The dedicated Swanage Railway volunteers will be undertaking and operating all the new additions this December including extra services, refreshed line side and station lighting displays, which have all been put in place following the huge success of last years festive services.
The services will operate over 17 days with two evening trains on each departing from Swanage at 5.15pm and 7.15pm and for a second year will replace the ‘Santa Specials' which are unable to run due to the steps needed to counter the spread of Covid-19.
The pre-book festive ‘Steam and Lights' service will run on selected days between Sunday the 27th of November and Friday the 31st of December and will see trains adorned with brightly coloured lights steaming through the Isle of Purbeck with the dark evenings providing a perfect backdrop as the glittering locomotives make their festive journey.
The huge success of last years ‘Steam and Lights' trains saw the services completely sell out with extra trains being added to keep up with demand.
The carriages will be decorated for the festive season and will be kept cosy and warm with steam-heating. Other festive fun onboard will include music specially synchronised to line side lighting displays as the carriages run by.
A dramatic switch-on of the festive train lights will also be included ahead of passengers boarding the ‘Steam and Lights' train at Swanage. The station will only be open to ‘Steam and Lights' passengers with Herston Halt, Harman's Cross, Corfe Castle and Norden stations closed to the public.
The ‘Steam and Lights' services have to be booked ahead with tickets costing £85 for a table of up to four people or £50 for a table of two people, with the round trip taking one hour.
For further information or to book please visit www.swanagerailway.co.uk/events
The Swanage Railway's volunteer passenger services director Trevor Parsons said: “We are very excited to be running a second year of festive ‘Steam and Lights' trains in the run-up to Christmas because the service is very special and out of this world – colourful, evocative and dramatic. We are looking forward to it tremendously.
“Last year's festive ‘Steam and Lights' train services, in the run up to Christmas, were a sold out success with extra trains having to be operated to cope with public demand.
“The need to keep our passengers and staff safe against the threat of Covid-19 means that we are asking our passengers to wear face coverings when on the station platform and on the festive trains.
“With the help of an experienced and reputable company specialising in synchronised lighting and music, we have been working very hard to design a special festive train service that will make wonderful and magical memories for children and adults in the run-up to Christmas,” added Trevor.
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