Environmental News
12th September 2023
International Car Free Day 22nd September 2023
Did you know that travelling on our trains keeps 60,000 car journeys off the road between Norden and Swanage every year. Friday 22nd September is International Car Free Day, which is a reminder that travelling on our trains and not using your car is not only good for the environment but also avoids issues finding a parking space!
Photo: Charlie Rogers
11th August 2023
If you are travelling to Wareham on the Swanage Railway, keep your eyes open for swans flying in formation. Picture from Andrew P.M Wright.
5th June 2023
BBC Springwatch is coming from RSPB Arne which is very close to Swanage Railway. If you are watching Springwatch and are a keen wildlife fan, you will know that today is World Environment Day.
Why not combine a visit to Swanage Railway with a trip to the nature reserve?
Mind you, wildlife knows no boundaries! Just this week we had a three foot long Grass Snake basking near the Purbeck Mining Museum back gate.
15 May 2023
Spring flowers on the Swanage Railway lineside:
Identifying wildflowers from a moving train is not always easy!. However, many of us have already enjoyed seeing the yellow flowers of Primroses from the windows. Another yellow flower is the Lesser Celandine, which has heart shaped leaves. Patches of Bluebells are not restricted to Woodland sections, however, so far, Wild Garlic (Ramson) is best seen beyond the lineside within Leeson Wood. One not to be overlooked is the Forget-me-not of course and the white flowers of Stitchwort and Cuckoo Flower. We plan to get a better understanding of the wildlife value of the lineside. Something that will take time and will change with the seasons. Some people have been lucky enough to see the one albino (white) Sika Deer, that is amongst the large herds that can sometimes be seen between Norden and Wareham. We will leave you to match the named Spring flowers on the Swanage Railway lineside to these photos!
Photographs courtsey of Paul Jones.
2nd May 2023
We are delighted to report that three of the nest boxes we put up in February (see the article on National Nest Box week dated 20th February 2023) are now occupied by Blue Tits. We will bring you photos of these Blue Tit families as soon as we can.
5th April 2023
Examples of Swanage Railway using solar panels to power signal lamps at Furzebrook, Corfe Castle and Herston Halt. Photo credit Andrew P.M. Wright
28th February 2023
If you are coming to our Spring Steam Gala from 24th to 26th March please keep an eye out for local visitors. How many ducklings will this Mallard parade along the platform at Norden this year? Then there is this Common Lizard who is already out and about at the Purbeck Mining Museum. Please send your photos of the wildlife you see at the Swanage Railway to [email protected].
Pictures from Derek Pattenson and Nigel Cox
20th February 2023
Swanage Railway has had great fun participating in National Nest Box Week. Half of our nest boxes were made by the railway’s Sygnets, who are a brilliant group of young people who have a keen interest in the environment. The following pictures show the Sygnets making the boxes and putting up the first nest box at Norden Station. For more information about our Sygnets youth group please check out this link: https://www.swanagerailwaytrust.org/sygnets.
The remaining nest boxes were made in collaboration with staff and volunteers at Durlston Country Park and National Nature Reserve who supplied the recycled wood that they were made from as seen in this picture:
When you are travelling on the train, please look out for our nest boxes and let us know when they become occupied by sending your photos to [email protected].
