NEWS FEED
Swanage Railway volunteer 'does the locomotive' with an old pal to mark 50th anniversary of the end of main line steam
A veteran engineman and stalwart Swanage Railway volunteer has been reunited with the express steam locomotive that he worked on as a young cleaner and fireman during the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Paul McDonald, a veteran engineman and Swanage Railway volunteer had the privilege of driving a gleaming 1946-built West Country class Bulleid Pacific No 34046 ‘Braunton’ for the last nine-mile leg of its journey to Swanage, where it is one of the stars of a major event marking the 50th anniversary of the end of main line steam trains in southern England.
The locomotive was one that he had worked on as a young cleaner and fireman at Bournemouth Station in the late-50s and early-60s. A delighted Paul said,”It was absolutely fantastic to drive ‘Braunton’ on the last leg of its rail journey from London to Swanage. As soon as the locomotive crossed on to the Swanage Railway, I took over the controls and it was marvellous. I was over the moon and you couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.
“I was back in the 1950s and the 1960s when the Bulleid Pacific steam locomotives hauled express trains from London to Southampton, Bournemouth, Dorchester and Weymouth. It was very sad when the Bulleid Pacifics left Bournemouth shed for the last time in the summer of 1967.
“‘Braunton’ is a magnificent machine and it is amazing to think that ‘Braunton’ has been restored from a rusting scrapyard hulk to the gleaming stallion of speed seen today. I’m very impressed with the quality of the locomotive’s restoration and it’s a real tribute to the dedicated team behind all that work.
“The Bulleid Pacifics – including ‘Braunton’ – hauled trains from London to Corfe Castle and Swanage as well as on the Somerset and Dorset line from Poole to Bath via Blandford Forum and Templecombe which was controversially closed in 1966,” added the 75-year-old former Swanage Railway operations manager who grew up in Parkstone, Poole.
Running from Friday, 31 March to Sunday, 2 April inclusive, the ‘Strictly Bulleid’ event will be the largest gathering of working classic 1940s’ Bulleid Pacific class express steam locomotives since the summer of 1967.
And for one of the visiting Bulleid Pacifics – Battle of Britain class No 34053 ‘Sir Keith Park’ – it will be the first time that the classic locomotive will be seen at Swanage since the summer of 1964 when it hauled a long train from the Purbeck seaside resort up to London’s Waterloo station.
The end of steam trains on British Rail’s Southern Region on Monday, 10 July, 1967, saw electric trains brought in between London and Bournemouth with diesel trains operating between Bournemouth and Weymouth.
