This season there has been an important development on the resurrected steam branch line in Dorset.
For the last couple of weeks there has been an experimental service of a modern diesel set that enters the line from Wareham and takes people to Corfe Castle. Its route to reach Wareham is fairly unusual too. Far from coming down from London by the direct South Western main line it approaches from Weymouth. It's a Saturdays only service that sells its tickets in all the mainline ticket offices - not the Swanage Railway's local offices. It is planned to continue for the Summer season.
I met this train for the first time today when I saw it at Corfe Castle when I was beginning my journey home. I rode the Swanage Railway's steam train from Swanage to Corfe Castle - a surviving station from the line's original life as a British Rail branch line.
I saw the South Western Railway's train waiting in the Corfe Castle station. I was interested to notice that its 4 (very modern) carriages were nearly completely full of fare paying passengers and that it was entirely a train from the modern rail network. It is operated by the newest rail franchisee in the south west.
Passengers who arrive on this train may of course be interested in the spectacular ruins of Corfe Castle, a medieval stronghold famous for its role in the English Civil war (when it was ruined by Cromwell's forces to prevent its use by the Royalists). Most of the passengers transfer to the Swanage Railway's steam trains at Corfe Castle station, and proceed down to the coast at Swanage itself, a famous little seaside resort. The cooperation between the steam railway and the mainline franchisee seems likely to benefit both parties by providing a more comfortable means of visiting the area, and a good supply of paying passengers.
http://www.swanagerailway.co.uk/news/de ... his-summer
The route of this new service was tried out by the Swanage Railway itself last year when it pioneered a train hired in from another vintage operator which ran a service from Wareham to Swanage.
http://www.swanagerailway.co.uk/news/de ... ip-working
For the last couple of weeks there has been an experimental service of a modern diesel set that enters the line from Wareham and takes people to Corfe Castle. Its route to reach Wareham is fairly unusual too. Far from coming down from London by the direct South Western main line it approaches from Weymouth. It's a Saturdays only service that sells its tickets in all the mainline ticket offices - not the Swanage Railway's local offices. It is planned to continue for the Summer season.
I met this train for the first time today when I saw it at Corfe Castle when I was beginning my journey home. I rode the Swanage Railway's steam train from Swanage to Corfe Castle - a surviving station from the line's original life as a British Rail branch line.
I saw the South Western Railway's train waiting in the Corfe Castle station. I was interested to notice that its 4 (very modern) carriages were nearly completely full of fare paying passengers and that it was entirely a train from the modern rail network. It is operated by the newest rail franchisee in the south west.
Passengers who arrive on this train may of course be interested in the spectacular ruins of Corfe Castle, a medieval stronghold famous for its role in the English Civil war (when it was ruined by Cromwell's forces to prevent its use by the Royalists). Most of the passengers transfer to the Swanage Railway's steam trains at Corfe Castle station, and proceed down to the coast at Swanage itself, a famous little seaside resort. The cooperation between the steam railway and the mainline franchisee seems likely to benefit both parties by providing a more comfortable means of visiting the area, and a good supply of paying passengers.
http://www.swanagerailway.co.uk/news/de ... his-summer
The route of this new service was tried out by the Swanage Railway itself last year when it pioneered a train hired in from another vintage operator which ran a service from Wareham to Swanage.
http://www.swanagerailway.co.uk/news/de ... ip-working