SWANAGE RAILWAY GENERAL MANAGER MATT GREEN STEPS DOWN
The Swanage Railway no longer has a general manager after the previous incumbent, Matt Green, stepped down.
Mr Green, who took over the role in 2015 from his predecessor Richard Jones, had previously been the ‘Purbeck Line’s’ head of traffic and operations.
Commenting on Mr Green’s departure, Swanage Railway Trust secretary and Swanage Railway Company Director Mark Woolley said: “Matt initiated discussions that led to a mutually agreed arrangement that he would leave the Swanage Railway to further develop his career. We greatly appreciate the contribution that he has made to the railway and are sorry to see him go.
“We are not recruiting a replacement general manager at this time. A new interim director-led senior management structure has been implemented which is ensuring business continuity and which is enabling us to look at the best structure required to meet the future needs of the Swanage Railway.”
●● The line’s resident ‘T9’
No. 30120 was withdrawn from service again in late September, following a steam leak in the smokebox. A National Railway Museum spokesman said: “We can confirm that the ‘T9’ has suffered a blow in the smokebox. The team at the Swanage Railway are investigating the damage to determine the extent of any repair work that will be necessary.”
The 1899-built LSWR 4-4-0 has proved problematic since it arrived at Swanage in July last year from the Bodmin & Wenford Railway, and did not enter service until November 2017 when extensive repairs to its cylinder block were completed (SR474). A loan agreement, in which the ‘Greyhound’ will remain at the railway until the expiry of its current boiler ticket in 2020, was to be signed by the NRM the following month.
An NRM spokesman said: “We are in the process of renewing the loan agreement for the ‘T9’ with the Swanage Railway at the moment and we hope to have a new agreement in place soon.”