Booze, Blues, and Bullied Pacifics (3)

I feel that I ought to start explaining some of this for those who don't have my fanatical devotion to railways and plastic cars. The story begins at the turn of the last-but-one century, when the single-track branch line to Swanage was opened. It was then closed by Beeching, missed by many, saved by a few, and now is one of the most impressive examples of a preserved line in the South of England.

It links the seaside resort of Swanage with the village beneath the ruined castle of Corfe, demolished by a famous english vandal, Oliver Cromwell. He became so famous at demolishing castles and executing kings that several railway engines have been named in his honour. The village suffers from being on the only road to Swanage, and benefits from the park-and-ride terminus that has been created just north of the village. Some of the best sights cannot be seen from the road, since drivers are constantly keeping an eye on the brake lights of the car in front or the pedestrian crossing lights.

The station at Corfe contains two museums, recording the history of the line, and the history of the volunteer force who managed to reopen it. In 1991 I walked the rails from Corfe down to Harmans Cross, a station that the volunteers created from scratch as the terminus of the line, until they got clearance to run trains over the newly-laid metals. I stepped over an adder as I crossed the grassy viaduct north of Corfe, which today now has track again and rumbling 4-coach trains regularly pass over it. For most of the equally quaint and pleasant branch lines in England it has been a very different story.

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