Swanage Railway General Discussion

Well if you’re at a gala you would expect them to know it’s going to be very busy!

For mainline timetables you get booked stops being 2-5 mins rather than the minimum 30 seconds in busy places, plus extra pathing allowances for engineering work or any late running.

You absolutely can account for general stuff in the timetable, it’s not hard to.

For example that classic timetable that ends up being late loses around 5 mins every hour it repeats. It’s not difficult

 

Only a historic right of way for the properties behind the down platform, but it seems to be treated by some as a public footpath, which it is not, nor is the access road to those properties.

 

But how do you know which services are going to be the busiest? Which services you might need a ramp for? Which services are going to be full and standing so need extra time to disembark/board? You don’t know these things in advance.

You can leave some slack in the timetable, but you can only leave so much slack before you have excessive dwells and a poor frequency. The mainline is more flexible than a single track heritage railway working under token block, so allowances are easier to put in.

It depends what you define as “general stuff”. It’s normally one incident that knocks the entire railway and puts the whole thing behind time for the rest of the day. You can’t account for that level of disruption.

If you think it’s not difficult, why not give it a go?

 

Not sure where you only get 30 seconds on a mainline timetable. It often takes the guard longer than that to open the doors.
Mainline tours get what NR give you from my experience, which is often not enough and hence why so many DCE's and Swanage Belle's spend longer at stations than planned on the way down (especially Basingstoke) if you have wheelchairs strollers etc to deal with. That is before as mentioned by @WorkingPressure225 any issues around ramps, which these days fall under the H & S umbrella, not like when I started stewarding when we would just grab one and use it.

 

That shouldn't be a problem, It is one of the Signalman's duties to lock the gates to the Barrow crossing at the commencement of duty (I did it yesterday) and open it after the last train has departed. Also of course If buggy's and wheelchairs need to
cross, the porters are responsible after getting permission from the Signalman first.

 

Slight thread drift but this link popped up on a different forum. in relation to doors not being opened. If you can only achieve 45 seconds on a 700 using ATO and DOO where is this 30 seconds elsewhere? Especially as some wag put it the guard as to check the platform has not been stolen since the previous train before opening the doors.
https://www.modernrailways.com/arti...t=At the start of a,ATO and the train departs

 

Meanwhile, the sheet piling to hold back the western embankment at Harmans Cross is going ahead next year.

 

Good news.
Geographically it's the southern cutting slope that's moving, due to local springs being disturbed when widening the 1884 single line cutting to create enough width for the two platform station, and now needs to be piled to stop it sliding onto the track.
Stone gabions have held the slope roughly in place for some years but are now causing the (largely) clay soil to go under this wall forcing track upwards.
Pay a lot now for a long-term 'solution' or an absolute fortune, in a few years time, to clear a landslide and then undertake the necessary sheet piling in any event.
Meanwhile the railway is still hosting the new Plasser & Theurer tamper for Balfour Beatty and has undertaken a lot of tamping as part of testing/training exercises. Beneficial to all parties I think.

 

Many years ago, there was a pond further up Haycrafts Lane that collected the run off from the road. Unfortunately it was filled in and so all the run off spills over the cutting and we now enjoy our current situation

 

It's only money!

 

Two images from a wet and dark afternoon yesterday, and one this afternoon en route to Poole Hospital where I just got to Afflington on time. Ironically I only took the camera to get Manston on the way back from Poole, but once again I was back in the car before my appointment time was even reached. Thus the T3 was passing as I drove into to the NT Car Par at Corfe, cannot win them all.
T3 looks good on 3 coaches though (and the trains look fuller!)

I noticed the other day that in usual NR style for galas, there is some sort of disruption if you are coming from London way by train. For the Warm up (Sunday only) diversion via Guildford and Havant, and the Spring Gala, Saturday and Sunday diversion via Staines and the Hounslow Loop.

 

Unusual. Light engine 67.023. <BJ>

Realtime Trains | 0Z67 0910 Westbury Down T.C. to Swanage | 29/12/2025

 

Todays new arrival at Creech and HX. ETH testing I read on a Facebook post from a member of this parish.

 

So what stock does Swanage have that needs the eth testing and what is it going to be used for?

Just curious

Peter

 

It’s the loco that needed its ETH supply testing prior to deployment as a thunderbird on the ECML.

We have a dual heat Mk1 set at Swanage which is being used for these tests.

 

Vrey interesting Dan. Thanks for the reply. Is the other one coming to you for testing as well?

Peter