Goods Trains and Brake Van Rides - New for 1998

Report and photographs by Keith & Morgan

The Swanage Railway is now running demonstration goods trains plus brake van rides every Saturday and Sunday until the middle of July. The brake van rides allow visitors to see the railway from a different perspective and cost £6-00 for the full return trip between Swanage and Norden. The trains will run every Saturday and Sunday during periods when one service train is operating. (All yellow and Green days in the 1998 timetable - see the timetable pages for details). Advance booking is available from the Booking Office on 01929 425800 but please note that a minimum age of 16 years applies for passengers carried in the brake van.

This photograph shows USA Tank No 30075 at the head of a mixed goods train running bunker first into Harman's Cross from Swanage on 28th February 1998.

Readers of the popular Steam Railway magazine will have seen the excellent photograph by Mervyn Turvey on page 17 of the April 1998 issue showing USA Tank No 30075 at the head of a mixed goods train passing through Townsend at Corfe Castle on 8th February. Needing no more persuasion than the sight of the photograph, we headed off to Swanage ourselves on Saturday 28th February to see the trains for ourselves and to take a few of our own photographs for this report. Fortunately, despite a discouraging weather forecast, the morning was bright and sunny but the afternoon clouded over rapidly, as you may see from some of the photographs.

Here we see the exchange of tokens at Harman's Cross as the train prepares to leave for Corfe Castle and Norden.

A couple of minutes up the track towards Corfe Castle the track passes under the main road, which is always a popular spot to watch the trains go by...

The restored Corfe Castle station now has its own shop, and is increasingly busy with visitors arriving at the picturesque and historic village by train in order to explore the castle and surrounding area. Here we see No 30075 approaching Corfe Castle on its return from Norden and waiting in the down platform at the station while the crew takes on liquid refreshments.

In addition to the special goods trains and brake van ride services, the normal low season timetable was in operation. The passenger services were hauled by BR Standard class 4 No 80104, seen here crossing the viaduct at Corfe Castle.

Once again the Bird's Nest provided a welcome break with the now normal wide selection of sandwiches, cakes and hot savouries, plus plenty of tea, coffee and soft drinks. (And that was just for us!)