Purbeck Mineral and Mining Museum

No the Purbeck Mining Museum is focused on the Ball clay extraction on all Purbeck Railways. Goathorn to Norden, Pikes from Creech/Furzebrook to Ridge, Fayles Iron Railway, and Swanage Branch including Eldon Sidings and Furzebrook Clay siding (Where U Class is stored) The Ridge Shed was the home of Secundus which is at present in the Corfe Castle Goods Shed. The 2 foot gauge track at the museum runs partly on the old track used by both post war 2 foot gauge and pre war 3 foot 9 inch gauge to Newton. There is a new 2 foot section that runs down to the mine building. Future plans are to extend across the main branch line. When that happens (one day) Russell will be invited back for a visit. Steam above Steam

 

At some point in the 23rd C then? Or when you manage to recruit some more drones, sorry volunteers, which ever happens sooner.

Lets face it, the site will never progress beyond were it is now. There is no interest from the railway, you have hardly any volunteers, you are not going to recruit more and you have no money.

I noticed that the box van has not moved in 10 months despite it needing new roofing material and a repaint. Surely a job for the keen few to have managed?

Is the track at the top of the slope still heading towards Norden platform or has this been jacked and packed? Surely all the expert volunteers you have should have sorted this by now?

 

Sounds as if someone has upset you. The site has been tided, a large amount of rubbish removed, weeded and undergrowth cutback and trees pruned. The Engine shed has been thoroughly cleaned and fitted with motorised doors. The two diesels have had remedial work carried out on them. There have been many new volunteers in the last few weeks. The Box Van has moved several times but has been parked back in the same position. If you had looked carefully, the weeds under it have disappeared. Of course the Swanage railway is interested. There is a joint Museums Manager and progress reports are received every month. The change in councils has temporary placed future changes at Norden on hold. Of course progress is limited by donations but not stopped.

 

Woah big fella, where did this come from?

The mining museum is a fantastic asset for Dorset and tells an important story.
Laying track and extending to wherever is actually not important.
Telling the story of ball clay extraction is.
Swanage railway employs a museum manager of which the mining museum comes within their remit.
Establishing Swanage railway as a recognised museum is an important step forward which will release funding to expand all facets within the Purbecks.
Running narrow gauge clay trains is very much the icing on the cake.
To clarify, I have no position on any SR committee or have any influence, this is just a common sense reply
Steve

 

The NT and the Mining Museum are looking for any signs of white bricks that have been made locally in North Purbeck. It is known that Fayle's management was involved in the auction at Newton Brick fields, Goathorn of 400,000 white bricks in 1862. Problem is we are unaware of the exact location of the Brickworks. We would love a brick (or two) for the museum and to establish if these bricks were made using ball clay etc.

 

I have only visited twice and found it and the story of ball clay extraction good.
A lot of effort went into it.
Adding the narrow gauge railway is an important part of the story. Good trains will be running for the gala and means the mining museum will get some visitors who may not otherwise have gone.
Sad if the aim is now just to get recognised museum status.
The wiki entry lists some passenger coaches and running some narrow gauge gauge passenger trains will add to the visit especially if it could cross the bridge to get to the pits on the other side of the Swanage Railway. This and the rehousing of the Secundis loco no longer is listed as projects on the website.
Also the HNGRT website mentioned the steam loco Cloister was damaged during a lift and sent to Statford Barn for repair which must have been a blow, hopefully covered by insurance.
The delay to any bridge repairs if the council does not agree Norden changes must also be frustrating.
I don't know any of the volunteers who left but sad if so many left?
Hope all goes well for the gala.

 

The damage to Cloister was nothing to do with the museum other than it was being collected from there, and was covered by the haulier’s insurance as the damage caused was entirely down to them.

 

Thanks. Maybe there is still a chance Cloister might be able to make a return visit sometime? (Or Emmett or Russell)

After visting the Kew Steam and Amberley museums this year it was good to also have a NG rail ride.
According to srstock Purbeck has 2 (ex DLR) coaches
http://www.srstock.co.uk/getfile.php?mode=view&id=152
so if H and S and volunteers can be sorted I don't see any reason why short rides can't be offered in 2020, perhaps for a small extra donation?
Kew Steam museum runs NR train with just 2 volunteers.

There is also a historical link as there was special steam trains for children to get to school in the 1930s.
https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/features/868702.amp/

 

Despite the bad weather on the first day of the Steam Gala, the museum had a large number of visitors to watch the Ruston shunting wagons.

 

It has bought by someone who has said he will repair it.

 

x

 

Life has moved on since the 1930's and nowdays there is Safety Management Systems (SMS) required by ORR. It is no longer possible to just link a passenger carriage to a locomotive. It has to be safe under all conditions. Trained staff, braking systems, operating systems must be first class before the public can be introduced. No doubt the museum will be working on this with the Swanage Railway experience available to them. Of course all this requires a certain level of funding and that will need proritising against other museum requirements. So I would expect that is the reason to be patient and not expect it in 2020 unless one it prepare to fund those costs and provide the labour.

 

Detailed History of Ball Clay Mining in Purbeck can be found here on the old website that now resides in the British Library Web Archives
https://www.webarchive.org.uk/wayback/archive/20100621102444/http://www.pmmmg.org/History.htm

 

And this is how Norden looked, just after closure, in 1971

 

and like this. Two locos went to Singapore and one is at Statford Barn.

 

And this was the one now at Statfold Barn, having been purchased from Norden by Jo and Barry Curl

 

https://www.facebook.com/purbeckmin...443482805627/2826992460717373/?type=3&theater
Facebook shows someone's poor attempt to restore the Ruston back to what it looked like in service at Norden in the 60s. On Facebook the Ruston has its sandbox missing!

 

On the PMMM Facebook page yesterday: https://en-gb.facebook.com/purbeckmineralandminingmuseum/
Due to the Coronavirus situation PMMM is currently reviewing its plan to open to the public on 4th April. A final decision will be made during the week before planned opening so please check back in regularly for further updates.

 

The pictures of the 392117 "Norden" on Facebook don't look bad as it has paintwork updated and presume it is mechanically good? Seems from the wiki it s privately owned and on loan from the Old Kiln railway, so might have to go back sometime?.
If the loco is just run on the demo line presumably the owner has removed the sandbox?
Hopefully work will continue on the other Ruston "Snapper" and the Motorail locos?

 

It left the Old Kiln railway because it does not have a silencer. Old steam locomotive boiler tubes are connected direct to each cylinder exhaust making a quite loud noise which at Norden is not a problem. It is still privately owned and is now based at Norden for foreseeable future.