Swanage services to return to Wareham

[Chris125]

Dorset rail service to be restored after 41 years

A Dorset train service is to be reinstated 41 years after being axed thanks to a £1.47m grant.

A regular service on the three-mile stretch between Swanage, Corfe Castle and Wareham is set to be restored by Spring 2015.

Government funding will pay to upgrade track and bridges and two 1960s heritage diesel bus trains to mainline running standards.

Trial services are planned for 50 days in 2015 and 90 days in 2016. It is hoped a year-round service will follow

Chris

 

[341o2]

appearing regularly on BBC south Today

The Government is to hand over £1.5m to the Swanage Railway to upgrade track and fit central locking to the carriages to enable the railway to resume regular service to Wareham. Expected to take 2 years to complete

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-21402534

More details http://www.swanagerailway.co.uk/news855.htm

The "carriages" are in fact two DMU sets which will have central locking and other improvements so they may run on the main line network

 

[scarby]

I'm having some trouble comprehending the article. Was it written by a monkey?

 

[rdwarr]

Three miles? Presumably that's the bit that needs finishing.

Good news though - I remember travelling on this line in the 1960s and was there for the last week of steam.

 

[jopsuk]

So what sort of unitas are they actually going to use?

two 1960s heritage diesel bus trains

is marvelously vague and confused...

 

[Monty]

Pacers perhaps?!

I imagine they'll be either a 1st gen DMU or a thumper.

 

[swt_passenger]

So what sort of unitas are they actually going to use?
is marvelously vague and confused...

Were the early DMUs usually referred to as 'railbuses' anyway? I don't remember the term being generally used following DMUs arriving in the Newcastle area in the 60s...

I also thought the Dorset CC owned DMU stock earmarked for this (and stored at Winfrith) had been scrapped now anyway - so does the Swanage Railway have their own alternative stock in mind?

So what was that SWT 158 clearance run about, only a few weeks ago...

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

Were the early DMUs usually referred to as 'railbuses' anyway? I don't remember the term being generally used following DMUs arriving in the Newcastle area in the 60s...

I also thought the Dorset CC owned DMU stock earmarked for this (and stored at Winfrith) had been scrapped now anyway - so does the Swanage Railway have their own alternative stock in mind?

So what was that SWT 158 clearance run about, only a few weeks ago...

This is good news, I wonder who will run the service and how it will affect the Swanage Railways Steam Services. (I missed the item re the SWT 158, what was that about, are they getting rid of some of those units?)

 

[fgwrich]

Were the early DMUs usually referred to as 'railbuses' anyway? I don't remember the term being generally used following DMUs arriving in the Newcastle area in the 60s...

I also thought the Dorset CC owned DMU stock earmarked for this (and stored at Winfrith) had been scrapped now anyway - so does the Swanage Railway have their own alternative stock in mind?

So what was that SWT 158 clearance run about, only a few weeks ago...

The SWT Clearance run has little to do with the Swanage and the Wareham link - That went down to Swanage to see if 158s can be used on the branch, as SWT will be using the Swanage (out of season) next year to test the 158 fitted with the ZF Eco Drive? gearbox. As for the article, don't forget the swanage already have a DMU Fleet, with the 108, 117 - Due to undergo a overhaul & the 121. There's also the 101 from Shoeburyness that's currently living on the line as well.

 

[sprinterguy]

Were the early DMUs usually referred to as 'railbuses' anyway? I don't remember the term being generally used following DMUs arriving in the Newcastle area in the 60s...

First generation DMUs have never been referred to as "railbuses" as far as I know, however British Railways did introduce a range of different two axle, single car railbuses as part of the modernisation plan in the late fifties/early sixties.

 

[ntg]

Fantastic news! I grew up holidaying in Swanage every year and riding that railway, and am so happy to hear that it will be possible to make the journey all the way from my home town by train to see family there.

 

[nferguso]

This is hugely significant and could set a very important precedent.

This, unless I am mistaken, is virtually the first instance of a private (I use that word carefully) railway being supported in a proposal to operate a timetabledm scheduled service onto the main line. Possibly the only other example I can think-of will have been the Dart Valley, who used to operate into the main line platforms at Totnes, albeit not these days.

It will be very interesting to see how this new service performs and, also, whether it acts as the model for other private railways to do the same in the future.

 

[yorksrob]

Excellent news !

Next time I'm on hols in Weymouth I'll have a branch line to visit !

 

[Gareth Marston]

Swanage was a closure that Beeching didn't recommend

 

[30907]

The branch service - untypically for the Southern - was reduced on modernisation although weekday through workings to Waterloo were reintroduced. But I suspect in those days the more frequent bus to Wareham and the direct bus to Bournemouth via Sandbanks took most of the local traffic, and could cope - except in summer when Corfe village snarled up totally.

 

[sidmouth]

This, unless I am mistaken, is virtually the first instance of a private (I use that word carefully) railway being supported in a proposal to operate a timetabledm scheduled service onto the main line.

NYMR and Whitby...

Ps see http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=79230
All related as all funded by Eric Pickles / me / you as part of the Coastal Communities Fund Initiative
Pps I note one of these threads has been moved from "railtours and preservation" to general discussion, whilst the other has been moved from "general discussion" to "infrastructure and stations". Mmmm.

 

[nferguso]

NYMR and Whitby...

Yep, fair point.

 

[button_boxer]

This, unless I am mistaken, is virtually the first instance of a private (I use that word carefully) railway being supported in a proposal to operate a timetabledm scheduled service onto the main line.

Heathrow Express?

 

[341o2]

So what sort of unitas are they actually going to use?
is marvelously vague and confused...

The only other service I can think of is the NYMR Grosmont - Whitby.

Last year, SR staff were as usual non commital about a date to return to Wareham.

The railway is receiving financial support for the project from BP, Dorset CC (or is it the tourist board) and now the Goverment - at last some of the tax I pay is being put to a good use.

Work that needs to be done

1. installation of proper level crossing gates at Norden & Wytch Farm
2. Relaying of track & pointwork, signalling etc to allow SR trains to access either of the platforms at Wareham
3. SR signalling to be linked to national network
4. The three miles from Motala GF (just beyond Furzebrook) - Worgret junction is substandard, some 1,000 sleepers need replacing and is currently subject to a 20mph restriction, currently only transfer of stock and charter trains traverse this section
5. Central locking and other improvements to be carried out on 2 DMU sets to allow main line use

I note that the SR state that the 25% member concession will not apply to Wareham - Norden

It was nice to see a major slot in the half hourly BBC South Today bulletins given over to the SR Good publicity, although the reporter has not described rolling stock correctly - carriages for me mean loco hauled stock, rail buses can literally be a bus converted to run on rails, or the single units for light traffic, eg the one used at Bodmin north 1964 - 1966. not the DMU's which will be used for services to Wareham

 

[nferguso]

Heathrow Express?

If I ever get invited to a pub quiz, I've got your name.

 

[MrC]

2. Relaying of track & pointwork, signalling etc to allow SR trains to access one of the bay platforms at Wareham

Err, no, there will be no re-instatement of the bay platforms, although future re-instatement of the up bay could be feasible.

The track and signalling work currently being done will allow Swanage trains to run via the down line from Worgret Jcn into either up or down platforms at Wareham. The London end down sidings will be accessible from either platform, rather than from only the down platform as at the moment. Down main line trains will also be able to be routed via the up platform to overtake a train in the down platform.

 

[ntg]

SWT visit Corfe Castle from Bournemouth

Great glad to see things are on track (npi).