It utterly boggles my mind, given how often I’ve visited Swanage and at least visited, if not ridden on, its heritage railway, that I only have one post titled ‘Swanage Railway’ on this website. I suspect a lot of my photos from the railway have ended up amongst posts containing lots of images from that, my most favourite part of the world.
However, given I’m on a bit of a steam railway kick at the moment, and I want to make it easier for people interested in my photographs of steam trains to actually find them, I am putting together this compendium post of a couple of visits to the railway, in the same fashion as Returns to the Bluebell Railway did for the Bluebell Railway in Sussex.
This post starts us in June 2021, where we see 34028 Eddystone at Corfe Castle station.
Whilst I was there one of their crew poked his head out of the window.
We had ridden this train into Corfe Castle to visit Corfe Castle itself. From up in the castle you can get some views of the railway.
As we waited at the station for the return train, I got a photograph of Eddystone approaching the platform, alongside Swanage Railway’s diesel EMU.
From the train we saw this Land Rover parked up by the railway.
Our next trip to the railway was a couple of years later, in June 2023. On this visit, the railway had their observation car attached to the train. This made getting some photographs from some lesser-seen angles possible, although the glass was not quite as clean as I could have liked.
Here in the yard, we can see 30120 undergoing overhaul.
A little further on up the track we saw this very very West Country farmer-looking man.
We rode the train up to Corfe Castle Station, where a few more photo opportunities were available. Here is one of the crew waiting for passengers to board.
After the train left I could get this very traditional shot of the Corfe Castle Station, which serves the village of Corfe Castle, with Corfe Castle in the background.
After a visit to Corfe Castle, the castle near the village of Corfe Castle, we returned to Corfe Castle Station, the station which serves the village of Corfe Castle which is named after the castle of Corfe Castle, to catch the train back. This time, we were able to sit in the observation car again, and at the back with uninterrupted views.
I wasn’t quite able to get a full view of the castle before it disappeared behind some trees, but I like the shot anyway.
I also got a shot of the track snaking around the Purbeck Hills. I don’t have any sort of lineside permit for Swanage Railway so this spot on the observation car is the next best thing for photos of the track.
I used most of the journey back using this vantage point to shoot the trackside environment, views I don’t normally get on this railway..
Here is the Harmans Cross signal box.
I also got a shot of the long straight bit just outside of Swanage Station, where the track runs alongside the King George playing fields.
Just after this section is some sidings, where locomotives not in use are stored. On this occasion there were quite a few diesels stored. In the foreground is D6515, sibling to 33111 who we saw visit the Bluebell Railway for their Diesel Gala last year (which you can actually see further in the background, on the other side of D3591 (the one with the stripes).
Unfortunately the way I’ve edited this photo has really brought out the dirt on the glass of the observation car. Just try not to look at the sky. But rest assured my camera sensor was never this dirty.
A bit further down the track we could also see the engine shed containing 30120.
And with that, this short journey on the Swanage Railway comes to a close. I did visit again in July 2024, but by then I was getting pretty keen at photographing steam locomotives, and shot enough to warrant their own post, which will be coming later.
As ever, below is a gallery of the full set of images.
Creative Splurges 