Swanage Railway

Four centuries on… Mayflower to honour the Mayflower

by

Sam Hewitt

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10th December 2019

DAVID Buck’s Thompson ‘B1’ 4-6-0 No. 61306 Mayflower will pay homage to the ship of the same name next September when it heads a commemorative railtour from London to Plymouth and Penzance to mark the 400th anniversary of the sailing of the Pilgrim Fathers to the Americas. Steam Dreams’ ‘Mayflower 400’ will leave London Paddington at…
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Roving Repton on autumn gala circuit

by

Sam Hewitt

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19th November 2019

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway’s (NYMR) Southern ‘Schools’ 4-4-0 No. 926 Repton took part in no fewer than three autumn steam galas during September and October, visiting the North West and the East Midlands in the process. The first event for the Maunsell ‘V’ class was the NYMR’s own 15-engine spectacular on September 27-29 (see p74-75),…
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Painstaking restoration for Wickham trolley at Midsomer Norton

by

Sam Hewitt

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30th September 2019

A TYPE 27A MkIII gangers’ trolley (Wickham 7504) has had a thorough restoration at the Somerset & Dorset Railway, Midsomer Norton. When acquired it had been robbed of parts for the restoration of sister Wickham 7505 (Nos. PWM4302 and TR19) at Norden on the Swanage Railway. The Midsomer Norton vehicle has had to have many parts…
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GBRf has 91 Class 66s after Swedish purchase

by

Sam Hewitt

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6th August 2019

Former Cargonet Class 66 No. T66.403 – already with its GBRf number of 66790 – is hauled from Immingham to Longport EMD past North Stafford Junction on June 3 by No. 66741 Swanage Railway. At Longport the loco will get the necessary modifications and safety equipment to work on Network Rail lines. GB has bought two other…
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Swanage Railway launches £350,000 ‘T3’ restoration appeal

by

Sam Hewitt

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14th July 2019

Dorset’s Swanage Railway has launched a £350,000 appeal to return London & South Western Railway (LSWR) ‘T3’ 4-4-0 No. 563 to full working order. The 563 Locomotive Group, under the umbrella of the Swanage Railway Trust, hopes to raise the money in a suitable time window to allow the 1893-built former National Railway Museum loco to…
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BLS charity tour to explore Yorkshire freight lines with Colas and WCRC ’37s’

by

Sam Hewitt

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30th May 2019

No fewer than four rarely visited freight installations in Yorkshire will be explored by the Branch Line Society on July 20.
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Noel’s steam loco lined up for Westonzoyland

by

Sam Hewitt

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26th February 2019

THE 2ft-gauge line being developed at Westonzoyland pumping station will shortly have a resident steam loco. Noel Donnelly has donated the 0-4-0VBT, which he built (RM July 2018), to Westonzoyland Engine Trust. It will receive a boiler inspection and then be moved soon to Somerset from its current location at Purbeck Mineral & Mining Museum,…
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‘Scotsman’ to reunite with ‘Devon Belle’ car at Swanage

by

Sam Hewitt

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18th February 2019

CELEBRITY ‘A3’ No. 60103 Flying Scotsman will pair up with one of the carriages that travelled with it across the Atlantic during its ill-fated tour of North America when it visits the Swanage Railway this spring. The National Railway Museum’s Gresley Pacific will spend 20 days on the Dorset line from March 22 to April 10,…
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Heritage Explorer: Four lines in four days

by

Sam Hewitt

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13th February 2019

Last summer Robert Drysdale embarked on an 800-mile round trip to visit four heritage railways in four days using the national rail network and occasionally a local bus. His personal account provides some interesting observations and food for thought. On the morning of Friday, July 3, 2018, I arrived at Newark North Gate station to…
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‘Duchess’ makes Swanage Railway gala debut

by

Sam Hewitt

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14th November 2018

No. 6233 Duchess of Sutherland was in deepest Dorset making its preservation debut on Swanage Railway metals – just a week prior to the East Lancashire Railway gala. The LMS 4-6-2 was one of three Pacifics in action at the October 12-14 event which, like the Great Central Railway gala, was loosely themed around the…
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