A 1940s ‘Orient Express’ steam locomotive will haul a prestigious excursion train from London to Corfe Castle and Swanage today – 46 years after British Rail banned the massive engine from running down to the Purbeck seaside resort.
Hauled by the 150-tonne Southern Railway Merchant Navy class Bulleid Pacific No. 35028 ‘Clan Line’ – built at Eastleigh in Hampshire during 1948 – the 12-coach ‘Royal Wessex’ departed London’s Victoria station this morning.
In 1966, Clan Line hauled another excursion train from London bound for Corfe Castle and Swanage – but the massive locomotive could not travel further than Wareham because it was too heavy for the single branch line down to the Purbeck seaside resort.
Now the mighty Clan Line can haul UK Railtours’ Royal Wessex excursion train all the way to Corfe Castle and Swanage because under-bridges on the rebuilt Swanage Railway were strengthened during the early 1990s to carry Merchant Navy class steam locomotives.
Swanage Railway Company chairman Peter Sills said:
“It will be great to finally welcome ‘Clan Line’ to Corfe Castle and Swanage 46 years after it was prevented from running down the branch line from Wareham because of the British Railways locomotive weight restriction policy of the time.
“‘Clan Line’ is a really marvellous machine and is widely considered to be the greatest preserved Southern Railway steam locomotive of them all.”
