Dorset heritage railway invites visitors to look behind the scenes

Picture of Janine Booth

Share:

Dorset heritage railway invites visitors to look behind the scenes

Share:

Picture of Janine Booth

Share:

Guard Clare Collins at Swanage Railway
Guard Clare Collins at Swanage Railway // Credit: Amdrew P.M. Wright

After hosting its Winter Warm-up earlier this month, the Railway will hold a Community Weekend next month.

As it did last year and the year before, the weekend event will offer members of the public the chance to see parts of its operation that they do not usually see.

The event will take place on Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 February, from 10:00 until 16:00 each day. Staff at the Railway’s Swanage, Herston, Harman’s Cross, Corfe Castle and stations will take part.

Dorset residents will be able to buy half-price Community Weekend standard travel train tickets, either in advance from the Swanage Railway website or on the day from the ticket offices at Norden, Corfe Castle and Swanage stations.

There will be various activities which visitors can take part in without booking in advance and without charge – although donations are welcome! These include:

  • visits to 1960s heritage telephone exchanges at Harman’s Cross and Corfe Castle stations between 10:30 and 15:30 each day
  • operating signals at the Corfe Castle signalling museum
  • meeting the people who restore heritage carriages at Corfe Castle station
  • looking at and sitting in the 1940s crane that relaid ‘s tracks from Herston to Harman’s Cross, Corfe Castle, Norden and to near Furzebrook between 1985 and 2002.

The first two of these activities are subject to volunteer availability.

Swanage Railway volunteer recruitment stand // Credit: Andrew P.M. Wright

Additional activities for which visitors must pay include:

  • driving a 1950s heritage diesel shunter at Swanage (£20)
  • watch a train guard or travelling ticket inspector carry out their duties (£7.50 – additional train
    travel ticket purchase required)
  • a behind-the-scenes tour of the mechanical signal boxes at Harman’s Cross or Corfe Castle stations (£7.50).
Corfe Castle signaller Trevor Parsons // Credit: Andrew P.M. Wright
Corfe Castle signaller Trevor Parsons // Credit: Andrew P.M. Wright

Members of the public can also use their website to book visits to the Railway’s steam locomotive engineering works. A heritage bus service will run from Swanage and Norden stations to the works, which is located on the outskirts of Swanage.

Visitors will have the chance to talk with volunteers at . This is a small community halt, which can only be reached on foot or by train. It was the Swanage Railway’s first station, opening to traffic in 1984. The volunteers will explain its development.

The weekend events will also include demonstration narrow-gauge diesel trains running between 11:00 and 15:00 at the Swanage Railway Trust’s Purbeck Mineral and Mining Museum, next to Norden station. The Museum celebrates the two-thousand-year history of ball clay mining.

Purbeck Mining Museum Norden
Purbeck Mining Museum, Norden // Credit: Andrew P.M. Wright

“I am so excited to again be throwing open the doors of the Swanage Railway and welcoming the public to see behind the scenes of how one of Dorset’s major tourist attractions is operated and maintained by our dedicated team of staff, most of which are devoted volunteers.

“The atmosphere at our first Community Weekend last year was incredible and it was wonderful that the event was so well supported and prompted so many compliments from the public who attended.”

Event organiser and volunteer train guard Clare Collins

Responses

Related Articles

Upcoming Events