Swanage Railway General Discussion

Thanks. I'm looking forward to my visit to the railway tomorrow.

Has 73156 returned to the GCR yet? <BJ>

 

Still on site, but I believe its due to return this week.

 

Many thanks to the Swanage Railway for such an enjoyable day yesterday. As mentioned by Rumpole 34053 was used to haul our service train, a superb loco. The T9 hauled the Dorsetman dining train on two round trips. It looked very smart with it's 5 blood and custard coaches. As expected 73156 was not in steam and was stabled in the yard at Swanage. The trains were very busy throughout the day, I'm sure due to the stunning weather.

The only downside to the day was my journey home. It took 45 mins to drive/crawl from one side of Wareham to the other. Thanks to the coach driver who parked his vehicle on a busy roundabout to await assistance. Doh.

​

<BJ>

 

It left Swanage Railway (Norden) on Monday 21st OCT at 12.15.

 

I also had a most enjoyable day at Swanage on Saturday and would like to thank everyone concerned. The weather was lovely (Pity the sunshine couldn't have put in an appearance a week earlier for the gala) and I had a great ride behind 34053 after having taken a couple of what I hope will be good photos. I happened to be sitting opposite a gentlemen talking to someone on his phone about the snarl-up near Wareham and thus forewarned, managed to find a somewhat circuituous route home avoiding the offending coach.

My only other comment is that I got up early on Saturday (I live 130 miles for Swanage) to check which engine was in use, expecting it to be 34053 as it had worked a driver experience train the previous day. The website said 80104, which is a fine engine but thanks to its many sterling performances over the last 20 years, a loco I have travelled behind and photographed on many occasions, so I decide not to go. However, I decided to check the Swanage webcam and sure enough, it was 34053 backing onto he stock at 9.50, so I dropped everything at short notice and dashed off to Swanage as fast as the appalling mess which is the M27 would allow me. It isn't the first time the website has caught me out with inaccurate info about which loco is working. I hate to be at all critical of the Swanage Railway, which is among my favourite heritage lines (and I'm a member - albeit non-working due to living so far away) but it would be good if one could be better and more reliably forwarned about which engine is scheduled to work the trains.

 

Storm over Poole Harbour and Purbeck Tuesday afternoon for the 1440 from Norden.
Trains have looked quite full this week when I have seen them. Must be us old folk getting a ride in before half term.

 

Nice photos. I do quite like the comparative rarity of having a rebuilt facing that way.

 

Does that mean they rebuilt it the wrong way round?

 

Same here. Indeed, my observation is that it's quite rare for Bulleids, original or otherwise, to be facing Swanage and if you like taking photos that have an authentic feel, having the Devon Belle observation car at the rear of the train where you hardly notice it, is a definite plus and was one reason for me making the 260-mile round trip last Saturday. (I think it's a fine vehicle, by the way; I just don't bother taking pictures of any train where it is marshalled immediately behind the loco as it doesn't look right)

Another feature which I like about Gladiator's photos and from which I also benefitted last Saturday is the Purbeck Microclimate. On numerous visits to the Swanage Railway, I too have taken a picture, often from one of the vantage points within the first mile south of Corfe Castle, with the sun behind me in a huge patch of blue sky while ahead to the north is a massive bank of sometimes quite dark, threatening cloud. I particularly remember the Saturday of the 40th anniversary of the end of Southern Steam gala in 2007 in this regard. The weather was rather cold and unsettled at the time and it absolutely chucked it down in some parts of the South of England that day but we had wall-to-wall sunshine for much of the day at Swanage.

 

Ahem!



Entirely prototypical!

(I suspect if you looked you could readily find photos of Bulleid Pacifics - as here - Maunsell Moguls and Drummond M7s all attached to the back of the observation car, banking out of Ilfracombe. Photo source: http://www.semgonline.com/misc/named_14.html)

Tom

 

[pedant mode on] Ah, but then it is marshalled immediately in front of the loco, rather than immediately behind it! [pedant mode off].

 

[uber pedant mode on] Ah, but how do you know which way it is moving in a still photo on a single line [uber pedant mode off]

Tom

 

I can see two lines there, though, so that argument doesn't hold any H2O

 

Touché! I was thinking more about an equivalent modern day photo!

Tom

 

Very nice pictures Gladiator - thanks for posting.

 

And conversely, I've been on a photo charter where the Isle of Purbeck was in thick fog all day, yet Bournemouth had virtually clear skies. You know you're in for a bad one when you walk on to the platform at Swanage and can't tell if the loco is attached to the front of the train, three coaches away!

 

That's very similar to the West Somerset Railway. Clear blue skies at Minehead and Blue Anchor but thick cloud a mile inland. The opposite can happen later in the day. <BJ>

 

One of those rare still and sunny days, but the management had some things she wanted done in the garden. So only had time for the second Dorsetman run and by then the sun was behind some cloud. Came out again later of course. Different location for the headboard though.

 

‘Different’...that’s one way of putting it.

T9 continuing in traffic this week, was going very well this afternoon. Looking forward to another go tomorrow!

 

the fireman probably had short legs.