FIRST BALLAST TRAIN RUNS ON TO THE SWANAGE RAILWAY SINCE THE LATE 1960s - 10th October 2007
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News Item and Press Release from Andrew P.M. Wright
Official photographer & press officer, Swanage Railway.
Photographs are copyright Andrew P.M. Wright unless otherwise acknowledged.
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Please scroll down the page to see the full set of over 260 photos of the ballast train in operation on the Swanage Railway on 10th October 2007.

The massive Class 66 diesel-electric locomotive No. 66 704 Colchester Power Signalbox built by General Motors of London, Ontario, Canada, and operated by the GB Railfreight company on the Swanage Railway hauling nearly 1000 tons of ballast in 15 hopper wagons on Wednesday 10th October 2007.

Dorset railway history has been made with an engineers' ballast train running from the national network on to the Swanage Railway's relaid Purbeck Line - for the first time since the late 1960s.

The historic first use of the Swanage Railway's connection with the national railway system at Motala, near Furzebrook, for the running of a high-tech 'auto-ballaster' train took place on the morning of Wednesday, 10th October, 2007.

The operation of the special train also saw the first ever Class 66 diesel-electric locomotive run down to Corfe Castle and Swanage.

The massive Class 66 diesel-electric locomotive No. 66 704 Colchester Power Signalbox built by General Motors of London, Ontario, Canada, and operated by the GB Railfreight company arrives at the Swanage Railway hauling nearly 1000 tons of ballast in 15 hopper wagons on Wednesday 10th October 2007.

The running of the special computerised train composed of 15 specialist ballast wagons also prevented the need for the stone track ballast to be brought into the Isle of Purbeck by road in some 45 lorries.

At some 1,476 tonnes in weight - including the locomotive - the ballast train was the heaviest train to ever run on the Swanage Railway since the line to Corfe Castle and Swanage opened in 1885.

It was also the first ballast train to run from the national railway network to the Swanage Railway since the last 1960s.

That was in the days when British Rail owned the ten mile branch line from Wareham and the ballast was needed to support the railway track on the embankment at New Barn, between Harman's Cross and Swanage.

In the late 1960s, the BR ballast trains that visited the Swanage Railway were composed of traditional open wagons and were hauled by diesel locomotives - Class 33s, Class 73s and Class 74.

Network Rail Wareham signalman Bob Richards (left) at Wareham signal box with Bournemouth-based Network Rail mobile operations manager Terry Williams (right) holding the Motala crossing signal token and points key.

In a twist of history, the ballast train's return trip to Eastleigh was signalled off the branch at Worgret Junction by Network Rail Wareham signalman Bob Richards - the first time that he had signalled a ballast train from the Swanage branch to the national railway system since he was a BR signalman at Corfe Castle in the late 1960s.

The running of the 'auto-ballaster' train bringing stone ballast to support the railway track between Motala and Norden was run thanks to Network Rail, GB Railfreight, the English, Welsh & Scottish railway company, as well as Balfour Beatty and the Swanage Railway.

The massive Class 66 diesel-electric locomotive No. 66 704 Colchester Power Signalbox arrives at the Swanage Railway hauling nearly 1000 tons of ballast in 15 hopper wagons on Wednesday 10th October 2007.

It was also the longest train - the equivalent of 14 coaches in length - to run on to the Swanage Railway since the special end of BR steam railtours of 1967 and indeed the troops trains of the Second World War.

The train carried almost 1,000 tonnes of stone ballast in 15 high-tech computerised ballast hoppers and started its journey from Eastleigh, near Southampton, in Hampshire.

The massive Class 66 diesel-electric locomotive and the team at the Motala connection with Network Rail on Wednesday 10th October 2007.

The locomotive that hauled the historic ballast train was Class 66 diesel-electric locomotive No. 66 704 named Colchester Power Signalbox built by General Motors of London, Ontario, Canada, and operated by the GB Railfreight company. The headcode for the special train was '6G66' for both the inward and outward journey.

Steve Dyer of the Swanage Railway perates of the joint groundframe levers at Motala with the Network Rail and Swanage signalling keys in place on Wednesday 10th October 2007.

The booked times for the special train down to the Swanage Railway were Eastleigh east yard 7.18am, Eastleigh 7.21am, St Deny's 07.31am, Northam Junction 07.33am, Southampton Central 7.38am, Redbridge 07.50am, Brockenhurst 8.03am, Bournemouth 8.35am, Branksome 08.41am, Poole 8.46am, Wareham 8.56am and Furzebrook sidings 9.27am.

All 15 ballast hoppers should have come from the Isle of Grain on an EWS infrastructure service, train number '6Y42' departing Hoo Junction at 2.10pm bound for Eastleigh on Tuesday 9th October 2007 and due to arrive there at 5.50pm. In reality, only ten ballast hoppers were sent from Hoo Junction with the other five arriving on an ESW special from Westbury in Wiltshire - train number '6F36' leaving Westbury at 8.30pm and arriving at Eastleigh at 9.40pm on Tuesday 9th October 2007.

The special train dropping stone ballast on the relaid Purbeck Line

The shunters at Eastleigh's East Yard 13 then shunted the two rakes of ballast hoppers together to make up the 15 required for '6G66's historic journey on to the Swanage Railway.

The train made several runs over each stretch of line that needed to be ballasted, depending on whether the stone needed to be dropped between the rails - known as the 'four foot' - or on the outside of the rail next to the edge of the sleepers.

