Swanage Railway Trust

Thanks to the determination of thousands of volunteers, railway history was made in April when the first passenger trains for 37 years ran from London to the seaside resort of Swanage.

The last time such a journey was made was on 1 January 1972, when Swanage was cut off from the main network. Since then, commuters have had to drive or take a nine-mile bus ride between Swanage and Wareham train station, which can be a major headache in the busy summer months.

In 1975 a small group of volunteers formed the Swanage Railway Trust in a bid to rebuild the line between Swanage, Corfe Castle and Wareham and run their own steam train service. The first piece of track was laid a year later and in 1979 they began running tourist trains along a one-mile section of line. Despite numerous setbacks over the years, campaigners kept on fighting for the line to be rebuilt and have watched it grow mile by mile.

Finally, with tickets selling out hours after going on sale, on 1 April this year 400 passengers piled onboard the first ‘Purbeck Pioneer’ for a special complete through service from London.

Mike Whitwam, chairman of the Swanage Railway Trust who has been involved for 30 years, says: “It was the biggest day in our history. The first through trains to Swanage since 1972 are an achievement of a long-held and treasured dream. The railway has been rebuilt from nothing since 1976. It took British Rail seven weeks to lift the seven miles of track and it has taken us 30 years to re-lay them bit-by-bit, bolt-by-bolt.”

The Swanage Railway Company is now exploring the possibility of linking the railway to the national railway network as part of the Purbeck Rail Partnership, allowing a permanent train service to be run from Wareham. And following the success of a charter through steam service to and from London, it is hoped there will be more of these services in the future and perhaps from further afield.

Shipleys has acted for the Swanage Railway Trust for the past six years, assisting with their statutory accounts, audit, financial advice as required and guidance on implementing the new Charities Act legislation. When Shipleys’ principal Simon Robinson visited last month for a weekend board meeting, he took his family with him.

The Trust always welcomes help from enthusiasts, either in the form of financial donations or as volunteers. Please let us know if you are interested in getting involved and we can put you in touch with the relevant people.