Swanage Railway General Discussion

Lockdowm Mk2 if we are not careful. The last thing the country needs!!

 

It's why Cummings should have been disciplined at least,

 

Accept nobody is doing anything wrong here in terms of the law, whichever way you look at it.
Even if they has shoved Cummings in jail those beaches would have looked the same yesterday. Still it rained briefly in Swanage at 14:30 yesterday. After that the main road out resembled rush hour in West London for a lot of the afternoon.
In the morning it took one of my Dad's neighbours 1 3/4 hours to get back from Tesco in Poole, rather than the usual 30 minutes!

 

And it took me nearly two and a half Hours to get home from Swanage yesterday afternoon, The first 55 minutes getting as far as Corfe Castle.
Normal Journey time is around one Hour between West Moors and Swanage.

 

Anecdotal evidence but web cam yesterday showed reasonable crowds, many at the newly opened Corfe Castle station.


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A six coach train shuttling between Swanage and Bournemouth this last weekend would have been packed. Shame it is seasonal and weather related.

 

Only if it is quicker and more convenient than the car, which means turn-up-and-go frequencies, car parking space at the railhead, space for (and assistance with) luggage at each end.

My WIBN vision would be a parkway station just off the mainline, luggage carts for each car booking, adapted coaches to carry the luggage, and electric taxis and bicycle hire available at Swanage. Would make sense for about 3 weeks a year...

 

And where are you going to find a six coach train at a drop of a hat?

 

Packed? Oh! yes Bournemouth, where social distancing seems to be a non-event.

 

A Facebook post on the 'Steam - West Country, Battle of Britain and Merchant Navy Classes' Page has said work has restarted (with social distancing) on Eddystone, so hopefully that and the N class are finally on the way again, baring further 'Lockdowns' of course.

 

Is this a view of a normal non COVID world or now in 2020?
If it now in 2020 a six coach train, if you could magic one up, would only be half full to achieve social distancing. It would need stewards for each coach (I am certainly not stewarding on the mainline at the moment) is Swanage awash with volunteers?
Operations to Bournemouth would need to be crewed by someone like WCRC as I understand the Swanage application to the ORR was only for services to Wareham.
With only two mainline registered locos and no run round at Bournemouth I assume you anticipate top and tail operation, not leaving much back up if something goes down on the normal services.
You would need to fit it into the existing services so that the COVID measures could be complied with on Swanage station.
How would the tickets be dealt with, and how many of the flood of last weekends visitors to Swanage and Bournemouth was due to the weather forecast, rather than any pre planning?

 

You are so correct - Stupid me to even think of such a thing

 

Right, just for clarification, you can run round at Bournemouth in both Platform 4 and 2 and 3. You are right, SR crews will never operate that far. Running round in Platform 4 is by far the easiest option at Bournemouth and is easily done.

 

Good coverage in the Western Daily Press today:

 

Went on a visit, en famille today (Wed 5th)

Round trip on the 12.40 ex Norden.

We were made very welcome and everything was well organised, staff were helpful, both to us and it was good to see 'non station' staff intervening to help load a buggy on the train at Swanage

Followed by a visit to Corfe Castle, ditto

Good to be in a steam train for the first time in nearly 8 months

 

Mmmmm my wife and i were on the same well patronized train, small world init.

 

We were in Coach C

 

We were in the last coach both ways, i like to look out of the windows on a curve to see the engine at the front, silly i know but as they say "each to there own"

 

There were 5 of us so it meant Compartment

 

So in terms of steam locomotives.

The T9 has failed its steam test and now needs an overhaul?
The U class 31806s boiler certificate ends next year.
The other U Class not operational - stored somewhere on the railway?
The N class is under restoration- any estimates of completion?
The M7 is under restoration - any estimates of completion?
80104 - boiler certificate ending 2021?
Sir Keith Park is off to the Spa Valley Railway.
Eddystone will return to steam early next year.
Manston will also return to steam next year.
257 Squadron is operational.
Sidmouth's restoration will start once Eddystone is finished.

So at some point next year the only steam locomotives available to the railway will be 257 Squadron, Eddystone and Manston?

Please correct me if I am wrong!