PETE DUNCALFE WITH 6695 ON THE SWANAGE RAILWAY ON SATURDAY 11th MARCH 2006
Page 1 of 3

News Item and Photo Report from Andrew P.M. Wright - dated 11th March 2006
Official photographer & press officer, Swanage Railway.
Photographs are copyright Andrew P.M. Wright.
To view a larger version of any photograph on this page, just click on the thumbnail photograph and subsequently use the Back button on your browser to return to this page.

Andrew P.M. Wright has supplied over 60 photos taken on Saturday, 11th March 2006.

We have split the photos over several pages. Please follow the links at the foot of this page for more photos.

A devoted Swanage Railway volunteer has taken to the controls of the newly restored GWR 'Taffy' Tank No. 6695 for the first time - 26 years after he helped bring it by road transporter from a south Wales scrapyard to Swanage.

Long-time driver Pete Duncalfe worked his first turn on the gleaming 0-6-2 wheel arrangement tank locomotive - built for the Great Western Railway by Armstrong Whitworth in Newcastle in 1928 - on Saturday, 11th March, 2006.

Also working three return trips between Swanage, Harman's Cross, Corfe Castle and Norden park and ride was his fireman Dave Reeves.

Just a few weeks ago, 6695 hauled its first passenger train since late 1962.

For the 44 year old father of two from Corfe Mullen near Poole, who works for a High Street bank, it was a very special moment as he prepared No. 6695 for her day's work outside Swanage engine shed.

"With Nigel Clark and other volunteers from Swanage, I travelled to the Barry scrapyard in South Wales to prepare 6695 for her move to Swanage," explained Pete.

"I clearly remember loading 6695 on to the Hedgeman's low-loader at Barry which took most of the day. It was a very hot and sultry day - it must have been a Saturday - and I remember that I was car sick on the way up.

"While we were waiting for the low loader to arrive, Julian Hathaway and I took the opportunity to look over some of the other locomotives that were languishing at Barry - including Port Line, Eddystone and 80104 which later came to Swanage.

"When 6695 arrived at Swanage on that August day in 1979, the only track laid was a main line from the station, under Northbrook Bridge, past the disused turntable pit and up to the stream bridge behind the engine shed.

"The Swanage Railway had only just managed to get a foothold at Swanage - we couldn't lay our first track at the station until 1977 - and the project was still in its embryonic stages. The turntable pit outside the engine shed was half-filled with rubbish and water.

"For a long time, bits of 6695 were scattered around Swanage station. I helped out with two craning operations when 6695's water tanks were lifted off and her ashpan was cut off.

"But for the rest of the time, I concentrated on helping with track laying as we pushed the running line out of station limits at Swanage to Victoria Avenue, then the site of Herston Halt and beyond to New Barn and up to Harman's Cross," he added.

Growing up in Wareham, but originally from Bristol, Pete was just 13 years of age when, back in early 1976, he helped to strip peeling wallpaper off the walls of the stationmaster's house at Swanage after the fledgling Swanage Railway first gained access to the station building.

But, the enthusiastic teenager had to wait until his 16th birthday when he could become a Swanage Railway volunteer proper - and that moment came in June, 1978.

Pete has been a fireman at Swanage since 1980 and a driver since 1984 - being passed out by the then Swanage Railway's footplate inspector, the late George Elliott, who used to work at Bournemouth motive power depot during the days of steam. George only died a few months ago, in Portsmouth.

Pete explained: "The 6695 Locomotive Group has done a wonderful restoration job on 6695. Driving her out of Swanage on Saturday, I had to pinch myself that she was really hauling a train and that I was driving her.

"They have done a marvellous restoration on 6995. She is ever so good - a really strong engine. 6695 just runs around in first valve and maintains line speed and the timetable very, very easily. She is a pleasure to drive - absolutely superb. 6695 was really tight, really good.

"With her Class 5 power classification, 6695 handles the 1 in 76 and 1 in 78 bank up to Harman's Cross as though it is not there. She virtually doesn't notice it.

"Going to Barry scrapyard on that weekend to help prepare 6695 for the move to Swanage does seem a long time ago. Well, it was 26 years ago that she arrived at Swanage in August 1979. I was 17 years old at the time.

"But, in those days we were mad and we thought that we could achieve anything. Back in 1979, I never thought that 6695's restoration would take 26 years but, as they say, the best things are worth waiting for," added Pete with a smile.

Also operating on the Swanage Railway on Saturday, in the second path as it is called, was Standard Tank No. 80078 - built at Brighton in 1954 - hauling two coaches to Corfe Castle and Norden for the driver experience trains.

And an unexpected visitor to Corfe Castle as 6695 hauled its trains between Swanage and Norden park and ride was push-pull Class 33 Crompton diesel-electric locomotive No. 33 108.

The Crompton arrived light engine at Corfe Castle - for a brief period of stabling in the goods yard - after hauling a train of empty coaches from Swanage to Harman's Cross. The driver was acting Swanage Railway operations manager Steve Dyer. Later, 33 108 left Corfe Castle light engine for Harman's Cross and Swanage.

In its July, 1967, livery of BR blue and yellow, 33 108 was one of several push-pull Class 33s that worked the Swanage branch - hauling through trains from Bournemouth and London - between the summer of 1967 and October, 1969, when through trains to Purbeck ceased.

It is probable that 33 108 may well have worked trains to Swanage after that date - working ramblers' trains to Corfe Castle and Swanage during 1970 and 1971.

The Swanage branch was closed by British Rail on 1st January, 1972, but several non push-pull Class 33s visited the railhead during the summer of 1972 when the seven miles of track between Swanage and Motala near Furzebrook were lifted in just seven weeks.

But the summer of 1967 was not the first time that Class 33 diesel-electric locomotives worked trains to Corfe Castle and Swanage.

It was in the summer of 1963 that the first Class 33 diesel-electrics - sporting the then British Railway green livery - worked through trains from London down to Corfe Castle and Swanage.

And 33 108 - 33 108 being its TOPs number from the 1970s - may well have visited the Swanage branch before it was converted for push-pull use in 1966 and a working life plying between Bournemouth and Weymouth from July, 1967, when the London to Bournemouth line was electrified and southern steam cam to an end.

It was in May, 1988, that the Bournemouth to Weymouth line was electrified and 33 108's old stamping ground for more than 20 years came to an end.

Resplendent in its BR blue and yellow livery, 33 108 has been at Swanage for almost a year. The other Class 33 diesel-locomotive at Swanage is 'Stan Symes' - named after the legendary Bournemouth railwayman who worked there from 1939 to 1987 - which is not push-pull fitted and sports a British Railways green livery.

6695 has taken 26 years and some £200,000 to restore but £20,000 is still needed to complete the job. Can you help?

To donate money to the 6695 Locomotive Group, or to find out how to become involved with the work of the Group, call Brian House on 01202 873788 or John Webb on 01202 888707.

Please also visit the dedicated 6695 area of the Swanage Railway website for links to many other 6695 related news items and photo reports by clicking here.

Page 1 of 3

To visit the other pages featuring Andrew P.M. Wright's photos taken on Saturday, 11th March 2006, please follow these links.
- To visit the second page of photos please click here.
- To visit the third page of photos please click here.