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Discussion about railroad topics everywhere outside of Canada and the United States.

Moderators: Komachi, David Benton

 #1474959  by george matthews
 
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
 #1475106  by george matthews
 
David Benton wrote:The train being full is a good , if maybe a little surprising , result.
I don't think they were all rail enthusiasts. I think the project has revealed what many people thought likely, that there has been unsatisfied demand to travel on that route. I usually visit Swanage by bus, from two directions: either by the ferry across Poole Harbour - at its entry point - or by the long way round. The bus trips can be rather long. A train is much more comfortable. I think this Saturday only service will be a success. Whether the service can be extended to the rest of the week is open to doubt. For one thing I assume the diesel train is spare on Saturdays but probably is used during the week.

The train goes to Corfe Castle station which has two platforms so it does not interfere with the regular steam trains. If it continued on to Swanage it would occupy the only full length platform at the terminus and would get in the way of the steam trains. It's too long for the bay platform. Of course space could be made at Swanage to park it between journeys but that would displace a number of other vehicles - carriages and spare engines.

I assume that many of the incoming passengers change at Corfe Castle to a steam train to continue to Swanage.
 #1475518  by johnthefireman
 
As the government continues to allow rural bus services to decline one would hope that a number of heritage lines would find a new lease of life providing a necessary public service as well as a tourist entertainment feature.
 #1475525  by george matthews
 
johnthefireman wrote:As the government continues to allow rural bus services to decline one would hope that a number of heritage lines would find a new lease of life providing a necessary public service as well as a tourist entertainment feature.
My usual bus service in Wimborne was withdrawn a few years ago. Fortunately I can still ride a bike, and can leave it at a friend's house near a bus stop. If the time comes when I can no longer ride a bike I may have to summon a taxi. But the buses to Swanage are almost as good as before, though one route - parallel to the railway from Corfe to Swanage - has been discontinued or diverted via the upper villages. The rail fare is quite a lot more than the bus fare.

The huge number of passengers on the South Western Railway train at Corfe Castle suggests to me that far more than rail enthusiasts are finding it useful. I didn't see them board the train at Corfe Castle so I couldn't get any idea of where they had come from. Did they arrive on a steam train? Quite a lot of them got off at Wareham to join a train towards Bournemouth and London, as I did. Those who remained proceeded on towards Weymouth and probably Yeovil and I think London via Salisbury.