🗓️ Saturday 17th May 2025
Swanage Railway is celebrating a special milestone this May as it marks the 140th anniversary since it first opened in 1885.
Members of the public are invited to join a special ceremony at Swanage Station on Saturday 17th May.
A Victorian brass horn reputed to have been blown to mark the departure of the first passenger train from Swanage to Corfe Castle and Wareham is to be sounded at the ceremony to mark the occasion, and there’ll be live music from Swanage Town Band.
The ceremony at Swanage Station is free to attend (train travel requires a ticket) – Victorian costume is encouraged!
- Start time: 1pm
- Anniversary train departure: 2pm
The anniversary train service will see the Railway’s 1940s ‘Devon Belle’ Pullman observation carriage hauled by the Victorian T3 class steam locomotive No. 563. T3s hauled trains from London to Corfe Castle and Swanage from the 1890s to the 1930s.
Notable attendees on the day will include the Lord-Lieutenant Michael Dooley, Swanage Mayor Tina Foster and Swanage Railway Trust patron Sir Philip Williams.
Swanage Railway volunteers will also be presented with a commemorative badge.
“The opening of the Swanage branch line was historic and a seismic change for the Isle of Purbeck – turning Swanage from a fishing and quarrying town into a popular seaside resort and the picturesque village of Corfe Castle into a desirable day-trip destination.
“In 1885, the new 25-minute train journey from Swanage to Wareham cost eleven pence, compared with a traditional horse and carriage journey taking one-and-a-half hours at a ticket price of two shillings and sixpence.”
CLIVE HARDY – Swanage Railway Trust director & volunteer
The heritage railway is an important tourist attraction for Swanage, attracting some 200,000 passengers a year.
To purchase tickets for today’s special steam service, please visit the Swanage Railway website: https://www.swanagerailway.co.uk