• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Swanage

Status
Not open for further replies.
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

bb21

Emeritus Moderator
Joined
4 Feb 2010
Messages
24,151
Fantastic news if true, however I always take what the Ohec says with a pinch of salt.
 

Schnellzug

Established Member
Joined
22 Aug 2011
Messages
2,926
Location
Evercreech Junction
What a dreary dismal old prat in the first Comment there.
"What a fantastic way to waste £2.7M, the service is unlikely to be regular enough or quick enough to make it of any real use to commuters, I am sure the money could be better spent on other infrastructure projects in Purbeck or on improving the bus service which would benefit many others rather than just those that happen to live near a station."
What does he recommend to improve infrastructure in Purbeck? A great big bridge from Poole to Studland? Demolishing Corfe Castle so they can straighten out the Road? :roll:

Anyway, regarding the eight return journeys per day they're envisaging, does anyone know what they're proposing to use on that?
 

Tiny Tim

Member
Joined
6 Jan 2012
Messages
463
Location
Devizes, Wiltshire.
Does anyone know the arrangements for getting Swanage Railway services into Wareham? Will they be restricted to using mainline certificated trains and drivers or are they on separate tracks? I've looked at their website but I can't see any info. I might have missed something.
 

yorksrob

Veteran Member
Joined
6 Aug 2009
Messages
38,818
Location
Yorks
That really is great news. If they could get it up and running by September I'd use it on my hols :D (I know that's not likely but who knows - maybe in the future !)

I also notice the obligatory comment underneath urging us to rip up all the railways and tar-mac over them. Today's equivalent of the flat Earth society I think :lol:
 

fgwrich

Established Member
Joined
15 Apr 2009
Messages
9,250
Location
Between Edinburgh and Exeter
It certainly is good news, and it adds to the of news that received little attention last year which is Nordens Level Crossing is to be replaced with a standard railway set up, all paid for by BP - whos tankers would have crossed the line at Norden to reach Wytch Farm (Wytch farm has since been sold by BP).

What i am however confused with, is as you say - what are the terms and conditions / what rolling stock are they going to use? Whilst there is a group working towards the restoration of a TC Set to use, and no doubt this'll be used with 33111, But this will probably require OTMR For the 33, and CDL for the TC Set. DMU Wise, they do have a 108, 117* & 121, and Dorset County Council did own at least 5 Class 117 Sets which were brought to work commuter services - However, these have all been sold on reccently, mostly for scrap.

So, i think this is going to be a case of wait and see then.

On a side note, the new signal box has opened at Corfe Castle now, and any communications between the Swanage & Network Rail, will actually lead to Basingstoke Box!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-18117146

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-18100253


*Which is due to undergo a refurbishment soon.
 

NSEFAN

Established Member
Joined
17 Jun 2007
Messages
3,504
Location
Southampton
If the railway has its own, dedicated tracks right into a bay at Wareham, then it can remain under a light-railway order. Obviously services onto the mainline would need the TPWS, Blackbox, etc.

My understanding of the problem is that the junction for Swanage isn't immediately after Wareham station, but about a mile west of it. Is there space for a seperate, dedicated track for the entirety of this route?
 

Schnellzug

Established Member
Joined
22 Aug 2011
Messages
2,926
Location
Evercreech Junction
If the railway has its own, dedicate tracks right into a bay at Wareham, then it can remain under a light-railway order. Obviously services onto the mainline would need the TPWS, Blackbox, etc.

My understanding of the problem is that the junction for Swanage isn't immediately after Wareham station, but about a mile west of it. Is there space for a seperate, dedicated track for the entirety of this route?

It would mean singling the line and handing over one line to the SR, and that would, i would imagine, add all sorts of complications and expense.
 

Tiny Tim

Member
Joined
6 Jan 2012
Messages
463
Location
Devizes, Wiltshire.
There isn't a spare platform at Wareham for the SR to use, which explains the 8 trains a day restriction. It seems unlikely that the station will be remodelled and a separate track provided just for the SR.
 

fgwrich

Established Member
Joined
15 Apr 2009
Messages
9,250
Location
Between Edinburgh and Exeter
There isn't a spare platform at Wareham for the SR to use, which explains the 8 trains a day restriction. It seems unlikely that the station will be remodelled and a separate track provided just for the SR.

Well there is and there isnt. The Swanage railway, are / were i believe, due to reopen the former west facing bay on the Up side of Wareham station - which reopening will be relatively easy to return to use, because there is a Down to Up crossover just to the west of the station. So all thats required at Wareham station is a new point, a new signal, and enough track to fill in the bay.
 

Tiny Tim

Member
Joined
6 Jan 2012
Messages
463
Location
Devizes, Wiltshire.
I look forward to catching a train from Wareham to Swanage! Congratulations to those involved in negotiating a deal with NR, quite an achievement.
 

Chris125

Established Member
Joined
12 Nov 2009
Messages
3,074
Well there is and there isnt. The Swanage railway, are / were i believe, due to reopen the former west facing bay on the Up side of Wareham station - which reopening will be relatively easy to return to use, because there is a Down to Up crossover just to the west of the station. So all thats required at Wareham station is a new point, a new signal, and enough track to fill in the bay.

I think reinstating the bay has been ruled out for some time, the cost would be very hard to justify. Regarding the scheme as a whole, there remains a surprising lack of detail - as you can tell from the comments in paragraph 2.12 of Purbeck District Council's Overview and Scrutiny Group May 29th Meeting.

