SWANAGE Railway volunteers are set to stage a nostalgic Roads to Rail mini-steam rally. The event, scheduled for a field next to Norden station, close to Corfe Castle, will be taking place over the August Bank Holiday weekend, from Friday, August 27 until Monday, August 30. It will feature up to 20 traction engines, steam rollers and showman’s engines – as well as fairground rides, trade stalls, food stalls, bar and live music. A special intensive steam train service between Norden, Corfe Castle and Swanage will be operating during the event – including a special evening heritage diesel rail bus service on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings.
SWANAGE Railway volunteers are set to stage a nostalgic Roads to Rail mini-steam rally. The event, scheduled for a field next to Norden station, close to Corfe Castle, will be taking place over the August Bank Holiday, from Friday, August 27 up until Monday, August 30. It will feature up to 20 traction engines, steam rollers and showman’s engines – as well as fairground rides, trade stalls, food stalls, bar and live music. A special intensive steam train service between Norden, Corfe Castle and Swanage will be operating during the event – including a special evening heritage diesel rail bus service on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings.
NEW meets old at a heritage railway after real time train information was introduced. Constantly updated live train information has come to the Swanage Railway in a first for a preserved railway – thanks to a grant from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage. Housed in traditional 1950s notice board-style frames, digital screens giving train times – as well as information about the locomotive hauling the train and the facilities in its carriages in an innovative visual ‘Know Your Train’ form – have been installed at Swanage and Corfe Castle stations, with more to follow at Norden and Harman’s Cross stations.
STEAM trains have started to roll across the Dorset countryside with the re-opening of the Swanage Railway. Featuring assigned and socially-distanced seating, trains have resumed between Norden, Corfe Castle and Swanage as government restrictions ease. Yesterday saw Southern Railway 1940s Battle of Britain class Bulleid Pacific No. 34072 ‘257 Squadron’ haul the first steam train out of Swanage since December 29. Swanage Railway trustee and passenger services director Trevor Parsons said: It was wonderful to smell steam in the air and watch the magnificent sight of a steam train, with excited passengers on board, leave Swanage station for the first time in almost four months.