Swanage Railway - Spring Steam Gala- 28th-30th March 2025

Visitors.
- 41313 from IOWSR
- 4953 "Pitchford Hall" from EOR

Home fleet
- 563
- 31806
- 34072
- 34070


https://www.swanagerailway.co.uk/events/view/spring-steam-gala

 

Have they confirmed a second visitor is to be announced?

 

Nothing showing on the: https://www.swanagerailway.co.uk/events/view/spring-steam-gala webpage.
SR's Facebook page mentioned earlier today -
We’ve got some exciting news to reveal soon regarding our Spring Steam Gala line up …
… and we also wanted to announce that tickets go on sale tomorrow evening for the event!

 

Clue or red herring?
https://www.facebook.com/share/167gHnu1ZB/

Sent from my SM-A137F using Tapatalk

 

Certainly a clue!
Swanage will be getting it's very first visit from a Hall class, though, will it fit?
It also seems the railway is holding a Weymouth themed event!

It is certainly one for the books!

 

4953 Pitchford Hall from Epping announced as the second guest

 

No doubt part of a two-way deal which will see one of the Swanage fleet head off to the Epping-Ongar Railway in Septeember for its Southern Giants event.

Not an inappropriate loco for the area, even if this will almost certainly be the first Hall ever to reach Swanage. As @WRH has pointed out, Halls did work through to Weymouth and given 4953 was allocated to Bristol SPM for a while, it may well occasionally have slogged its way over Evershot bound for the Dorset coast. Also, I'm fairly sure (although open to correction) that in SR days, Halls worked through to Bournemouth via Reading and Basingstoke.

If you live in the south of England and like (G)WR 4-6-0s, this is the year for you, it seems, both with this announcement and the Bluebell booking 2999 and 6880 for its Giatns of Steam event, not to mention 6989 which is due to be based at the line all year!

I must add that even for people who aren't fans of copper caps, the facebok clue which the Swanage Railway posted is worth looking at, even though we now know the identity of the second guest. The building after which 4953 is named is absolutely stunning.

 

4953 definitely worked at least one inter-regional to Bournemouth; I've previously seen a photo of it between Christchurch and Hinton Admiral.

 

In August 1964 i saw 6933 Birtles Hall at Wareham at least twice working the stopping train that left Weymouth around 10am to Bournemouth,this was the first Hall that i had seen as a young trainspotter and when i saw it again i was a little annoyed.Today i have seen on the internet of a picture of this loco working the 11.00 Wolverhampton to Weymouth service on the 8th august 1964,so its possible Weymouth shed kept it for a while.Oh happy days.

 

If it's to be a Weymouth themed event please could some tramlines be laid through the streets of Swanage so that trains can run down to the sea? Loco 41313 can do the honours!

 

Nice to be right for once.
Anyway, Swanage said that the Hall is in gauge for the railway, so, Hall-in-all [], this should be a cracking event.

Don't think there's any IF about it.
It is.

 

Swanage gala timetable out https://www.swanagerailway.co.uk/uploads/files/2025_wtt_spring_gala_v5_25.pdf

 

I take it services are not going beyond Norden for the event?

 

No, bridge bash on the River Frome section last autumn still yet to be repaired.

 

Thanks Ben, shame, always a good bash up and away from Norden. Still be a good event, we are planning a trip down for the weekend.

 

First photo under the text on: https://preservedbritishsteamlocomotives.com/4953-pitchford-hall/ [during 1962 apparently]

 

Definitely getting a ticket for this although I think my visit might just be limited to a few hours taking pictures as I've only got a narrow mid-Friday window around family priorities that weekend. Would've been lovely to hear the Hall setting off from a standing start at River Frome with six coaches and a trailing loco on the back but sure it will be great on the shorter section of line too. And 41312 at the Mid-Hants and 41241 on its recent Blaenavon visit both reminded me how entertaining those perky Ivatt tanks can be up a good hill as well, so as I definitely can't make the Bluebell's Branch Line gala this year I'm glad I can catch up with 41313 at Swanage.

Eager to see which way round the visitors will face and same for 34072 on its return. Am I right in thinking that the Mogul and T3 face Norden and Manston faces Swanage at present?

 

Plan is 31806, 34072 and 563 to face Norden, and 4953, 34070 and 41313 to face Swanage.

 

Great, thanks Rumpole.

 

Thanks for that Ben. Looks like plenty of action with a good nuumber of locos. 31806, 34070, 34072 and 41313 will do very nicely for me.

But I'll have to give some thought about coming down. If I've read the timetable correctly, the only time 31806 hauls a freight chimney first is on the Friday, and then only from Corfe Castle to Norden? That loco on a freight has been my key photo target since the details of the event were announced.

That means I'd have to be down for certain to catch the 09.20 from Swanage to be in position to photo the freight leaving the siding at Corfe Castle and into the station.

And braving the M20 - M26 - M25 etc on a weekday is not the best way to be sure of a certain arrival time at Swanage at that time of the morning! Not that the route can be clear at weekends, but weekdays are usually the worst.

Bryan