Swanage Railway General Discussion

The major signalling fault on SWR started to clear in the afternoon. Should be OK when the next SR Wareham trains run on Saturday.

 

Perhaps should be in a thread in the Narrow gauge forum?
I seem to remember reading, perhaps in the town museum?, that the porters with horse and carts saw it as a threat so took away some potential use of the railway.
Also remember reading the steam loco called Tiny was used at one point on the pier, then was moved to Norden clay mines, but did not survive into preservation. The wiki entry disputes mechanical use on the pier tramway, and quotes Kidner, R.W. (2000). The Railways of Purbeck (Third ed.). The Oakwood Press. ISBN 0-85361-557-8.

 

Hardly covers any lost revenue to the railway from yesterday, or the fact that I believe the SR tickets are non refundable, so anyone who had advanced booked has lost that money I assume.

 

Presumably if they could not travel on SWR they might be given the chance to reuse the SR tickets another time?

I notice on the rather wet webcam looks like the 4TC group has been able to finally get a blue/grey carriage to the station, maybe to get it ready to show at the diesel gala?

 

It is two coaches I noticed walking back from the shops this afternoon.

 

Thanks, thought I saw 2 blue/grey coaches of the 4TC on the shunt on the webcam, must be: (cross checking stock list and faceb0ok) DTSO 76275 (which was first to be restored so has a bit of fading paint and a vandalised route indicator) and TBSK 70824 (which needs interior and brake work)?

 

What on earth is going on today? Trains running up to 3 hours late according to RTT confirmed by a train just arrived at Swanage on the webcam

 

Not much to answer your question Don
All 5 Swanage departures on time except the 11:20 about 10 late as the 10:40 from Norden was late in. That was because I think the 33 took the 4TC Driving Car somewhere (I suspect HX).
I photographed the 10.00 leaving and the 15:00 waiting on the way back from the town, the others I saw from home.
Not sure about the last arrival but sometimes the RTT data needs to be taken with a pinch of salt compared to reality.

 

Booked...............actual (RTT)
Swanage [SGE] 2 1120 1120 1501½ +221
Herston Halt [HEH] 1 1123 1123 pass1600 +277
Harmans Cross [HAR] 2 1131 1131 pass 1553½ +263
Corfe Castle [CFC] 1 1137 1140 1519¾ 1546 +246

As you can see from the above, the RTT timings just don't add up do they? The train lost nearly an hour getting to Herston! Appeared to go back in time by 61/2 minutes passing Harmans Cross, according to RTT and I fail to believe that it did not actually stop there. Corfe Castle was reached at 1519 3/4, so it has apparently gone even further back in time! and why would it want to wait 26 minutes.
The morale is Don't believe everything you read, especially if it is electronically generated.

 

Work currently on-going to the TBSK. I am told that, apparently, it needs the motor generator set (and associated equipment) changed but a replacement was obtained a while back. Fortunate.
Whether any of the coaches will be on display during the Diesel Gala I have no idea.
I expect not, though, as the cattle dock at Corfe Castle is now full and no other accessible platforms that I can think of will be available.
Had heard rumours from one or two people who wanted to see some 4TC vehicles used as part of an air-braked set this year but have not had this confirmed - so will put it down to 'wishful thinking'!

 

I was 303 duty (trainee) guard, all trains, from 13.30 ex Swanage ran to time except the last down service where 31806 needed the cylinder lub oil topped up at Norden and further delayed at Harmans Cross whilst the crew sorted out the boiler.
IIR arrival at Swanage was 17.52 some 27 minutes behind time. Luckily there were only 6 passengers on board who happily soaked up the atmosphere of the recently outshopped BSK.

 

I can remember for years the TC project slowly upgrading each carrage. They really are making good progress. Hopefully its not long until they can put it into service, thankfully they only need 3 coaches, as far as I'm aware its only the TBSK that needs heavier work done.

Theres always been talk about making the TC set mainlined approved. But then the Class 33 that can operate push pull isn't fitted anyway.
I'm sure longer term a mainline class33/TC could provide quite a good mini tour experiences around the south, but maybe if 4/5 marks ones are going to be properly put on the mainline their normal steam rack might be better considering we always have a class 33 and U class mainlined

 

and who is going to pay for all this much better to spend the money on the carriage shed and water tower which will bring significient savings to the railway The cost of fitting CDL and Retention tanks rules this out completely in my opinion

 

Unfortunately as has already been mentioned on this forum, a TC set can only be hauled as they no longer meet crashworthiness for being pushed around. As such, a rake of mk1's to go along with the U and D6515 would be much better suited.

 

Is this the statement on crash worthiness true? Aren’t the SETG restoring the VEP to mainline use at Strawberry Hill? I don’t think they’re planning to have that hauled by anything?


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The reason the LU 4TC set isn't used in push pull mode on the main line is the lack of main line equipment fitted in the cabs.

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Unlikely. The Hastings DEMU is of similar age and still gets let out on the mainline.

 

Don't forget that the Hastings unit has motor coaches each end.

 

Guess the Hastings unit cab might have been strengthened? Looking at the Alstom train factory TV programme https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0019txm/inside-the-factory-series-7-trains
crash resilience is improving and in new trains the driver now has a metal cage to protect them.
It was back in 2005 the SR 4TC group got it's unit, so has taken 18 years to restore enough for a 3TC, so will be quite something for them if they get to show it at the gala alongside the LU 4TC. A part of the SR's history, although the blue/grey colours might be out place place for BR 50s purists. The 4TC group from its FB page have plans for a 4th coach and 5th dining coach to be a 5TCB(?), but might be several years before it goes mainline like the LU 4TC and "Hastings" thumper unit

Out of interest is there a reason to have a motor generator set as I would have thought a 4TC would have got some electric power from a 33 or 73 loco?

 

Is CDL and retention tanks in their plan then? I believe NR contribute to tanks, but that maybe for stock already running. If so then a mega bucks bill beckons.