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Swanage Railway General Discussion

Discussion in 'Heritage Railways & Centres in the UK' started by Rumpole, Oct 10, 2012.

  1. DcB

    DcB Well-Known Member

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    Ah the Corfe Castle (village) wiki page photo. Had a good evening return trip from Swanage on one of the Jazz week DMU special with a good meal at the Greyhound.
    I guess the railway does not have any DMUs until one comes back from Eastleigh?

    Although the Swanage railway misses out on revenue on it's own restaurant. It must be getting some income from the cafes and special dining trains
     
  2. Gladiator 5076

    Gladiator 5076 Part of the furniture

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    I am sure someone " in the know" can advise, but from observations en route to & from the town this week.
    34072 on shed being "tinkered" with this week. Has a couple of small casing panels removed near the roof line.
    30120 tender still in the shed following the mishap.
     
  3. Sunnieboy

    Sunnieboy New Member

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    Std tank on the first service this morning

    Sent from my SM-J530F using Tapatalk
     
  4. Gladiator 5076

    Gladiator 5076 Part of the furniture

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    257 in light steam when I came past lunchtime fitters were still present. Not sure if the steaming is just to check out the loco, or in readiness for upcoming usage.
     
  5. Mogul

    Mogul Member

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    257 has been out on washout with the usual list of minor jobs that go with it. @Gladiator 5076 probably saw its steam test. Its also due to get its own tender back from the Great Norden Tender park.
    80104 is in traffic doing good work.
    30120 is still stopped waiting for precautionary work to the tender springs after its little trip off piste.
    Sir Keith Park is still away receiving attention to the bottom end.
    31806 is on the Jacks in Herston works having its axel boxes overhauled.

    The 33 are filling in for what would be the DMU diagram. That's if we were lucky enough to have a DMU.
     
  6. oliversbest

    oliversbest Member

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    The DMUs are coming!The DMUs are coming!!. will they be a white elephant? According to the Railway press the class 230s have wide picture windows and run smoothly AND economically
     
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  7. Peter James

    Peter James New Member

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    True? If so, it warrants some reaction.
     
  8. Mogul

    Mogul Member

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    @Peter James Not sure what you are asking?
    Is it true the DMUs are coming? Yes they are. Way more slowly than they are supposed to, but still expected this year.
    Is it true they are going to be a white elephant? I’m not going to dignify that with an answer.
    Is it true the 230s have a wide picture window and run smoothly and economically? If that’s what the Railway press say then who am I to doubt it.

    It’s also true that they have also had their problems and are also several years late.
    Also true that Wickpedia tells me the lease on a 4 car set is a third of a million per year.
    Also true that so far only one is in traffic and all available units are spoken for.
    Also true that 230s will look really out of place on a heritage Railway.
    Also true that at the time the SR committed to the 117DMU path the 230s weren’t an option.

    We need to remember that the DMUs don’t just operate the Wareham service but are also the second train adding capacity to the mid season Heratage Service that forms the core business without which the Railway couldn’t exist. Damage this core product to much and there won’t be a Wareham service. I don’t think a repurposed tube train is going to cut it. No matter how big the picture window or how smooth the ride. Steam locos are not very economical. Should these be replaced by 230s?
     
    Last edited: Jun 18, 2019
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  9. oliversbest

    oliversbest Member

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    The last 117 was out of service in 2000. Have we seen any visuals of the refurbished engines,cabs or interiors of this unit.
     
  10. Gladiator 5076

    Gladiator 5076 Part of the furniture

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    Why would a DMU be a white elephant? First generation DMU's are in use on many lines, and were on the SR until their's was sold last year.
    As Mogul said what is Heritage about a Class 230? They are required for more than just a Wareham service on the days it operates. Otherwise you may just use a Class 159 and call it SWR.
     