The special train dropping stone ballast on the relaid Purbeck Line

And with the predominant gradient between Motala and Norden being 1 in 80 falling towards Corfe Castle, the Class 66 needed to use all its power to move the long ballast train up the incline at the slow speed required for the ballasting operation.

The special train - known as an 'auto-ballaster' - dropped stone ballast between the sleepers over a one mile section of the relaid Purbeck Line that is not currently used for passenger carrying trains between Motala and Norden park and ride station.

Motala is currently the location of the connection between the Swanage Railway and the national railway network while Norden park and ride station is currently the start of the Swanage Railway's six mile passenger train operation down to Corfe Castle and Swanage.

The massive Class 66 diesel-electric locomotive No. 66 704 Colchester Power Signalbox at Swanage station on Wednesday 10th October 2007.

During a break in the ballasting operation, the Class 66 diesel-electric locomotive ran down to Corfe Castle and Swanage - the first time ever that such a Class 66 had run down to the seaside terminal station.

The Class 66 was coupled to the Swanage Railway's 1960 ex-BR Class 33 diesel locomotive No. D6515 'Stan Symes'. D6515 was based with BR at Bournemouth for many years and was the last locomotive to run to Wimborne on the former 'Castleman's Corkscrew' between Poole, Broadstone, Wimborne, West Moors, Ringwood and Brockenhurst which closed to passenger traffic in May, 1964.

Class 66 diesel-electric locomotive No. 66 704 Colchester Power Signalbox with the Swanage Railway's 1960 ex-BR Class 33 diesel locomotive No. D6515 Stan Symes at Swanage signal box and at Corfe Castle station on Wednesday 10th October 2007.

When the Class 66 with the long ballast train in tow reached Norden park and ride station, the Class 33 - driven by Mel Cox, a former BR fireman at Bournemouth during the days of steam who went on to drive Virgin Voyager express trains - was used to shunt the train so that the Class 66 could be put on the Wareham end of the ballast wagons.

Swanage Railway chairman, Bill Trite, said: "This was a very big and momentous day in the history of the Swanage Railway - something that several generations of volunteers have been working towards since British Rail closed and lifted the branch line to Corfe Castle and Swanage in 1972.

The special train and staff at Norden on the Swanage Railway on Wednesday 10th October 2007.

"The running of this ballast train shows the importance of our newly commissioned connection with the national railway system between Norden and Furzebrook and I would like to thank everyone involved in the planning and running of this special train.

"Bringing in the almost 1,000 tonnes of track ballast to the Isle of Purbeck by rail meant that some 45 lorries journeys were taken off the busy A351 down to Corfe Castle.

"Had the ballast come in by road on 45 lorries, the stone would have had to be loaded into railway wagons at our road-rail interchange at Norden park and ride station before being taken up the line by train and dropped between the sleepers of the track," explained Mr Trite.

The special ballast train was also a chance for the Swanage Railway to assist with the training of staff working on the national railway system run by Network Rail.

The special train at Norden on the Swanage Railway on Wednesday 10th October 2007.

That's because dropping of the ballast on to the track between Motala and Norden was carried out by employees of the Network Rail contractor Balfour Beatty who were half way through a special course on how to operate the special 'auto-ballaster' trains which are used in track maintenance throughout the country.

Bill Trite added: "The Swanage Railway is delighted to be able to help Balfour Beatty and Network Rail with the training of staff that work on their tracks.

"The advantage of the Swanage Railway was that the students, under expert tuition, could practise their new-found knowledge in the classroom in a practical and very hands-on way without interrupting any train services as we do not yet run passenger trains between Norden and Motala.

"The running of this special engineering train on to the Swanage Railway from the national railway network shows the importance of our connection with Network Rail for the benefit of the environment, Network Rail, its contractors, locomotive operators and the Swanage Railway.

The special train on the Swanage Railway on Wednesday 10th October 2007.

"I look forward to the Swanage Railway taking part in the planning and running of future such trains for the mutual benefit of everyone involved," explained Mr Trite.

The cost of the almost 1,000 tonnes of stone track ballast - worth some £10,000 - was paid for by the Swanage Railway. Stone ballast from two different quarries was dropped - five hoppers each carrying 60 tonnes of ballast from the Mendip Hills in Somerset and ten hoppers each carrying 60 tonnes of ballast from the islands of Scotland.

The special train and team at Motala on the Swanage Railway on Wednesday 10th October 2007.

The locomotive that hauled the historic ballast train was a Class 66 diesel-electric locomotive No. 66 704 built by General Motors of London, Ontario, Canada, and operated by the GB Railfreight company. The crew of the Class 66 locomotive was made up of GB Railfreight drivers Paul Lemon and Graham Bethell.

The running of the special train from Network Rail to Swanage Railway - and the return journey - was supervised by Bournemouth-based Network Rail mobile operations manager Terry Williams.

The ballasting expert providing the training to the Balfour Beatty 'auto-ballaster' students was Bob Morgan of MTS based at the Hillside Works, The Street, Mileham, Norfolk.

The special train departs the Swanage Railway in the morning mist on Thursday 11th October 2007.

The 'auto-ballaster' train was securely stabled between Norden and Motala overnight and returned to Eastleigh on the morning of Thursday, 11th October 2007.

The booked times for the return journey were Furzebrook Oil Sidings 10.20am, Wareham 10.42am, Poole 10.52am, Branksome 10.58am, Bournemouth 11.05am, Brockenhurst 11.21am, Redbridge 11.35am, Southampton Central 11.39am, Northam Junction 11.42am, St Deny's 11.46am, Eastleigh 11.53am and Eastleigh east yard 11.58am.

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