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The Swanage Railway opened in 1885 to serve the Isle of Purbeck and its stone and china clay industries. The Swanage branch had a charm of its own, the buildings and structures along the route being constructed from local Purbeck stone. Operated initially by the London & South Western Railway and then the Southern Railway prior to nationalisation, the branch became particularly busy over the summer months with heavily loaded through trains ferrying passengers to the thriving resort of Swanage. Today's preserved Swanage Railway has faithfully recreated much of the atmosphere of the past, particularly at Corfe Castle, where the restored station nestles in the shadow of the castle remains. The locomotive fleet operating over the line between Norden and Swanage contains examples of classes that formally worked the route, with BR Standard 4MT tank No. 80104, Battle of Britain Pacific No. 34072 257 Squadron and M7 tank No. 30053 all seen in action. In addition to these, the ex-Midland Railway 1F 0-6-0 No. 41708, S15 No. 828 and West Country Pacific No. 34105 Swanage are also seen, including footage of the two unrebuilt 4-6-2's working in tandem. |
