BULLEID BRILLIANCE COMES TO SWANAGE - TIMES THREE!
Sunday 29th November 2009

News Item and Press Release from Andrew P.M. Wright - dated 26th November 2009
Official photographer & press officer, Swanage Railway.
Photographs are copyright Andrew P.M. Wright.
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Magnificent Bulleids at Corfe Castle on the Swanage Railway. Battle of Britain classmates number 34070 Manston passes visiting locomotive number 34067 Tangmere at Corfe Castle.

Swanage is definitely the place to be on Sunday - no matter what the weather - because three Bulleid Pacifics will be operating the day's train services on the award-winning six mile relaid Purbeck Line to Herston, Harman's Cross, Corfe Castle and Norden park and ride.

To see our special downloadable all-steam timetable for Sunday 29th November, please scroll to the bottom of the page or see our timetable page.

The Swanage Railway's two resident Bulleids - 'Eddystone' and 'Manston' restored by Southern Locomotives Ltd - will be joined by 'Tangmere' which will be fresh from making railway history; hauling the first steam train from Swanage to London and back since the first weekend of September 1966 on Saturday 28 November 2009.

The three Bulleid Pacifics will be hauling service trains between Swanage, Herston Halt, Harman's Cross, Corfe Castle and Norden park and ride consequtively - No. 34070 'Manston' hauling the 9.50am from Swanage, No. 34028 'Eddystone' the 10.30am from Swanage and No. 34067 'Tangmere' the 11.10am from Swanage.

The highlight of Sunday's Bulleid Pacific Day will be when the 1.10pm train from Swanage to Norden and return will be double-headed by the two unrebuilt Bulleid Pacifics No. 34067 'Tangmere' and No. 34070 'Manston'.

No 34028 Eddystone with a demonstration goods train on the Swanage Railway

No. 34028 'Eddystone' was built for the Southern Railway and entered service during May 1946 carrying the Bulleid number 21C128. It was re-numbered No. 34028 in December 1948 and had its Southern Railway livery replaced with its green British Railways colour scheme in December 1951.

Its 'wedge' cab was fitted during 1954 and 'Eddystone' was rebuilt - shedding its streamlined air-smoothed boiler casing - in August 1958.

'Eddystone' was based at Ramsgate in Kent for almost two years before being transferred to the west of England and British Railways' Exmouth Junction locomotive depot during the mid-1950s.

By the time that 'Eddystone' was withdrawn from traffic in May 1964, it had run a total mileage of more than 850,000 miles - completing 560,000 miles in its unrebuilt form and more than 280,000 miles as a rebuilt locomotive.

Magnificent Bulleids at Corfe Castle on the Swanage Railway. Battle of Britain classmates number 34070 Manston double-heading with visiting locomotive number 34067 Tangmere approaching Norden from Corfe Castle.

No. 34070 'Manston' was built at Brighton in 1947 and entered service with the Southern Railway as No. 21C170 on 21 October of that year and was renumbered No. 34070 on 31 March 1949.

'Manston' made history on two counts - it was the last of the Bulleid light pacifics to enter service with Bulleid numbers and the last of the locomotive class to retain a malachite green livery.

Being a Ramsgate-allocated locomotive, 'Manston' was chosen to haul the first 'Thanet Belle' summer Pullman service from Victoria to Ramsgate on 31 May 1948. The final 'Thanet Belle' was to run on 24 September 1950.

'Manston' was given its green British Railways livery in March 1953 and by the time it was withdrawn from service in September 1964 the locomotive had run more than 700,000 miles.

No. 34067 'Tangmere' was built in 1947 and entered service with the Southern Railway as 21C167 in September of that year - being officially named by a Royal Air Force Wing Commander at Brighton.

Its Bulleid number was replaced with the British Railways number No. 34067 in July 1949 and it was painted in its new British Railways livery in April 1951. 'Tangmere' was based at Salisbury in Wiltshire for two and a half years.

In service for 16 years, 'Tangmere' spent 12 years allocated to the Stewarts Lane locomotive depot in London. When withdrawn from service in November 1963, 'Tangmere' had run more than 680,000 miles.

The 'West Country' and 'Battle of Britain' class Bulleid light Pacifics - both the unrebuilt and rebuilt versions - hauled through London trains down to Corfe Castle and Swanage from the late 1940s until June 1967; less than a month before the end of stream traction on the Southern Region of British Railways.