MEMORIES OF THE END OF SOUTHERN STEAM - 5th July 2007

News Item and Press Release from Andrew P.M. Wright - dated 5th July 2007
Official photographer & press officer, Swanage Railway.
Photographs are copyright Andrew P.M. Wright unless otherwise acknowledged.
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By Andrew P.M. Wright

Can it really be that long – 40 years – since steam traction ended on the Southern Region of British Railways?

A 'back to work' Monday in 1967 saw Bulleid Pacifics and the Standard classes of steam engines replaced by the clean 'turn of a key' power of 4-REP electric units and 'push-pull' Class 33 diesel-electrics with their 4TC carriage sets.

Monday, July 9th, is – of course ­– the 40th anniversary, to the day, of the final day of steam traction on British Rail's Southern Region.

Back in 1967, for those too young to remember that sad day, the July 9th fell on a hot and sunny Sunday. The Beatles' hit album 'Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band had just been released.

From Monday, July 10th, 1967, services between London Waterloo, Southampton and Bournemouth utilised electric traction - combinations of 4REP units marshaled into usually three sets.

Between Bournemouth, Wareham and Weymouth from that Monday, the clean new look services were in the hands of 4-TC 'push-pull' stock hauled by Class 33 'push-pull' diesel electric locomotives.

By the winter of 1967, the motive power depot on the west side of Bournemouth's Central station was devoid of track with its soot-stained buildings marooned and ready for demolition - work that took place in late 1967 and early 1968. Eventually, the land on which the motive power depot stood became, of course, a car park.

On the Swanage branch, regular services between Wareham, Corfe Castle and the restore terminus ceased to be steam operated at the end of Sunday, 4th September, 1966.

From the following morning, the trains were made up of three-coach 'Hamsphire' class DEMUs – first in BR green livery and then, from the second half of 1967, BR rail blue.

But, there still was some steam on the Swanage branch during the first six months of 1967 thanks to end of steam specials run for railway enthusiasts.

On a dull March afternoon in 1967, the Manchester Rail Travel Society traversed the branch – hauled by an Ivatt tank that used to work the branch between Wareham, Corfe Castle and Swanage only the previous year.

Then, on Sunday, 7th May, 1967, there was probably the most famous end of steam rail tour to visit the Swanage branch - the much photographed 'Dorset Coast Express' run by the Locomotive Club of Great Britain. At the head of the train was the unrebuilt 'West Country' class Bulleid Pacific No. 34023 'Blackmore Vale' which is preserved on the Bluebell Railway in Susex.

The long train made two trips down the branch and stopped – on both occasions – at Corfe Castle so that the train could perform run pasts for photographs. It is rumoured that this was the first time that this had ever taken place during a rail tour.

On the late morning of Sunday, 7th May, 1967 – and with the usual three-coach DEMU sat in the south bay at Wareham – the first run of the 'Dorset Coast Express' saw BR Standard Class 4 2-6-0 tender locomotive No. 76026, another regular Swanage performer, on the rear. The weather was rainy and windy.

For the second trip, in the afternoon, the sun had come out and chased away the rain showers as BR Standard Class 4 Tank No. 80011 – another regular Swanage branch engine – took up the rear of the rail tour that had travelled down from London.

The next end of steam special to traverse the Swanage branch was organised by the Warwickshire Railway Society and travelled down to Dorset from Birmingham. For its trip down to Swanage, the weather was ideal - hot and sunny with an azure blue sky.

This was the only steam-hauled working to be made up of carriage stock painted in the new post steam BR blue and grey livery. Most of the stock were Mark One carriages but there were a few of the brand new Mark Two carriages in the rake – the first time that Mark Twos had ever been seen on the Swanage branch.

Coupled on the Swanage end of the train was rebuilt 'West Country' Class Bulleid Pacific No. 34004 'Yeovil' which, you've guessed it, had been a regular performer on the Swanage branch hauling London trains. In fact, 'Yeovil' had hauled one of the last London trains from Swanage on Saturday, 3rd September, 1966.

On the Wareham end of the Warwickshire Railway Society end of steam rail tour was BR Standard Class 4 Tank No. 80146 which was a regular visitor to Corfe Castle and Swanage on branch line trains between 1964 and 1966. Unlike the Dorset Coast Express the previous month, 'Yeovil' and No. 80146 made only one trip down the branch.

The very last steam train to traverse the Swanage branch was on Sunday, 18th June, 1967, and, again, the weather was hot and sunny with clear blue skies. The previous day, Saturday 17th June, 1967, Swanage signal box was closed with the line below Corfe Castle being worked as a 'long siding' under a train staff which was a piece of wood.

Organised by the Railway Correspondence and Travel Society (RCTS) this time, the train had rebuilt 'Battle of Britain' class Bulleid Pacific No. 34089 '602 Squadron' on the Swanage end and, for the second time in a week, BR Standard Class 4 Tank No. 80146 on the Wareham end. The rail tour made just one trip down the branch.

This rail tour is of historic for two reasons - firstly, '602 Squadron' was the last Bulleid Pacific to be overhauled at Eastleigh works in September, 1966, while during its trip down to Corfe Castle, the train started at least two lineside fires – at Battlemead near Corfe Castle and Herston near Swanage. They were, of course, the last lineside fires on the Swanage branch caused by steam traction.

As No. 80146 – with '601 Squadron' assisting on the rear – pulled the special out of Corfe Castle station, through the cutting, over the viaduct and up the 1 in 80 gradient to Norden, few people on board – not least the BR locomotive crews – ever thought that steam traction would be enjoyed on the Swanage branch again.

But, despite the odds, the first steam train would run a few hundred yards over hand laid track at Swanage station 13 years later - in April, 1980. The locomotive then was 'Richard Trevithick', a small 0-4-0 oil burning saddle tank, with two carriages in tow.

In December, 1989, the first ex-BR main line steam locomotives were seen at Swanage and replaced the industrial steam locomotives because of the three mile gradient up to Harman's Cross – two miles of it at 1 in 78 and 1 in 76. The first Bulleid Pacific – '257 Squadron' – would be seen at Swanage in 1990.

Drawing things full circle, this weekend's 40th anniversary of the end of Southern steam celebrations on the Swanage Railway will see a BR Standard Class 4 2-6-0 tender locomotive in the form of No. 76079 run at Corfe Castle and Swanage for the first time since Sunday, 7th May, 1967, and that first trip – in the late morning and in the rain – by the 'Dorset Coast Express'.

It's going to be a great three days on the relaid Purbeck Line – make sure you don't miss it!

One-day rover tickets for unlimited day and evening travel are £15 for adults with concessions £10 while evening rover tickets for unlimited travel after 5pm are £4 for adults and £3 for concessions.