Swanage Railway General Discussion

I see, with thanks to the WNXX forum, that South West Trains have applied for various extra services including "...one Saturday service in each direction between London Waterloo and Wareham, and one service in each direction between Bournemouth and Wareham, for the purpose of serving the Swanage Railway" using a class 159.

The full application is available here

 

"HY08 new services; ........and new SO services from Waterloo to Wareham and Wareham to
Bournemouth in each direction."

"The addition of one Saturday service in each direction between London
Waterloo and Wareham, and one service in each direction between Bournemouth and
Wareham, for the purpose of serving the Swanage Railway."

 

To quote a Swanage resident in 1978. "Swanage Railway? Just a pipe dream, it will never happen, just like the Channel Tunnel"

 

Updated news from Swanage with regards to running through to Wareham

"Initially, the service will start with a two-year trial. The current plan
is to introduce the first year’s trial service in the spring of 2016 and

exact dates are yet to be determined. The start date is dependent
on completing infrastructure work, train refurbishment and staff
training which are underway.

In the first year of the two-year trial, we will run the service

for 50 days on a set pattern over the spring and summer period."

 

Re the new services applied for by SWT (posts 481/2), which are Saturdays only from Dec 15, is it intended for these services to go beyond Wareham onto the Swanage Railway? The application states the services are "to serve the Swanage Railway" and are Class 159 diesels, not the usual electrics. Using 'normal' timings, it seems these trains would have a dwell-time at Wareham of about an hour (both between arrival from Waterloo and the service to Bournemouth, and between arrival from Bournemouth and the return to Waterloo), which doesn't seem long enough to include a trip to Swanage; but if it isn't intended to go onto the SR, why specifically say "to serve the SR"?

 

I agree. There are plenty of Waterloo and Bournemouth to Wareham services already, using electric trains. So introducing these new services, specifically using diesel trains, does make you wonder.

 

Seeing the update on the railways facebook page hot me asking, is the Fuzebrook oil terminal land now owned by the railway? And if so what are the plans for it.

 

* got

 

The oil terminal is under the stewardship of Perenco and the railway has no access to it.
It is hoped one day that access will be allowed...

 

I see a low loader got stuck for a while at Wareham
http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/11...65_tonne_steam_engine_collapses_on_Bere_Road/

 

Hello,loco and low loader gone by 8 o/c this morning

Nick

 

Question for Rumpole... Do you now the state that 6695 is now in, after the 'lorry' incident? The only news we have at amount is she won't be working at the WSR now (obvs) and possibly not at Swanage's own Gala as well. What did the lorry do to it? Springs? Axleboxes? Frames?

 

There's not really a lot that can be said at the moment; it is being inspected, and following these inspections a decision on any work will be made in due course. There is a lot going on behind the scenes, but its inappropriate to say too much at this stage.

 

There is plenty of "room" for charters, LE movements etc. Where it is a bit on the tight side is between Southampton - Brock and Bournemouth due to the intensity of the current services (thats not to say that there isnt any room just not so much to choose from).

 

Hi,

Does anyone know which locos are in service on Monday. Is it likely to be 80104 and 30053 as today?

Thanks,

Dave

 

All things being equal Dave, yes it should be.

 

I rememebr at the time seeing aphoto of volunteers digging out the turntable pit and not a rail in sight...no chance I thought (Life Member now)

 

Amongst all the doom and gloom here is some good news for a change...

 

looks like a lot of PW work has been undertaken at Furzebrook.....