railway station in a bid to improve connectivity in remote areas of Dorset.

The satellite-powered public wi-fi will give access to the internet to test if it can work reliably on the rural tourist attraction.

The government has awarded a £163,000 grant to Dorset Council to set the technology up at Swanage Railway.

The council said it would make the heritage steam railway the first in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) to have a wi-fi connected steam train.

The technology is being installed at Purbeck Park car park, Norden train station and on board the railway's steam service from early 2025.

Gavin Johns, chairman of the Swanage Railway Company, said it was "a great opportunity to show that old and new can work together for the benefit of rural communities and our customers and staff".

The money has come from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) as part of the national Rural Connectivity Accelerator programme.

Dorset Council said the project "addresses the need for reliable connectivity in areas with challenging landscapes and limited service from traditional network operators".

Swanage Railway has been running steam trains as a tourist attraction since the 1990s.

[Witham Bobby]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Heritage steam railway to trial wi-fi service

A heritage railway line is set to trial a wi-fi service on its steam train and railway station in a bid to improve connectivity in remote areas of Dorset.

The satellite-powered public wi-fi will give access to the internet to test if it can work reliably on the rural tourist attraction.

The government has awarded a £163,000 grant to Dorset Council to set the technology up at Swanage Railway.

The council said it would make the heritage steam railway the first in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) to have a wi-fi connected steam train.

The technology is being installed at Purbeck Park car park, Norden train station and on board the railway's steam service from early 2025.

Gavin Johns, chairman of the Swanage Railway Company, said it was "a great opportunity to show that old and new can work together for the benefit of rural communities and our customers and staff".

The money has come from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) as part of the national Rural Connectivity Accelerator programme.

Dorset Council said the project "addresses the need for reliable connectivity in areas with challenging landscapes and limited service from traditional network operators".

Swanage Railway has been running steam trains as a tourist attraction since the 1990s.

No wonder the government needs to tax dead farmers now

[Timmer]

Swanage Railway has been running steam trains as a tourist attraction since the 1990s.

Hmmmm, I think it’s a bit longer than since the 1990s  Try since the late 1970s.

[Chris from Nailsea]

What ??

Timmer, are you suggesting that the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) have got their 'facts' wrong?

Whatever next! 

CfN^▸ (Chris from Nailsea, an administrator on this forum). 

[ChrisB]

Yep, we can't have corrections any longer!

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Steam railway 'causes seventh summer fire'

[Image from here is not available to guests]

A steam train on a heritage line has caused a seventh fire by the attraction this summer, a fire service has said.

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire Service sent three vehicles to a field blaze near Corfe Castle at about 13:15 BST on Monday. It said the fire was quickly put out and crews spent some time damping down.

Swanage Railway, which operates between Swanage and Norden - via Corfe, has been approached for comment.

According to its website on Tuesday, the line is currently running heritage diesel rather than steam trains due to a "high fire risk".

In a statement, the fire service said: "It is believed to have been caused by the steam train. Since 1 June 2025, we've had seven similar incidents reported in this area."

Temperatures have now cooled following the UK^▸ (United Kingdom)'s third heatwave of the year. Highs of 20C (68F) are expected in Corfe Castle on Tuesday.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From Yahoo! News:

Historic new 'remarkable' GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) locomotive to take centre stage at railway gala

[Image from here is not available to guests]

A historic new steam locomotive is set to take centre stage at an upcoming heritage railway event.

The 81st Grange class engine, No. 6880 Betton Grange, which is the first steam locomotive built to a Great Western Railway (GWR) design since the early 1950s, will headline the Swanage Railway’s Spring Steam Gala.

The event will take place from March 27 to 29, and will feature seven locomotives hauling both passenger and freight services throughout the three-day gala.

Alexander Atkins, chairman of the organising committee, said: "We are delighted to be hosting the first steam locomotive to be built to a Great Western Railway Company design since the early 1950s. Constructed between 1998 and 2024, No. 6880 Betton Grange is a remarkable engineering achievement and a fine steam locomotive."

Owned by the 6880 Betton Grange Society, Betton Grange is currently based at the Gloucester Warwickshire Steam Railway. Its appearance at the Swanage Railway’s gala will be its only one planned to another heritage railway in 2026.

The engine was constructed as part of a long-running 'new-build' project to realise the 81st Grange class engine, all of which were originally built at the GWR’s Swindon works between 1936 and 1939. All 80 original locomotives were withdrawn and scrapped by the mid-1960s.

The gala will see trains running along the full nine-mile stretch of the Swanage Railway, from Swanage to Corfe Castle and onwards to the River Frome, near Wareham.

(article continues)

[rogerw]

Shame that they could not find a photograph of the actual engine

[Chris from Nailsea]

Shame that they could not find a photograph of the actual engine

Don't even start me off again on that one! 

From Wikipedia:

[Image from here is not available to guests]
By Peter Broster - https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=161690215

See: it's easy!