Swanage Railway Diesel Gala & Beer Festival 24 - 26 April 2020

Please note the earlier date.
This is due to the Swanage Railway being involved in the town's VE Day commemorations.

 

In addition to the resident 33s - 33012 [D6515] and 33111 it has been announced on Facebook that -
44004 [D4] Great Gable courtesy of the Peak Locomotive Company (first visit of a class 44 to the Swanage Railway); and
55019 Royal Highland Fusilier courtesy of the Deltic Preservation Society
are planned to visit. Other visitors remain to be announced.
Loco availability subject to the usual caveats of course.
Deltic 55019 is also available for “Driver Experience” sessions on the weekend before the Diesel Gala (18th & 19th of April) : https://swanagerailway.co.uk/events/detail/deltic-driving-experience
Dorset Beer Festival will return to Corfe Castle along with other attractions around the railway such as BBQ and trade stands.
On the evenings of both Friday [24th] and Saturday [25th] a "Beerex" train will run.

 

Did someone mention BEER, sounds good to me, Diabetes or not, I will be there.

 

Basic details now on Swanage Railway events page: https://www.swanagerailway.co.uk/events/detail/diesel-gala-2 which includes a timetable for the 'Bus Replacement' service between Wareham Station and "Purbeck Park" (Dorset Council's new name for Norden Park and Ride car park). This bus is available only to Swanage Railway Diesel Gala ticket holders as per last year's conditions.
This evening there's a Facebook entry showing three further visitors:
37190 (originally D6890 and then 37314)
50021 (D421) "Rodney"
50026 (D426) "Indomitable"

 

The Branch Line Society is organising a railtour to and one from Swanage for the Diesel Gala. The train will be formed of 33012, LT 4TC & a GBRf Class 73

23rd April - The Jurassic Crompton: Eastleigh - Guildford - Reading - Southampton Central - Corfe Castle - Swanage
26th April - The Return of the Jurassic Crompton: Swanage - Corfe Castle - Southampton Central - Woking - London Waterloo (reverse) - Eastleigh

Tickets are £49 standard, £69 first class.

More info on: https://www.branchline.uk/current-fixtures.php

 

For those who do not follow Facebook avidly - a further announcement from the Swanage Railway:
Yesterday (28th) at 08:00 ·
Supply and Demand – Traction, Mileage and Beer Festival!

The Swanage Railway is pleased to announce further Mainline locomotive additions to the 15th Annual Diesel Gala and Dorset Beer Festival, taking place between 24th and 26th April 2020.

Our friends and colleagues at GB Railfreight will once again be supporting our event, providing one of their popular Class 73/1s to work alongside their Southern brethren in our Class 33’s and 50’s.

In addition, and as a FIRST for a Swanage Railway Annual Diesel Gala, we are delighted that Direct Rail Services (DRS) will also be providing us with a locomotive; however which one will be confirmed a little closer to the time! DRS are limited to supporting just a handful of events each year and we are thrilled that they have chosen to attend the Isle of Purbeck for the first time! What visitor do you want to see from DRS? Plans are afoot, so please just comment and let know what you’re hoping for!

Your feedback really is appreciated in the preparation of every Diesel Gala that we run. Having considered a number of options, especially for our timetable, you’ve spoken and we have listened! An intensive service will once again operate between Bridge 4 (River Frome, our Limit of Operations), Norden, Corfe Castle, Harmans Cross and Swanage from 09:45 until 23:30 on Friday and Saturday, and 09:45 and 18:30 on Sunday. Our services between Bridge 4 and Norden will be top ‘n’ tailed, meaning more weight and a longer journey behind your favourite classes of traction. In addition, on the Friday and Saturday evenings the popular "Beerex" train will be operating, with Traction for these trains to be announced very soon, once our timetable is finalised!

We are also pleased to announce the ever-popular Dorset Beer Festival will return to Corfe Castle Goods Yard in 2020; this year in conjunction with Steamtown Brewery of Eastleigh. The Beer Festival will be joined by other attractions at Corfe Castle including the Tea Truck Company and our recently refurbished Railway Cinema Coach and Museum. At Swanage Station there will be various trade stands and loco owning groups, along with the return of the famous LJ Smith's Butchers BBQ – all of which is not to be missed!

So… more traction. More mileage. The Dorset Beer Festival returning to Corfe Castle. And we’re not done yet! Watch out for further announcements for the South’s premier Diesel Gala!

 

Beer tent sounds good, if you see someone staggering about with a brown & white Cocker Spaniel that will be me looking for the loo most likely.

 

Good to see another facebook update on the LU 4TC
we are also thrilled to be able to use the 4TC throughout the weekend – including opportunities to see the unit working in push-pull: just as things once were.

 

Not sure about the verb "thrilled".
Presumably the outward tour on the Thursday, with its return on the Sunday, is solely to use the 4TC over the weekend.
If it wasn't to be used, then there would have been little merit in organising these tours - and at considerable expense no doubt.

 

As with previous tours seems they will be full enough to recover costs, maybe not everyone will stay the full 4 days and part travel on SWR?.
The Swanage 4TC project has been ongoing several years and from the webcam the 2nd carriage seems to have been moved, so 2 carriages might be finally complete to show at the gala? 2 more carriages to go.