Swanage Railway is hosting a community engagement weekend and members of the public are invited to come along and enjoy the event on Saturday the 11th and Sunday the 12th of February. The event aims to encourage more people to volunteer in order to help run and maintain the well-loved heritage railway.

Dedicated volunteers have been behind the rebuilding of Swanage Railway since 1976 after British Rail’s controversial closure of the branch line from Wareham to Swanage in 1972 which saw the lifting of seven miles of track after just seven weeks from Swanage to Harman’s Cross, Corfe Castle, Norden and on to east of Furzebrook.

The volunteers of Swanage Railway are essential in keeping the popular attraction running. The railway brings over £15 million each year into the local economy whilst keeping 6,000 cars a year off of the A351 between Corfe Castle and Swanage.

The event will start at 10am and runs through til 4pm on both days and provide a brilliant opportunity for members of the public to get a behind-the-scenes look into the working of the heritage railway at both Swanage and Corfe Castle stations.

A special heritage diesel train service will also be operating providing passengers the chance to enjoy views of the Purbeck countryside not often seen from a train as it travels the four-mile line between Norden and the River Frome which is in sight of Wareham.

At Swanage station activities for the public to take part in will include:

• Get onboard the footplate of a steam locomotive
• Drive a 1950s heritage Class 08 shunting diesel locomotive for £5 (this activity is subject to a health and safety declaration
• See where heritage carriages are restored and overhauled.

At Corfe Castle station activities for the public to take part in will include:

• See the award-winning signal box which is  a replica of the original Victorian signal box
• Have a go at signalling trains in the signal box museum at Corfe Castle

The event will also see five steam trains operating during the day between Norden, Corfe Castle, Harman’s Cross, Herston and Swanage and is planned to be hauled by 1940s Southern Railway Battle of Britain Class Bulleid Pacific express steam locomotive No. 34070 ‘Manston’.

With proof of residence, residents of the BH19 and BH20 postcode areas can buy discounted Freedom of the Line train tickets, subject to availability. The tickets can be purchased at station ticket offices over the community engagement weekend and will provide unlimited train travel for the day of purchase at just £10 for adults and £5 for children.

Passengers who do not live in the BH19 or BH20 postcodes will be able to buy tickets at normal prices.

Robert Patterson, the volunteer chair of the Swanage Railway Company – which runs the trains for the Swanage Railway Trust – said: “This is an exciting event to enable Purbeck residents to enjoy ‘their’ railway at a heavily discounted price as well as being able to go behind the scenes to see what we do – and perhaps becoming a volunteer.

“We would not be able to run the Swanage Railway without our fantastic team of more than 400 volunteers who are responsible for everything from running trains, keeping our stations looking great to selling tickets and refreshments and much more,” added Robert who is a volunteer station porter.

Gavin Johns, Swanage Railway Trust volunteer chair said: “Volunteering is a great way to contribute to the community and become involved in something rewarding, enjoyable, social and worthwhile. Swanage Railway volunteers don’t need to be train enthusiasts to enjoy themselves and we have a wide range of positions available.

“Our aim is to ensure that our volunteers have an enjoyable and rewarding experience while making an important contribution to Purbeck life – both for residents and visitors alike,” added Gavin who is a volunteer signalman on the Swanage Railway.

To find out more about volunteering with the railway get in touch with the Swanage Railway volunteer recruitment and retention office by calling 01929 475212 or sending an email to [email protected].

An array of volunteering opportunities are available at Swanage Railway and are detailed here: swanagerailwaytrust.org/volunteering.