Swanage Railway “Winter Warm up”

⭐️ Winter Warm Up news! ⭐️

The Swanage Railway winter warm up returns on the first weekend of January and is our first event of 2024. We’re starting the year right with a fantastic lineup for the event which has just been confirmed…

LSWR T3 Class number 563, Rebuilt West Country Class number 34028 “Eddystone” and Class 33s D6515 “Lt Jenny Lewis RN” and 33 111 will all be in service throughout the weekend. We will be running a mixture of passenger and freight trains on both days and the event will include a few firsts, such as;

- First ever appearance of “Eddystone” and “563” at our Winter Warm Up event.
- First chance to see “563” on a freight/permanent way set, which is likely to include a rake of black Dogfish wagons!

Join us on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th of January and kick start a year of exciting events at Swanage Railway. Corfe Castle Museum will also be open, as well as catering facilities at Corfe Castle and Swanage station.

https://www.swanagerailway.co.uk/events/view/winter-warm-up

 

I’m really looking forward to this. Especially good that it’s not on the first weekend of the year rather than on 01/01 because I’m surely not the only punter to have longstanding commitments on that date! A really attractive loco offering too.

 

Dad and I really enjoyed this event in January this year and it sounds like it'll be a similar timetable format so would definitely recommend it. The 50 was the big draw for us last time but if it wasn't for the Severn Valley event clash we'd certainly go again for the T3.

 

This really should be a great two day mini gala. The only gala I want very cold winter weather for.

Bring on the 6/7th

 

Timetable now on the event page on the website

 

T3 and Eddystone double heading. T3 withdrawn in 1945, West Country built in 1946.

 

‘Rule 1’ also works in 1:1 scale then

 

A selection from the first day. Great weather for most of the day, especially as it has been so wet here.
As I have a ticket for tomorrow there will not be many from me.

 

Good day today ,back for more tomorrow.
Trains busy (but not excessively).

 

The steam hauled set was very busy,on a couple of them just the odd seat empty,the diesel set quieter,i spent all day on the diesel set.Apparantly tomorrow the steam set is going to be 5 coaches because of the loadings,and the first Diesel train out and back will be double headed,ie two 33s.That bit about the pair of 33s is on the Swanage Facebook page,

 

I hope to be on the 12.00pm behind 563

 

Nice touch adding a diesel double-header too. That would've meant a late rejig of my plan for the day had I been going this year. Definitely worth keeping in the format for future years when it's the two home 33s on the diesel roster for this event (a 50+33 double-header last year wouldn't have been too popular with the classes' respective hardcores I'm sure).

And I hadn't realised until seeing that Facebook post you mentioned that you can now get a brake van ride in the goods set on the two middle of the day trips (I guess the ones that don't involve what I assume from the timetable is a shunt at Herston). That's a nice bonus and a different way to experience the T3.

 

Not impressed by advertising double headed 33s…when on the outward only 12’s power handle moved …appears 111 back to Corfe Castle and possibly both after there .

 

I am in an Ironclad to boot!

 

Some people are never happy. Maybe there was a good reason for using only one, like a driver shortage. But that doesn't stop some whinging on here.

 

Crews in both cabs ,same driver on 33111 both days (Nathan)and both powered out of CC downhill on return ….
As long as it pleases the freeloaders in the fields ..
I won’t complain about the use of 563 ,apparently without working steam heat ,on the first two steam trips resulting in a cold train until 34028 piped up at 1330.

 

Why always so negative?

 

Spent a cracking couple of hours at the railway this morning. Mainly went for the WC but nice to see the T3 in action (plus the 33's of course!). What a magnificent job they've made of the Adams loco. I beleiev that the loco is oldest loco ex-main line operating in the UK at the present time with only the Furness No. 20 trumping the T3 as the 'oldest working standard gauge locomotive'.

 

Depends what you class as 'main line' there are at least two a1x (terriers) that are 10 years older and still running.

Andrew

 

You can just see my face in the window behind the T3