Swanage Railway General Discussion

Hopefully the NRM will renew the loan agreement for the T9, Their strapped for space at York as it is, and because of covid, likily to be even more so, I can't see them recalling it, I'm hoping they give you a new loan agreement, but this time for 20 years, and allow you to renew the defective parts such as the drag box and cylinder casting with new castings as these items are now i would imagine very weak having been repaired now several times and really need to be replaced.

 

20 years would be nice. 25 would be better and provide for 2x 10 year cycle and 2x 2.5 year overhaul. I'm not sure the NRM policies allow that sort of loan period however. The good news is that I hear the repairs made to the cylinder casting last time around mean that it may no longer need replacing. Things do change when a loco is stripped down however. With limited resources and the M7 & N in the works, T3 under external overhaul, 625 and the T9 waiting where would you go first?

The M7 is at least externally funded by the owning group but using SR works and Labor.
The T3 is externally funded by donations campaign and using subcontract works and Labor.
The N now needs to start again with its boiler (SR funded) but so much invested you can't stop now.
625 and the T9 still need a plan but will need to be funded by the SR whether they are done in house or not.
And then there is the Southern Locos fleet.
Std4 finishes next year.
Manston and Eddystone due back...

Its a puzzle. Having locos is the easy part. The trick if you can pull it off is having just the right amount of working ones at the right time and paying for them out of revenue.

 

In an ideal world I think you'd forget about 80104 and a single example of the SLL Bulleid fleet, they're just too big for the line.

 

Agree about having a single Bulleid.

Reading Mogul’s post above it highlights how Swanage Railway has significantly reduced its reliance on SLL in recent years. It’s no surprise that SKP has now moved elsewhere.

I’d keep 80104 though. Maybe wise for the Swanage Railway to start a fund to buy it before Bulleid Locomotives Ltd decide to sell it

 

You pleased to know I already donated a number times over the last few months. I doubt that pay for an overhaul alone though...

 

All has gone quiet on Furzebrook sidings. Has Covid stopped that as well? Why is that taking so long? Surely it makes forward planning even more difficult.

 

Is there a train net app. Take a picture with the phone and will give info on the train?

 

Does seem unfair if travelling by yourself, or with 3, and no member discount.
The current prices and timetable is till the end of August.
Perhaps will change in September? Will call if the website is not updated.

 

If you are a member there is an update in the last Mag. In brief it says that there has been little change in the last few months but that the Railway is trying to engage with Perenco and Dorset Council on the terms for the new lease but meetings have been difficult to organise. Its almost as if there has been some big distraction affecting all three parties involved. It goes on to say funds are available for legal fees but not for the P-way and drainage work that will be needed before the site can be accessed. This has been going on for so long now it feels like the search for the holy grail.

I don't want to appear harsh but I don't think fairness was a consideration. More self preservation by optimizing revenue from the limited capacity available in a socially distanced carriage. Single travelers occupy the same space as a couple but with per person pricing only deliver half the revenue. Couple that with ticketing software that clearly struggles with the concept of seat allocations and I can see why its being done this way. Perhaps after the end of the school holidays they will need to target individual travelers more when there is less of the family market that fill the available seats at the moment.

 

I addition to Moguls comments the other thing to ask yourself is would this be classed as essential spend?
It could be if it was a "you need to make a decision by x date or loose the site" but taking in what has been said sound the slowness is to the railway's benefit at the moment.
I have unluckily worked in an industry that became devastated by global financial issues a number of times. The first thing you look at cutting is discretionary spend, then capital projects, then headcount, then property.
Heritage Railways are different of course in that there is little in the way of headcount savings that can be made when most are volunteers. Nor can you follow the BA /British Gas model of threaten them with redundancy unless they resign on poorer terms. Most of the property you have is probably unusable for other things (that may not apply to the WSR world of course). Furzebrook probably classes a capital project.
I do not know if like a car you can drive a diesel loco to gain a better MPG, I suspect so and I guess the railway may have even asked crews to to do that, and I guess there are ways of using less coal. It is that sort of financial straights I suspect we exist in at the moment.
In one of our crisis my colleagues at US Air (who we had an alliance with at the time) were even issued a company letter asking them to take as many free pens from any hotel they stayed in on duty or holiday, to reduce the stationary bill. In times of crisis you do as you have to to survive.

 

Carer / Minder here!

What a lovely report.

We were PLEASED that two trains departed around 10 mins late on the Swanage Railway today because of the number of ‘walk-up’ visitors who we were able to accommodate.

The one-steam-one-diesel Service being run is quite resilient to a few delays and is just delightful to be able to wave from the signal box to folk enjoying a train ride to the seaside.

Minder/carer.

 

Given that he was talking about going diving a year or so ago I am saddened to gear that he needs a carer

 

He probably thought he was back bunking nine elms so his carer had to guide him to a place of safety

 

The 4MT and the U are the meat and potatoes. The Bulleids are the thick rich gravy and beloved by non enthusiast punters, They represented the apex of SR(unrebuilt) and BR(rebuilt) steam loco engineering in the Southern Region.
Big Al's positive comments above tell us the Swanage Railway is doing it right!

 

A selection from my (forced) trips to the town yesterday and today. Although the army of people around the station forced me to go to Herston yesterday.
The 15:10 from Swanage to Norden at Herston Halt (although the head code discs may imply the 15:10 from Bournemouth West to Dorchester!)
This morning an unplanned trip to Boots coincided with 257 Squadron having just arrived with the ECS for the 10:30 service. In the final image the guard waits patiently for the loco to arrive on the stock.

 

Corfe Platform full at social distancing!

 

On a day more akin to Shap than Purbeck, thanks to Storm Francis, SR U Class No 31806 back on the service trains today passes the works site at Herston with a full 15:10 from Swanage. At least by afternoon the rain had stopped even if the wind was still very strong.

 

More than one person has mentioned on here about solo travellers,just check with the railway first as it doesn't say about it on the website but they can travel and it's £12.50 for a return.No I am not a volunteer but I know tickets have been sold.