Diesels at Swanage

 A couple of weeks ago, while staying in Swanage, I took a trip on the Swanage Railway. I've visited it before, but it was some years ago so it was nice to return, the line is in a beautiful setting. 

The service was being operated by diesels due to the ongoing heatwave, and looking at the dry grass and fields around the line, this was understandable. 

Our train was hauled by this beautifully kept Class 20, which lived up to its "Chopper" nickname, it did indeed sound like a helicopter on the climb out of Swanage. 

At Norden I took the opportunity to check out the clay mining museum. This has gathered together an adit head/tipping building, this little weighbridge hut, and some wagons or "trams" from the underground workings. There were one many such mines in the area served by narrow gauge railway networks. Clay mining still goes on, but open cast and served by lorries. 

Our return trip was on board a first-gen DMU set headed by this Class 121. These are the style of DMU I remember riding on as a child, albeit in blue/grey livery then, and I remembered they had glazed partitions to the cabs...

So, we sat at the rear with a superb view through the driver's window back along the line. 

As well as sights like Corfe Castle, we saw some burnt patches on the lineside, underlining why the diesels were being used. 

As we were staying in Swanage, it was nice to take evening strolls to the seafront and pass the station. With the day trippers gone and the trains sitting quietly in the station, which looks like the archetypal branch line terminus but overflowing with trains, it reminded me of a train set abandoned for bedtime. 

As well as the Class 20, there was a pair of Class 33s. 

The loco shed and its small turntable looked particularly atmospheric in the evening sun. The Battle of Britain class loco, parked out of use, is too large for the turntable.

However, a few evenings later the Pacific had been replaced by the U-class 2-6-0, which clearly was (or had been) in steam. I don't know if this had been used in scheduled service or for some special duty. 

The Swanage Railway is a lovely line and well worth a visit, as is Swanage and the Purbeck area. 

Norden Narrow Gauge

While in the area I had to find time to explore the narrow gauge tracks at Norden, currently the inland terminus (and Park and Ride) for the Swanage Railway. A fellow blogger Steven posted some pictures from here on his blog back in July. This was where a number of narrow gauge tramways from local clay pits met the "main line". Actually the original lines pre-dated the standard gauge, and were built to 3' 9" gauge, although later a reduced size system was relaid to 2' gauge to utilise commonly available equipment.

The history of the systems is quite complex, but a number of boards around the site explained what was where, so it was well worth an explore, although there isn't actually a lot to see. Even some of the trackbed is hard to spot, but there is some track on a concrete base where an engine shed used to stand, and some bridge abutments where the line crossed a track - later used to tip clay into road lorries. The main visible feature though is the bridge where the original line was crossed by the standard gauge.

It is an interesting structure, an early use of concrete, it was originally an incline into a clay pit hence built with a distinct slope. Later it was rebuilt on the level as the line was used to connect to another pit and for tipping waste. The preservation group plan to lay some track around the site for rides and demonstration trains, and even re-open this bridge.

Meanwhile the preservation group are building this transfer shed and a demonstration "mine" (more like a cave!), where wagons will be hauled from the mine into the structure and tipped into more wagons below.

For now they have a museum in this restored foreman's hut (sadly it is only open Sundays, and I was there on a Wednesday!) and some wagons from this and other similar locations.

This wagon was one of the original 3'9" gauge lines, and although sheeted some interesting features were visible. The braking was achieved by pushing a sled or bar onto the rail between the wheels (see Steven's picture); and while one end of the wagon has dumb (solid wood) buffers, this end has an unusual transverse leaf spring behind a floating buffer beam!

These clay lines have already inspired models. Earlier this year I saw a model of Eldons Sidings (as the transfer sidings at Norden used to be known) by Peter Hollins in 7mm scale, he has modelled the narrow gauge at 3'9" and has some faithful models of the stock. I recall this was in Railway Modeller a while back.

http://campbell-modelrailway.fotopic.net/p57773190.html

http://campbell-modelrailway.fotopic.net/p57773191.html

John Thorne has built a freelance model (with some prototype features) based on the Purbeck clay mining industry in 009, last year I took some pictures at Narrow Gauge South:

http://campbell-modelrailway.fotopic.net/p49373702.html

http://campbell-modelrailway.fotopic.net/p49373716.html

Steve also published some pictures of John's model, which has also featured in Railway Modeller. I also recall a 7mm scale (O14?) model in RM a couple of years ago, which I think may have been for display in the museum in the foremans hut.

The Swanage Railway

Recently returned from a family holiday in Dorset, staying in a cottage in Corfe Castle. This is a beautiful part of the world, and as you will see from the pictures, we had great weather too (and this year that has been in short supply!). However railway enthusiasts will also have figured out that the Swanage Railway passes through Corfe Castle on it's way to Swanage, so a few minutes walk from the cottage were real steam trains!*

What a great opportunity to continue the kids education :-) This is a lovely line and well worth a visit, it has a real atmosphere and is very well kept.

We even enjoyed a ride in the lovely Pullman observation car, although it was like a greenhouse in the sun!

*Note - other attractions are available! There's a nice castle too, but someone blew it up before we got there (about 400 years before). Still, it made a good location from which to photograph the trains ...