Visitors to the Swanage Railway in Dorset on Saturday, 14th, and Sunday, 15th February will be able to find out what goes on behind the scenes on parts of the railway not normally accessible to the public.

On that weekend, the railway is holding its annual Community Weekend, when visitors can try their hands at being a guard, a diesel driver, working in a signal box, and as a travelling ticket inspector.

Drive a diesel shunter

• Anyone who has dreamed of driving an engine can get the chance at Swanage Station, when, for £25, they can grab the controls and drive a Class 08 diesel shunter from platform 1 to the siding and back. The experience will last about 10 minutes.

Ticket Inspector Experience

• For those with a yearning to travel on a train, checking tickets, they can find out what a Travelling Ticket Inspector does, including how to welcome passengers on board trains and check that they have bought the correct tickets. During a 20-minute journey on board a train travelling to Corfe or Swanage, the railway’s own Travelling Ticket Inspector will explain their equipment, including modern equipment for accepting credit cards and the old-fashioned ticket clippers for punching holes in the Edmondson-type tickets.
  As a sign of authority, guests will be able to wear an inspector’s hat while they travel through the train, checking and clipping tickets, and answering passengers’ questions. Guests will not need to have any previous experience, as an experienced Travelling Ticket Inspector will show them what’s involved. The experience costs £7.50, in addition to the price of a valid travel ticket.

Guard experience

• Trains cannot travel on the Swanage Railway without a guard, and for £7.50, visitors can find out what it takes to be a guard. As well as finding out how to ensure passengers’ and the train’s safety, participants will get the chance to blow a guard’s whistle and wave the green flag. During their 20-minute journey on board a train to Corfe, an experienced guard will explain a guard’s duties. Participants must also have a valid travel ticket.

Signal Box tours at Corfe Castle and Harmans Cross

• The Swanage Railway still has mechanical signal boxes, and at the signal boxes at Corfe Castle and Harmans Cross, visitors can discover how they function. The mysteries of working in a Victorian signal box will be explained, including how the heritage equipment is used to control the railway’s trains, how the railway is run, how the signalling equipment works, and how to control train movements on a single-track branch line. Tours of the signal boxes at Corfe Castle and Harmans Cross each cost £7.50.