Swanage Railway General Discussion

A couple of images from today of the progress in the past week which I think looks pretty impressive bearing in mind the weather in that period.

 

Where about on the line is Dickers Crossing? I know the line, but not all the place names. thanks.

 

It is the second occupation crossing after Herston heading towards Harmans Cross.
More detail on the gradient profile.
https://www.national-preservation.c...es-of-heritage-railways-list-in-post-1.95457/

 

Bloody Hell! 34 years ago we reinstated the track up through Dickers and put the crossing in one late Sunday evening so the farmer could use it next day. How time flies.

 

I remember it well Steve, and then adjourning to the pub for several well earned pints, so many (ahem, interesting !!!!) memories of those pioneering days !!! Cheers Bish.

 

34 years ago if my maths are right, I would have been 5 years old, so would not bave been drinking and drove home instead.

 

Trains running between Wareham and Swanage next week ?
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/se...8/0000-2359?stp=WVS&show=all&order=wtt&toc=WR

 

Unless you have some "inside info" I assume just the Q paths that are there every week this NR winter timetable. They are also there for this week.

 

Is Dickers Crossing the one that's unofficially known as Cow Pat Crossing?

 

No. Cowpat crossing is eleven chains* further towards Swanage, and is the southern** end of the current track re-lay exercise. You can see both clearly on Google maps.

* that's 242 yards to save you getting your calculator out!
**the track actually goes west to south-east at this point. Looking at the map, Dickers is on the left, and Cowpat on the right.

 

Thank you. Never sure which one was which. Is Cow Pat the official name or does it have something else?

 

It's Cowpat in the sectional appendix, so it's Swanage Railway official! Doubt that it has another official name.
And Dickers is named after the farmer, although if he keeps dropping essence of cow on it from his muck cart, it may be called something else!

 

Dickers of course benefits from being on a public footpath (although those who have lived here longer than me say that is a recent change). Cowpat is not a public path although I often see photographers there especially during galas.

 

Although seems a regular RTT entry do you mean thr 121 railcar might actually get to do a training run into Wareham as it has been back a few months now?

Hopefully clearance to getthe 117 back will also be given soon?

 

No.

 

Before people get too het up about schedules appearing on RTT it should be borne in mind that the schedules originate in TSDB (Train Schedule Data Base) in TOPS / TRUST. Some schedules are in there for years, and activated as required, as this saves work / time. They can be cancelled of just as readily.
Pat

 

The 121 has been as far as the junction, at some stage the 121 DMU, once the paper work is in order, will have to make a training /testing trip to Wareham?
31826 has already been a couple of years back.

 

You do appear to be correct. I don't have inside information

 

Such a long time ago. Was that The Red Lion or The Royal Oak? I got 'citrified' [Orange Juice], I suspect, wherever it was.
I have a note that, on Wednesday 22nd July 1987, regular passenger train operations were extended to run over this section to “Pole 44” (about ¾ mile beyond Herston Halt).
When we first laid this section was it fitted with GWR concrete sleepers and two-bolt chairs and those horrible fang chair bolts?

 

Hi Peter, I seem to recall it was a swift couple in the Globe at Herston then a session in the Red Lion, followed by a pizza from Dino's (is that still open ?) then back to station house for coffee and music before retiring to the sleeping car ! Don't think they were G.W. concrete sleepers but definitely 2 through bolts think they were BR(S) as some had holes for juice rail pots on the ends. Glad we had FBC1 as they were 1/4 ton each ! Cheers Bish.