Swanage Railway | Spring Steam Gala | 27th-29th March 2026

At the moment, the other Austerity has not arrived (or is hidden)

 

London: 563, 31806, 34072, WD152
Swanage: 34028, 34070, 6880

I think the other bucket (68067) will face London but there’s a possibility it could be the other way round - we’ll see when it touches down tomorrow .

 

The visitors all ready for tomorrow.
Note that anyone coming by car and hoping to use the toilets in the main car park before heading off to the station, they are currently closed.

 

Update from the socials

 

Manston at present hauling a 6 wagon hopper train ....adorned with a Golden Arrow headboard . (BJ)

 

Please could someone advise - is this just a silly joke for today? Likewise the "Atlantic Coast Express" headboard on the front of 34072 (as per @Ben Jenden's screen shot)? Swanage is normally pretty good at keepng its engines headboard-free, but I'm thinking of coming over for the gala tomorrow as it looks the best oif the three days weather-wise. However if the two Bulleids are going to sport headboards, I won't bother to make te journey.

 

I get the silliness of 34070 hauling wagons with a Golden Arrow headboard, but what's wrong with a Bulleid carrying an Atlantic Coast Express headboard? Or headboards in general?

 

There's nothing wrong with a Bulleid carrying the Atlantic Coast Express headboard if it was running somewhere between Waterloo and Ilfracombe/Plymouth, etc, but not on the Swanage Branch. I just don't like headboards unless they are appropriate (right class, right location), etc. They are sadly all too common on main line steam (although the Saphos headboard, to its credit, is pretty discreet) but ideally, I prefer it when steam trains look as authentic as possible and on a former Southern branch line, this means no headboards.

 

While I'm here for (austerity) haulage rather than photography, it did strike me that 34070 in weathered condition on a handful of green mk1s on the branch looked bang on... Until you see it from the front! Wouldn't have stopped me from coming, but seems a shame.

 

Just passed 563 at Corfe, so looks like it's sorted.

 

I'm no expert, but did Bulleids run to Swanage in BR days? The argument of authenticity can be a bit of a misnomer when it comes to heritage railways - particularly as there are two austerities at Swanage running this weekend.

I don't think opportunities to carry such boards on their original routes on appropriate locos come up too often, so a gala is a good time (in my eyes) to put them on. Lots of people, something different to photograph, creates a talking point with the casual visitor ("what's that in aid of?"). Galas are often a chance for hard-working volunteers to have some fun and if that involves donning a headboard (providing it is not too silly, such as the 'Mr Blobby Express') then I'm all for it.

 

Yes- the worked the through trains to and from Waterloo on Summer Saturdays

 

Yes indeed they did on through trains to/from Waterloo on summer Saturdays.
In 1962 I came to Swanage on a school special from Romsey behind 34041 "Wilton".

 

Well plenty of Enthusiasts (myself included) are able to cope with the fact that location is not always possible, and enjoy seeing a loco decked out with a headboard it would have carried in pre-preservation days to give a sense of what would have been that we can no longer 100% authentically experience. Preservation is never going to be able to 100% recreate pre preservation so we might as well do our best even if that means a loco pretending to be in North Devon when it's actually in Dorset

 

And sometimes they deputised for a failed M7 on the normal branch train of 2 coaches as I witnessed on one occasion seeing an unrebuilt in the bay platform at Swanage.

 

I think it’s great fun to give headboards an outing at events like this even if it’s not running on the appropriate route. e.g. The Devon Belle in deepest Lancashire.
2025-03-16 34081 + 34092 RAMSBOTTOM 7114 by KING COBRA 92, on Flickr

 

68067 to haul all 563's trains for Sunday 29th March - T3 has failed.

 

Well I went today, ought to have been tomorrow for which I had a ticket but today it had to be. Really enjoyed it and it was nice to see the T3 in action. Does the railway have any plans to restore any carriages for it to pull? Video to follow

 

563 is back in action tomorrow, all is well. False alarm!