SEVEN BULLEIDS!

Swanage gala goes for the record

Aficionados of the Southern Region’s ‘Light Pacifics’ will be in seventh heaven.

YOU’LL be able to cop a third of all preserved ‘Light Pacifics’ at the Swanage Railway’s ‘Strictly bulleid’ gala on March 31-April 2, with a grand total of seven bulleid 4-6-2s in attendance. In addition to the previously announced line‑up, under‑overhaul ‘Battle of Britain’ No. 34072 257 Squadron will be on display inside Herston Works. The ‘Spam Can’ is approaching the end of its ten‑year overhaul and it had been hoped the locomotive would be ready in time to appear at the gala as part of the operational fleet. Unrestored ‘West Country’ No. 34010 Sidmouth will also be on display in the cattle dock at Corfe Castle ‑ albeit its frames only. These will be moved into Herston Works for restoration once 257 Squadron has been outshopped (see page 62). Two other Southern designs will also be on show throughout the gala, as ‘U’ class No. 31806 and ‘N’ class No. 31874 will be available for inspection at Herston. The event promises to be one of the best celebrations of Southern steam this year. In addition, the final day of the gala is planned to be ‘Named Train Sunday’, with all five operational Bulleids expected to wear ‘Atlantic Coast Express’, ‘Bournemouth Belle’, ‘Dorset Coast Express’, ‘Man of Kent’ and ‘Royal Wessex’ headboards throughout the day. Trains will be operating over almost the entire length of the Swanage branch to the River Frome, near to the main line connection at Worgret Junction. Services will be top‑and‑tailed from Norden over the northern extension towards Wareham. There will be six locomotives in steam as BR Standard ‘4MT’ 2‑6‑4T No. 80104, disguised as classmate No. 80146 (the last locomotive to work over the Swanage branch in BR days), will be acting as station pilot at Swanage (see SR464).