OFFICERS' SPECIAL TRAINS RUN TO WORGRET JUNCTION ON 18th SEPTEMBER 2009
Page 1 - Introduction

News Item and Photo Report from Andrew P.M. Wright - dated 15th October 2009
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.

Viitors inspect progress at Corfe Castle on trip to Worgret Junction. Photo copyright Andrew P.M. Wright

By Andrew P.M. Wright.

It was a tantilising taste of what the future will hopefully offer - and another step forward in the long-running campaign by the Swanage Railway for an amenity train service between Swanage, Corfe Castle and Wareham.

The weather may have been grey and overcast but the atmosphere on board was bright and spirits were up-beat on Friday 18 September 2009.

That was because the Swanage Railway's single unit 'Bubble Car' DMU made two return trips from Norden park and ride and over the three-mile section of Network Rail line and former Swanage branch to just short of Worgret Junction and the main line from London to Weymouth.

On board the DMU were guests from Network Rail, local parish, district and county councils - including the county council chairman - South West trains as well as statutory bodies and Government agencies as well as members of the Purbeck Rail Partnership. Also present was South Dorset Member of Parliament Jim Knight.

The purpose of the officers' special train hosted by Swanage Railway chairman Mike Whitwam, assisted by Mick Stone, was to show that the Swanage Railway was connected to the national railway network at Motala - between Norden and Furzebrook - and also to show the special guests the three-mile Network Rail line to Worgret Junction.

All this was part of an effort to bring the parties interested in a Swanage Railway connected to the national railway network together to discuss how the £3 million could be raised to pay for the re-signalling of Worgret Junction which would bring regular passenger trains running between Wareham, Corfe Castle and Swanage one step closer.

If the £3 million can be raised by the Spring of 2010 by the Purbeck Rail Partnership - which is composed of local councils, the Swanage Railway, Network Rail and British Petroleum among others - then the re-signalling of Worgret Junction would be completed as part of Network Rail's Poole to Wool re-signalling scheme.

On boarding the special train, guests were handed special Swanage Railway information packs - entitled 'The Wareham Extension' - containing a summary of the issues, a description of the line from Motala to Worgret as well as information about the Swanage Railway; all complemented by photographs from Andrew P.M. Wright.

The two special trips from Norden to just short of Worgret Junction took place thanks to the help of Network Rail and West Coast Railways.

Between Motala and the approach to Worgret Junction by Baggs' Bridge, the 'Bubble Car' DMU was driven by the Swanage Railway's Mel Cox who is also a part-time main line driver with West Coast Railways. The guard was of Mark Taylor of West Coast Railways.

Between Norden park and ride and Motala - the boundary with Network Rail and the national railway system - the single unit 'Bubble Car', formerly a South West Trains driver route training DMU, was driven by founder Swanage Railway volunteer Bob McGaw. The guard was Martin Kurtler.

After the DMU's two trips to Worgret Junction - the unit stopping at certain points along the Network Rail line to explain items of interest - the 'Bubble Car' driven by Bob McGaw and guarded by Martin Kurtler took the special guests to Corfe Castle where they were shown the rapidly emerging signal box on the 'down' platform.

When complete, the new Corfe Castle signal box - on the site of the original between 1885 and 1955 - will be the interface with Network Rail and its high-tech signalling centre at Bournemouth station.

Over the past couple of months, negotiations have been continuing with various outside bodies regarding the proposed daily passenger trains to Wareham. As a part of this initiative, a meeting was held on 15 July 2009 at the Department for Transport in London to discuss possible funding for the signalling on to the branch at Worgret Junction.

Member of Parliament Jim Knight was present, as well as representatives from the Swanage Railway, Dorset county and Purbeck district councils and Network Rail.

To see the full set of photos, please follow these links.

Due to the large number of photographs, we have split them onto separate pages as follows:
Page 1 - Introduction here
Page 2 - Inspection of Corfe Castle's new signal box here
Page 3 - Lineside photographs of the journey between Norden & Worgret here
Page 4 - The journey between Norden & Worgret here
Page 5 - The journey between Worgret & Norden here