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  11. oliversbest

    oliversbest Member

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    What indication do we have about the reliability of the 117? Has it ever run since withdrawal from main line service? Why no continuous updates of its progress inside and out ? I love preservation but would like to see the movement also come onboard with the growing awareness of our climate problerms, for instance the South Tynedale Railway is using biomass fuel in at least one of its steam locos. Does anyone have any figures on the fuel efficiency of these DMUs. The SR has only one steam engine authorised to go onto the main line. so there is going to be a change of trains at Wareham for anyone coming off the SWR unless there is a special service .So it needs to be ultra reliable and that is where mt uncertainty arises
    As we do with the class 158 service to Corfe why not have a reliable modern unit bring passengers from Wareham to Corfe
     
  12. 35B

    35B Nat Pres stalwart

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    Well, as the 230s were previously known as D78 stock, and all withdrawn from the Underground a couple of years ago, I'd say that qualifies them as "heritage".
     
  13. free2grice

    free2grice Part of the furniture Friend

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    The 158s may be reliable but if I remember correctly the first SWT service of the season from Waterloo to Corfe Castle was cancelled at Yeovil Jn. due to staff shortages :rolleyes:

    On the news today we hear of SWT strike action. Reliable units perhaps but not a reliable service. <BJ>
    https://www.southwesternrailway.com/plan-my-journey/rmt-industrial-action/saturday-22-june
     
    Last edited: Jun 18, 2019
  14. Mogul

    Mogul Member

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    Maintaining an appealing heritage experience for the general public that can command the premium needed to maintain a heritage railway is more than just a checkbox exercise.

    dmu117.jpg dmu230.jpg
    Heritage, Hmmm now let me see.

    The fine line between offering an amenity transportation service and operating a living museum tourist attraction can only be stretched so far before something breaks.
     
    Last edited: Jun 18, 2019
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  15. Gladiator 5076

    Gladiator 5076 Part of the furniture

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    The slightly unusual sight of a 3 coach service train today, seen leaving Swanage with the 16:00 to Norden.
     

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  16. 35B

    35B Nat Pres stalwart

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    And has arguably been broken at Swanage by the use of ex WR DMMUs rather than ex SR DEMUs on such a perfect example of an SR branch line...

    Being serious, I also doubt that the 230s are appropriate on heritage or economic grounds. As a new adaptation of an older in service design, they have not had time even to establish themselves as a prototype in their diesel form, while the economics of the class 230 project seem very debatable.

    However, if sliding door trains are not to be considered as "heritage", how will the enthusiast or historian of the future see today when it becomes history?
     
  17. Rumpole

    Rumpole Part of the furniture

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    While not necessarily the reason they were chosen for the Wareham service, Western Region Class 117’s worked to Swanage pre-closure on ramblers specials, so are arguably just as authentic as anything else down there.
     
  18. oliversbest

    oliversbest Member

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    remember that infamous "moaning and juddering" demu of Swanrail folklore. Well one thing it did was to moan and judder all the way to and from Wareham so John q from Swanage could theoretically spend a day in London quite easily and at the weekends John's brother could come down from the smoke and with ONE change be in Swanage. That of course was 40 plus years ago. will I one day be able to make one simple same platform change at Wareham and be on my way to Swanage. As far as amenity transport goes is that not the reason that the extant DCC gave us the money to refurbish the DMUs. I think that is an even more valid reason today to encorage public transport. Heritage operations cannot remain in aspic ad infinitum. Now where are those DMUs??????
     
  19. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

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    It's probably an argument best considered on another thread, but for heritage machines to continue to be operated (*), you need three things: historical relevance, technical capability and sufficient interest (both from the public and preservationists). Regardless of relevance, it's a fact of life that not all periods and machines have equal popularity. My guess is that however old they become, there is never going to be more than a very small niche interest in preserving "modern" (1970s onwards) rolling stock, either from the visitor or operator side. The slight irony being that a unit built in the 1970s now is as old as an Edwardian steam engine was in the 1960s, but that won't be enough to save them in any numbers, IMHO.

    (*) Or for that matter, buildings to be preserved: lots of 1970s brutalist concrete buildings are listed, which indicates historic relevance, but I doubt in a hundred years time the public will be flocking to visit them in preference to a Georgian Manor House.

    Tom
     
    Last edited: Jun 19, 2019
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  20. johnofwessex

    johnofwessex Resident of Nat Pres

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    DMU's - in particular 117's were used on the Bristol to Weymouth services so again are appropriate for the general area, if not Swanage. In much the same way that a 'S&D' loco is.

    Oh to be behind the driver again on a fully loaded 117 climbing Eversholt Bank
     

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