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Swanage Railway General Discussion

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

  1. twr12

    twr12 Well-Known Member

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    SWR (and most other TOCs have a contract with First Travel Solutions for rail replacement buses and coaches.
    https://www.firsttravelsolutions.com/rail-transport-solutions
     
  2. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    I'm sure you are right about each railway, including the Swanage having to make its own 'call'.

    Buy a ticket for a train ride and you are not on the train for long. Buy a ticket for a dining experience then you are in the same place for much longer and without a mask. That brings with it a different risk that has to be assessed.
     
  3. Alan Kebby

    Alan Kebby Well-Known Member

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    That is true. However on my recent experience on a ‘Steam Dreams’ mainline tour, it was full of groups of people in every single seating bay, and no masks were worn by anyone apart from moving when around the train. So it can be done, and the demand seems to be there from people willing to take that risk.
     
  4. twr12

    twr12 Well-Known Member

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    Considering the age profile of Steam Dreams passengers, almost all will have been double vaccinated months ago.
    Being double vaccinated provides very good protection against contracting Covid-19 and excellent protection against serious disease and death.
     
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  5. MellishR

    MellishR Resident of Nat Pres Friend

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    Fair enough that now is not the right time, but why will starting at some later date make the "huge increase in costs" or the "seriously reduced income" any better?
     
  6. oliversbest

    oliversbest Member

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    SWR site indicates 69 spaces. a web search will provide many private arrangements close at hand. In fact why not use Holton Heath as a DMU point on weekends? I note the DMU was running today so when is it going to return the community investment made by DCC?
     
  7. Brockenman

    Brockenman New Member

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    You can still pay cash or by card on the TVM that's the machine under the main canopy on platform 2
     
  8. Strail

    Strail New Member

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    Very limited parking at Holton Heath.

    under normal conditions there is not a lot of parking at or near Wareham. Don’t think residents of nearby estates would be that happy if the roads were filled with cars
     
  9. oliversbest

    oliversbest Member

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    Just checking. The class 117 units were acquired by Dorset CC in 2004. So after 17yrs,Covid notwithstanding, the 'community" investment has yet to carry a fare paying passenger! Sooner or later politically 'Build back better" has to put some financial irons in the fire to make good on the intention to do what it says. What are the big concerns of the day ??Pollution and congestion. A very reasonable solution is the provision/retention of rail service (St Ives comes to mind for some reason!) and that includes provision of extra parking at Stations that the" community" trains will operate from. There is main line rail at Wareham.there is a well built branch to a gem of a seaside resort. Where is the will to make this service happen?? And its no use bandying it about on here by 1001 experts who will give 2002 reasons about why it cannot happen.That was said at one point about the entire Swanage Railway Project. Will the "community" train run before 50th anniversary of the closure which inspired people from far and near to fight for such a service?
     
    Last edited: Jul 19, 2021
  10. mogulb

    mogulb New Member

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    Go back a couple pages and read all the posts. The will is definitely there, but in case you have not notice there is a pandemic that has rather curtailed things. Even if they had a licence to operate the service they are not in a position to take the financial risk.
     
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  11. 5914

    5914 New Member

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    Because, with time, revenues (which have undoubtedly been reduced over the last 18 months, and in many cases will remain so until volunteer numbers and passenger numbers return) will be:
    - sufficient to recover to rebuild the cash reserves that have been eroded in surviving the last 18 months and will be instrumental in enabling railways to survive the next winter (or two); and
    - build up the reserves required to operate a significantly increased business.

    Beyond those immediate financial facts is the consideration that new business will stand a better chance of being able to cover the costs when more people are able to confidently travel - the current mainline service (which would be the main feeder to the service from Wareham) is only running at 50% frequency, and cannot be immune from the short notice disruption that is being experienced elsewhere at the moment.
     
  12. oliversbest

    oliversbest Member

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    The Unit is up and operating. Please use it for the purpose for which it was acquired. This is a great opportunity for a Heritage Railway to show that it not all about running from A to B but with no connection to C (which has been built by donations). The financial risk must be assumed by ALL parties. Should it fail the track will still be in situ and the odd charter can meander down to Swanage. We all know that despite the adverse effects of this pandemic it also opened up a lot of new opportunities and new approaches to getting things done!
    ,
     
  13. 5914

    5914 New Member

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    To run to Holton Heath actually means running to Poole before one can turn back. Aside from increasing the cycle time so that the service would end up with a train every three hours (rather than every two hours) there is the fact that parking at Holton Heath is limited - and is not the most hospitable location. I cannot remember whether the derogation for using a DMU on the mainline was predicated on the relatively short distance being travelled (1 mile Worgret Junction to Wareham) as against a mainline round trip of 12 or so - falling down on that, trapped between SWR units with incompatible couplings would soon see the compensation payments rack up!

    Part of the community investment was based on its existing use within Swanage Railway, as well as its then proposed use on the mainline link - so it is already returning that investment - probably on a better rate of return than it will do when running to Wareham!

