Ex-LSWR M7 Tank No. 30053 at Bournemouth Rail Gala '98

NEWS RELEASE From: Andrew P.M. Wright. Swanage Railway Press Officer: May 21 1998

Dorset railway history has been made with the world’s only working Victorian designed M7 tank locomotive returning to Branksome for the first time in 34 years to be one of the stars of South West Trains’ Bournemouth Rail Gala '98 - hauling brake van rides down half a mile of track close to where the six platformed Bournemouth West station used to stand from 1874.

Based on the Swanage Railway’s relaid Purbeck Line and owned by Drummond Locomotives Ltd 1897-designed M7 0-4-4 tank No. 30053 - bulit at Nine Elms, London, in 1905 - returned on Saturday and Sunday, May 16 and 17, 1998, to where the M7s ran from the 1920s to the 1960s.

And in giving the one-mile round trips to members of the public in a newly restored Queen Mary brakevan from the EWS (English, Welsh and Scottish) railway company, No. 30053 ran over a siding that used to be one of the main lines at a gradient of 1 in 101 and 1 in 90 out of Bournemouth West Station until its closure in October, 1965.

It was from Bournemouth West that Merchant Navy class Bulleid Pacifics departed with the prestigious ‘Bournemouth Belle’ express for London; from where S &D 7Fs and 9Fs left with the ‘Pines Express’ for Manchester via the Somerset and Dorset; from where M7 tanks and T9 ‘Greyhounds’ left for the ‘Old Road’ to Wimborne, Ringwood, Brockenhurst or the line from West Moors to Salisbury.

Attracting some 12,000 people over the two days, the Bournemouth Rail Gala '98 was staged by South West Trains (a Stagecoach company) at its Bournemouth Traincare Depot off Nelson Road close to the old Somerset and Dorset sheds at Branksome which closed in 1963.

Every 15 minutes, M7 No. 30053 hauled a freshly maroon painted dual-braked mid-1930s Southern Railway designed and built ‘Queen Mary’ brakevan newly outshopped from EWS’ Toton carriage and wagon depot. The first passenger-carrying duty for the 25 ton express goods brakevan - the only type to be fitted with two coach bogies - was the Bournemouth open day.

It was believed to be the first time a goods brake van was used to carry passengers at a main line depot open day according to the weekend’s M7 driver Peter Sykes of London, a long-time Swanage Railway driver and member of Drummond Locomotives Ltd which owns M7 30053 and has just changed its name from the Drummond Locomotive Society.

The firemen on M7 No. 30053 was Drummond Locomotives Ltd leading light Bob Payne of Swanage and Phil Thrower of Woking. Bob helped acquire the M7 from the USA in 1986. The guards on the M7 brakevan rides were Swanage Railway guards and Drummond Locomotives Limited members Nick Brown of Swanage and Martin James of Egham in Surrey.

M7 guest drivers were Mike Standhaft, ex-BR steam fireman and driver at Bournemouth and Branksome - where he worked on shed pilot M7 No 30127. Mike now drives on the Swanage Railway. Another guest driver was South West Trains Woking driver Dave Hewson with fellow Woking driver Dennis Osman a guest fireman. Bournemouth and Poole-based Virgin Trains cross country driver Melvyn Cox also had a turn on the regulator of No. 30053.

"30053 warked perfectly. It was special to think she was running where she last worked in May, 1964. ut was a funny feeling running auong a track that carried the Bournemouth Belle, the Pines Express and the ‘Lug and Shove’ M7 push-pull working to Wimborne, Ringwood and Brockenhurst as they left Bournemouth West station," said Peter Sykes who drove M7 No. 30053 over the rail gala weekend.

"The public reaction to riding behind the M7 was fantastic. They were anxious to ride behind her on what used to be the LSWR main line. The brakevan shone like a new pin. A lot of South West Trains and Railtrack emplayees were pleased to see LSWR and Southern steam back at Branksome and within a few hundred yards of the old Bournemouth West station," added Peter.

Also an display at Branksome was Southern Railway S15 class 4-6-0 freight locomative No. 828 Harry A. Frith as well as the very latest traction - including one of South West Trains’ newly liveried Class 442 Wessex Electrics: built by British Rail Engineering Limited at Derby in 1987 and refurbished by Adtranz at Crewe Works which used to be owned by BREL.

During the rail gala, a special shuttle train service composed of an early 1990s built three-coach Class 159 diesel unit from the Waterloo to Salisbury and Exeter main line ran between Bournemouth station and the Branksome depot.

The South West Trains’ open day was organised by fleet manager Keith Bowden; services manager Danny Berry; safety advisers Steve Wood and Fred Paine; rail gala co-ordinator Sandra Brown stock movements Keith Bryant with publicity and advertising from Andy Naylor.