Swanage Railway makes history as first timetable passenger train runs on restored line

History has been made during the Swanage Railway’s Spring Steam Gala when the first timetabled passenger train ran over four miles of newly restored line towards Wareham – for the first time in 44 years.

And a Cornish centenarian steam locomotive played a starring role on all three days of the popular event as it helped to haul the special four-trains-a-day service between Norden, Furzebrook, Creech Bottom, East Holme and the River Frome.

The first train between Norden and the Frome River departed Swanage at 9.45am on Friday, 8 April, with Southern Railway late 1920s ‘U’ class locomotive No 31806 on the front – a locomotive that used to visit Swanage in the 1950s.

At Norden, Spring Steam Gala’s centenarian guest locomotive – Great Western Railway 1916-built tank No 4247 from the Bodmin and Wenford Railway in Cornwall – was put on the rear of the train for the historic four-mile journey to the Frome River.

Departing Norden at 10.17am, the train crossed the new Norden Gates level crossing before passing Furzebrook at 10.21am and arriving at the River Frome at 10.30am. After a stop of ten minutes, the train departed at 10.40am, arriving back at Norden at 10.55am.

Swanage Railway Project Wareham director, Mark Woolley, said: “It was wonderful and very exciting to see the first timetabled passenger train run between Norden to within sight of Wareham at the River Frome for the first time since January, 1972, when the last British Rail passenger train ran from Swanage to Wareham.

“Our dedicated teams have worked very hard over the past 18 months restoring and upgrading the former Network Rail line. Half a mile of new track has been laid, almost 2,000 wooden track sleepers replaced, a quarter-mile long embankment upgraded and six miles of lineside embankments cut back, fences repaired and drains cleared.

“There was an air of expectation and delight among the passengers on board the special train as it crossed Norden Gates level crossing, ran past Motala and then on to Furzebrook before running down the bank through Creech Bottom and East Holme to the River Frome,” explained Mr Woolley.

General Manager Matt Green said: “I would like to say a very big thank you to everyone on the Swanage Railway who has made the train service to the River Frome, within sight of Wareham, and the Spring Steam Gala possible.

“There has been a lot of preparation as well as a lot of hard work during the Spring Steam Gala to make sure that everything runs smoothly for what is a very historic event.

“It has been a great team effort and there has been a real buzz around the railway about the first passenger trains using our new state of the art level crossing at Norden Gates,” added Mr Green.