    Please don't get me wrong - Wareham is important, and is why SR started in the first place, but even for me, who invested heavily in terms of time and emotion when I was in a position to, I can see that this year would not be a good year to start a trial service on which the subsequent decision as to whether/how to fund the service would depend.
     
  14. buzby2

    buzby2 Well-Known Member

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    Perhaps land at Holton Heath might be available to create a larger car park but current facilities are, as mentioned by Strail above, limited. They cope with the vehicles of businesses on the Industrial Estate and their customers/clients and very little else.
    No room at Wareham station to expand the existing car park to any meaningful extent. There's also a 350 space car park at Norden Park which Dorset Council wants used at £3.50 a day per vehicle. Network Rail's Wareham station car park is still £3.10 per day I believe but is 5 miles further away from where a lot of tourists in this area wish to go [Corfe Castle/Swanage/etc.].
    In theory, Holton Heath might have made a more suitable 'park and ride' station - apart from the fact that sidings/turnback points /signalling/signalbox/etc. were all removed many years ago leaving the Up and Down lines as plain track.
    Who is going to pay for Holton Heath car park extension as well as NR track and signalling works. We are talking about several millions I would have thought. Dorset Council (and Swanage Railway) are particularly short of 'readies' at the moment just like a lot of other organisations.
     
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  15. buzby2

    buzby2 Well-Known Member

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    I understand the derogation will be limited to that short section and to a 25mph maximum speed.

    At the first meeting in the Summer of 1972 (can it be 49 years ago that I was there!) we agreed, as one of the founding principles, an aim to reinstate a connection with the main line. Not that we would run our own trains as currently envisaged.
    So many things have changed in the intervening years as, in 1972, BR would have been most unlikely to let our trains/crews on their tracks whereas privatisation since 1994 has changed that philosophy. Unfortunately, since 1st April 2008, the advent of free senior citizen bus travel may have adversely affected that possible revenue stream.
    Once Government paperwork, also held up by COVID, is granted the practical side of operations to/from Wareham can then commence with staff training, etc. over the 3rd rail electrified main line with all NR's related signalling equipment, route knowledge, etc. before those aspects can be signed off. Still a way to go I fear.
     
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  16. oliversbest

    oliversbest Member

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    Who is going to pay? That is the question that has to be asked of the"Build back better" contingent. The SR is a great example of where an existing asset can once again be used for overall improvement to recognised problems. BJ and co spent a few millions on improving the St Ives branch. The SR has already done a lot of the heavy lifting in returning the rails to Worgret so in the great HS2 scheme of things the amount of money spent to reconnect Purbeck to the main line is relatively small; think of the self congratulation of the politicians as they complete a project that fills in all the current high priority blanks. Does Government want people to vacation in the UK and spend money at home? Or are they content to close roads at 0900 on holiday weekends due to overcrowding and hope that they go abroad next year! n these times of post covid depression why not run a couple of DMU services on a weekend from Wareham. Lots of publicity,why we are doing it etc' if we are really desperate run a crowdfunding site to sponsor the service.
     
    Last edited: Jul 19, 2021
  17. oliversbest

    oliversbest Member

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    If we accept all the reasons why we are currently NOT providing a "community" service why did we spend so much time,effort and material to reconnect? To allow the odd charter down the line.? Yes we had SWT coming to Corfe which was definitely a step in the right direction' What was that famous line after Beeching "you can't get there from here" Sadly, by rail, that is as true of Wareham to Swanage today as it was nearly half a century ago.
     
  18. WishIHadAName

    WishIHadAName New Member

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    Id prefer them never to run a Wareham DMU service and keep running a 1950/60s southern branch line. Im sure with the amount of money spent they could put a station close to the junction which is probably just as close to the centre of Wareham.
    DMU’s are boring to most people anyway ;)
     
  19. buzby2

    buzby2 Well-Known Member

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    With the benefit of hindsight some might argue that we should not have tried to create a community railway in the first place if it was going to involve so much time, paperwork and no little financial investment.
    However, we are where we are and despite recent, and not so recent, major problems the Swanage Railway has got to it's present position. With a little more patience Project Wareham, I believe, should be on the last leg of gaining official ORR authorisations, plus crew and artisan training, etc. Then let's hope there is sufficient demand out there to ensure operations do not lose money. That could well lead to the collapse of the Swanage Railway project entirely and I for one don't want that.
     
  20. buzby2

    buzby2 Well-Known Member

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    1) Where is a new pot of money coming from to pay for your proposals?
    2) Worgret Junction is just over 1 mile from Wareham Station which is, itself, about 1/2 mile from Wareham town centre. Not what I'd call convenient.
    3) The Swanage branch joins the main line on a curving gradient with very limited space in the cutting for a Swanage Railway platform as well as 2 main line platforms to service the Up and Down main lines.
    4) I believe the ORR don't like new platforms situated on curving gradients.
    5) You may find DMU's boring - where is your justification please that says most people agree with you?
     
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