MANSTON HAULS HER FIRST TRAIN UNAIDED SINCE 1964 - AND WHAT A TRAIN IT WAS! - 26th September 2008

Photo Report from Andrew P.M. Wright - dated 27th September 2008
Official photographer & press officer, Swanage Railway.
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Southern Locomotive Ltd's unrebuilt Bulleid Pacific locomotive Manston sweeps round the gentle curve over the viaduct at Corfe Castle heading north for Norden park and ride on 26th September 2008. The rake was some nine coaches with Standard Tank No. 80078 on the Swanage end as Manston could not run round its train at Norden because of the length of the train.

A Bulleid Pacific steam locomotive that has cost £750,000 to restore from a scrapyard wreck to a gleaming and fully working Leviathan of steam over five years has hauled its first train unaided since being withdrawn from service with British Railways during the summer of 1964.

Andrew P.M. Wright has supplied nearly 30 photos of this historic event. To see the full set of photos, please scroll down to the bottom of the page.

It was a truly impressive sight as Battle of Britain class unrebuilt Bulleid Pacific No. 34070 Manston - owned and restored by Southern Locomotives Ltd - effortlessly swept round the gentle curve over the viaduct at Corfe Castle heading north for Norden park and ride as the light fell at dusk on the early evening of Friday, 26 September 2008.

Manston approaching Norden from Corfe Catle on 26th September 2008

The nine-coach test train had left Swanage at 6.33pm and its total weight was an impressive 401 tonnes - including Standard Class 4 Tank No. 80078, also owned and restored by Southern Locomotives Ltd, on the Swanage end as the train was too long for Manston to run round it at Norden.

As Manston swept over the viaduct and up the gradient to Norden park and ride in the fading light, the scene was reminiscent of Bulleid Pacifics hauling long summer Saturday trains from London Waterloo down to Corfe Castle and Swanage via the 'Old Road' at Ringwood, West Moors, Wimborne and Broadstone; from the mid-1940s through to the autumn of 1966 and the end of timetabled steam traction on the Swanage branch.

Manston's crew on 26th September 2008, driver Graham Froud and fireman Matt McManus, and crewing ex-BR Standard Tank No. 80078 on the Swanage end as Manston could not run round its train at Norden because of the length of the train were driver Oscar Martin and fireman Billy Johnson

It was the first time that a Southern Locomotives Ltd restored unrebuilt Battle of Britain class Bulleid Pacific had hauled a train on the Swanage Railway since the first few days of January, 2003.

Back then, the locomotive was No. 34072 '257 Squadron' which had hauled trains on the relaid Purbeck Line since the early 1990s and was withdrawn from traffic in January, 2003, for a heavy engineering overhaul.

The train crew for the 'spam can's historic loaded test run were driver Graham Froud and fireman Matt McManus on Manston, and the crew of the ex-BR Standard Tank No. 80078 - built at Brighton in 1954 - were driver Oscar Martin and fireman Billy Johnson.

With its distinctive air-smoothed casing over the boiler, the unrebuilt Bulleid Pacific had spent the four previous days in the goods shed at Swanage having its lining out paint job completed, its splendid British Railways totem transfers applied to the tender and other work on the locomotive completed - including the electrics.

Manston arrives at Norden on 26th September 2008.

On the loaded test run from Swanage, the train passed the diesel multiple unit at Corfe Castle - the two coach Class 108 Western Region DMU forming the 6.35pm 'down' train from Norden park and ride to Swanage with driver John Dennison at the controls.

At Norden, No. 80078 was uncoupled off the rear of the nine-coach train before it ran back under the skew-arch narrow gauge clay tramway bridge and back up into the run-round loop to take water.

Ex-BR Standard Tank No. 80078 shown taking on water.

With darkness having fallen, the impressive entourage left Norden at around 7.25pm for its non-stop run back to Swanage - passing the DMU on the 7.10pm Swanage to Corfe Castle train at Corfe Castle and finally arriving at the terminal station at 7.47pm.

The signalmen on duty for Manston's historic Friday evening hauling of its first train unaided since the summer of 1964 were Phil Eakins at Swanage and Paul Clements at Corfe Castle.

To see the full set of photos, please scroll down to the bottom of the page.