Chris
 

wintonian

Established Member
Joined
15 Jan 2010
Messages
4,889
Location
Hampshire
I understood that the bay was kind of reserved for the Swanage Railway with it being redundant with no other foreseeable purpose there was a sort of expectation of them using it.

If that's no longer on the cards which seems a pity, where else would they go?

With regards to the resignalling the deadline for coming up with the funds (so NR could plan to add in passive provision at the same time, saving a considerable amount of the around £20m it would otherwise cost) was a couple of years ago and I believe NR took pity on them and extended the deadline by a few months as they nearly didn't quite raise enough.
 
Last edited:

Eagle

Established Member
Joined
20 Feb 2011
Messages
7,106
Location
Leamingrad / Blanfrancisco
My understanding of the problem is that the junction for Swanage isn't immediately after Wareham station, but about a mile west of it. Is there space for a seperate, dedicated track for the entirety of this route?

It's more complicated than that, the first three miles of the branchline is still owned by Network Rail as access to Furzebrook Oil Terminal. The changeover between NR and SwR infrastructure is here (green arrow)—which for some reason is known as the Motala* ground frame.

*as well as being the surname of a friend of mine (of Dhivehi origin), it also seems to be a town in Sweden. What it's doing in Dorset I don't know.
 

Schnellzug

Established Member
Joined
22 Aug 2011
Messages
2,926
Location
Evercreech Junction
I understood that the bay was kind of reserved for the Swanage Railway with it being redundant with no other foreseeable purpose there was a sort of expectation of them using it.

If that's no longer on the cards which seems a pity, where else would they go?

I suppose with MUs or push-pull trains, they could turn round in the platforms, there'd probably be time since there's a 40 minute window between down trains.
 

LE Greys

Established Member
Joined
6 Mar 2010
Messages
5,389
Location
Hitchin
I look forward to catching a train from Wareham to Swanage! Congratulations to those involved in negotiating a deal with NR, quite an achievement.

I quite agree, and intend to be on one of the first.

Do they have anything on the Swanage capable of hauling a 444? The Swanage portion of The Royal Wessex might reappear. Or is this just wishful thinking, remembering the ten-coach summer Saturday trains that used to arrive from Waterloo.
 

MrC

Member
Joined
20 Nov 2009
Messages
199
I suppose with MUs or push-pull trains, they could turn round in the platforms, there'd probably be time since there's a 40 minute window between down trains.

The re-signalling will reverse the crossover East of the station and bring it towards the station allowing access to the down-side sidings from both platforms, unlike now where access to the sidings is only possible from the down platform. This will mean Swanage trains can be routed to either platform and then to shunt into the sidings with the intention that they will use the 2 sidings furthest from the running lines (ie the non-3rd rail ones).

This will also enable a signalled move to allow a down train to be routed to the up platform and then back to the down to work around a train standing in the down platform (or to terminate and work back from the up platform rather than the down as it is now).
 

Chris125

Established Member
Joined
12 Nov 2009
Messages
3,074
Do they have anything on the Swanage capable of hauling a 444?

Even if they had a Dellner fitted loco and a spare 444 was available, they arent designed for loco haulage away from the juice - i wouldnt much fancy the return trip to Swanage with no power for air-con etc. Definately wishful thinking ;)

Chris
 

fgwrich

Established Member
Joined
15 Apr 2009
Messages
9,250
Location
Between Edinburgh and Exeter
I'm lucky enough to have done it in the past. :)

Same here, once to Motala on a job, and another down to Swanage. :)

Even if they had a Dellner fitted loco and a spare 444 was available, they arent designed for loco haulage away from the juice - i wouldnt much fancy the return trip to Swanage with no power for air-con etc. Definately wishful thinking ;)

Chris

Wishful thinking maybe, but we could always borrow a 57 from Eastleigh for the Day ;) :lol: Had we still be running the 442s on the Waterloo to Weymouth services however, then you could bring 33111 up to Wareham and have it multi working through the bagpipes down to Swanage and back though!
 

Schnellzug

Established Member
Joined
22 Aug 2011
Messages
2,926
Location
Evercreech Junction
There were suggestions, weren't there, at one time that SWT might run 158s on a Bournemouth-Swanage service. That might be practical, if they had enough spare (which they seem to).
 

bb21

Emeritus Moderator
Joined
4 Feb 2010
Messages
24,151
There were suggestions, weren't there, at one time that SWT might run 158s on a Bournemouth-Swanage service. That might be practical, if they had enough spare (which they seem to).

Might see Platform 4 at Bournemouth put into use in that case. :idea:
 

ntg

Member
Joined
27 Sep 2010
Messages
123
Location
Potters Bar, Herts
This is good news :D I've got family in Swanage, it's not very convenient taking combinations of buses from London, will be great to get the trains there instead, and will be a huge achievement for the heritage railways I grew up with.
 

LE Greys

Established Member
Joined
6 Mar 2010
Messages
5,389
Location
Hitchin
Wishful thinking maybe, but we could always borrow a 57 from Eastleigh for the Day ;) :lol: Had we still be running the 442s on the Waterloo to Weymouth services however, then you could bring 33111 up to Wareham and have it multi working through the bagpipes down to Swanage and back though!

Now that would have been worth seeing, and probably would have made money (the Sandbanks ferry gets very busy during the peaks). Extend Poole portions of two commuter trains through to/start back from Swanage, still coupling at Bournemouth. Swanage already has a lot of commuting from Southampton and some from London/Surrey, this could have tapped the market. Unfortunately, someone went and gave up the 442s :(
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top