FIVE DIESEL LOCOS RETURN AFTER GALA SUCCESS
12th May 2008

Press Release from Andrew P.M. Wright - dated 15th May 2008
Official photographer & press officer, Swanage Railway.
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The mighty Class 66 diesel locomotive ‘Drax Power Station’ leaves Swanage station on the morning of Monday 12th May 2008, bound for the main line at Wareham to return home after the Swanage Railway's successful Grand Diesel Gala & Beer Festival.

By Andrew P.M. Wright

The sound of the mighty Class 66 diesel locomotive ‘Drax Power Station’ idling in the run-round loop at Swanage station broke the early morning silence – drifting in the still air as the sun rose above the rooftops of the seaside town.

The morning of Monday 12th May, 2008, dawned bright and warm for the return of the six guest diesel locomotives – and the four-coach electric VEP unit – that made the relaid Purbeck Line’s annual Grand Diesel Gala and Beer Festival such a success.

In the deserted main platform at Swanage was Southern Region Class 73 electro-diesel No. 73 107 ‘Spitfire’ with VEP No. 3417. It would not be leaving the terminal station for its homeward journey on the national railway system for another five hours.

Under the canopy at Swanage station in its appealing livery of British Rail blue with yellow ends, the electro-diesel and the VEP looked like an early morning 4-TC workers’ train for Poole and Bournemouth back in 1967 or 1968

Sat under the canopy in its appealing livery of British Rail blue with yellow ends, the electro-diesel and the VEP looked like an early morning 4-TC workers’ train for Poole and Bournemouth back in 1967 or 1968.

It was just after 6.45am on the still Monday morning that the trackside dummy signals gave the ‘right away’ for the road ahead from signalman Andrew Moody.

Powered by the 127 tonne First GB Railfreight Class 66 diesel-electric locomotive No 66724 ‘Drax Power Station’, the train of five locomotives moves out of Swanage station, past the signal box and under the graceful stone arch Northbrook Road bridge.

The First GB Railfreight Class 66 diesel-electric locomotive gently accelerated out of the run-round loop, past the signal box and under the graceful stone arch Northbrook Road bridge.

In tow were Class 20 No. 096, Class 37s No. 275 and No. 906 as well as Class 50 No. D444 'Exeter'. Class 37 906 and Class 50 044 both came from the Severn Valley Railway while the Class 20 and the Class 37 275 came from Barrow Hill.

The entourage made an impressive sight as it ran out of the rising morning sun heading northwards – through Corfe Castle and on to Norden and then the boundary with Network Rail at Motala.

The train of five locomotives passes through Corfe Castle station on its return journey on Monday 12th May 2008.

At Motala, Swanage Railway deputy operations manager Mel Cox and Network Rail person in charge Alan Greatbatch operated the groundframe with their respective keys to operate the double catchpoints and allow the train to leave the Swanage Railway and pass on to the national railway network.

Swanage Railway deputy operations manager Mel Cox (left) and Network Rail person in charge Alan Greatbatch walk to the groundframe at Motala and signal the train through the opened gate.

Operating under the Network Rail train code of OZ741, the five locomotives passed the Furzebrook sidings just after 7.45am and were at Worgret Junction – to pass from the single line stub of the former Swanage branch and on to the main London to Weymouth line – by 8.10am.

Joining the main line, the entourage ran ‘wrong line’ on the ‘down’ line into Wareham where it switched on to the ‘up’ line before dropping off Alan and Mel at Wareham station at 8.15am.

The train of five locomotives arrives at Wareham station on its return journey on Monday 12th May 2008.

Commuters waiting on the platform were unaware of the train’s historic nature and that it had come from Swanage and Corfe Castle.

The entourage continued running eastwards – passing Poole at 8.24am, Branksome at 8.30am, Bournemouth at 8.48am, Brockenhurst at 9.05am, Southampton at 9.24am, Winchester at 9.49am and Basingstoke at 10.11am.

The train from Swanage was bound for Kidderminster via Oxford, Banbury and Tyseley before going on to Barrow Hill via Tamworth, Derby and Chesterfield – a journey that would not come to an end until 12.38pm the next day, Tuesday 13th May 2008.

The final visiting locomotive – the diminutive but attractive 0-6-0 Class 07 shunter No. 007 from Eastleigh Works would return home to the Hampshire town by road on a low loader.

Eastleigh motive power depot based Class 07 0-6-0 No 007 stands at Corfe Castle on 6th May 2008

It had been built by Ruston & Hornsby of Lincolnshire in 1961 for use at Southampton Docks where it worked for a decade before being ousted by the onset of containerisation.

Attractive in its British Rail blue livery with yellow and black ends, the shunter’s visit to Swanage – where it hauled brake van trains at the terminal station – was the first time that it had left the confines of Eastleigh Works since 1971.

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