[Jun 7, 2024] Strictly Bulleid 2 7th-9th of June at Swanage Railway (Swanage Railway)

Gala ticket and rail tickets to Wareham all booked up, seem to have buses lined up too (I've got 2 in mind on the return, but there's one with only 5 mins between getting off the bus and on my train). Never done the section to River Frome either so will be good to add extra mileage in the railway.

Going to be a long day, but one I'm very much looking forward to.

 

34092 has been spotted on a low loader heading south so another one on its way.

 

Tender already here apparently.

 

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U02666/2024-06-04/detailed

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U02665/2024-06-05/detailed

Looks like the paths for 35018 on Tuesday and Wednesday

 

35018 is a fine loco.
Great that West Coast Railway company,
Have allowed it to join the fun and are bringing an extra rake of stock.
good on them

 

There’s nothing else for them to do. They will have charged for it

 

Bournemouth to Wareham time is the same elapsed time as a DCE, I wonder if that means there is a diesel involved or NR have not bothered to time the Southampton Wareham section at 45mph. The Beaulieu Road to Wareham section is longer than a DCE even without the Bournemouth stop the DCE has, so a wait and see I guess.
7 mins at Beaulieu Road is a real splash and dash as presumably there will be water in the Southampton UGL.

 

And then there were 5 (or maybe 4 1/2 as it is still in two pieces). City of Wells at Norden with Eddystone running round the first service in the background.

 

Timetable now at V10
https://www.swanagerailway.co.uk/uploads/strictly_bulleid_ptt_10_24_31_05_24.pdf

Unsure if any significant changes. I have identified that the removal of pilot locos at Norden has been added, but unsure of what else may be different.

 

Principally a few typo alterations, and adding a loco to the rear of an Up train that miraculously appeared at the River Bridge previously. I blame the two-day complete re-write without the chance of proof-reading!

 

35006 was in position at Toddington ready for loading today.

 

Logically, everything points to a steam-hauled ECS working - the hour at Southampton UGL where it says "service loco runs round here" plus that fact that every available space in the vicinity of Swanage station is going needed to handle six visiting locos and 35018's support coach and therefore, there may be problems finding any room for a 47. as well If the working was to be diesel-hauled, there doesn't seem any reason for the detour via Laverstock. Still, I agree - let's see what happens.

 

Other than that the loco will arrive at Southall facing west and needs to turn somewhere to face London at Swanage. If not Southampton then it would have to be T/F all the way from Southall via I guess CJ and Staines.
It hopefully points to steam, if only for the novelty of anything on the Weymouth line being pure steam.

 

Your point being? All locos have hire fees.

West coast didn’t have to let it come and all at Swanage are grateful and excited for its appearance.

 

It is of course their own fault that there is nothing else for them to do with this fine loco

 

Prepped ready for collection.

 

Mentioned elsewhere, will be running Swanage services the week after SBII. I'm early and late turn guard on Tuesday 11th, so looking forward to haulage behind this beauty.

 

Is this the final version of the timetable or will there be an edit?

Just so I know when its best to plan, to make the most of the mileage behind 35006 & 35018
Thank you.

 

This gala has done a great job of forcing itself into my plans. I'm not wildly fond of Bulleids but I'd been to the 2017 Strictly Bulleid really for the sheer novelty value of that many of any big class in one place (and I only lived 50 mins from Swanage then) and had a fantastic time. But I thought that was sufficient and I didn't need to go to another all-Bulleid event at the same place with a bit of loco line-up overlap, especially as I'm now a bit further away and I've got some bigger trips planned for the coming months so need to be a bit careful with time off and budget.

But as more and more locos have been added, more extra attractions have been added (hello overnight running + the amount of double-headers on the timetable), it's become a bit of a must-do. The last question for me is just whether I can definitely justify the cost/free up enough time as I'll need to shoehorn it in around a lot of work commitments and the rover price is - absolutely understandably given the logistics involved in this event - on the relatively high side so I need to make sure I can be there enough hours as I know a full day is definitely not viable. The roster as it stands looks like it gives me some good options for a sufficiently full afternoon and evening, though.

I noticed on the timetable that it says all rakes will have some carriages off the platform. Probably ok at Corfe with the amount of dwell time while locos are attached/detached but I'll be interested to see what the arrangements are at Swanage around which platform trains arrive/depart from as I can see there being some scrambling to make the three-minute connections there as one train comes in and the next one departs. At Strictly Bulleid 1 did they use 80104 as station pilot to take stock out to the bay for all departures or am I misremembering that?

Also great to see everything going down to River Frome. Excited for the noise on those extra climbs with the added weight of a loco on the tail, it's always a highlight of Swanage galas that go 'over the road'.

 

Really hope that this gala produces the return for Swanage that the line-up deserves. The post above refers to the 'relatively' high price of the rover - but look at you would/could spend, for example on a Premier League ticket for 90 minutes.............you get all day for a lot less!!
Hope that the finance people have their sums right, as the movement costs (and loco hire costs- and stock costs from WCRC.....) will be horrendous even if some are at 'mates rates'.