Swanage Railway Reconnection To National Network - Decision Time

As far as I am aware the public do not object to paying full fare at Norden and the car park is often full as are the trains in the summer. In fact the delays are often caused by passenger numbers trying to get on and off trains.

 

In BR [NSE] days there were some discussions about SR trains using a re-instated Up Bay platform. The costs of this would be massive in today's Railway however. The £3M estimated by Network Rail is for replacing signalling, as part of a bigger renewal scheme, with upgraded equipment to full passenger standards as well as additional work linking NR equipment to the new SR box at Corfe Castle. No money is allocated for any extra trackwork though I understand.

Each year many tens of thousands of car drivers pay the Norden Park&Ride fee helping to ease Swanage's crowded streets and car parks during each Summer. This £2 daily fee is set by Purbeck District Council - although the Swanage Railway employs the car park staff.
I don't think "passengers object to the steam service fare" and there is no subsidy of any sort from DCC, so far as I'm aware, to the Swanage Railway.

 

The possibility mentioned by Lewisb06 is for a simple hand operated point to be installed near the Poole end of No.1 road Down Sidings. Remove the buffer stop and re-align the end of No.2 siding to link to the new point. Using No.2, and the existing points/signalling near Wareham box, will allow the remainder of any run-round move to be carried out on stock stabled in No.1 road. Possibly 7 or 8 coaches in No.1 might be run-round.
Wareham's Up Bay could be re-instated in the long term perhaps. However the installation of a new lead from the Up Main, coupled with relaying a platform road plus run-round loop and head shunts, would cost a substantial amount of money - possibly £1M or even more?
Finally, Google Earth may well show a SWT unit in the Down sidings - but how long ago were those satellite shots taken? Yesterday's rust looks rather aged.

 

they only used to keep a unit in the down sidings at wareham when the every stop service started from wareham