Southern Supreme | Swanage Railway - 'Autumn Steam Gala' 12-14/09/2025

A feast of southern region steam on a southern region branch line. The 2025 edition of the ‘Autumn Steam Gala’ on the Swanage Railway, held over the weekend of September 12th-14th, would feature a stable of 6 southern region locomotives; showcasing over 50 years of development in locomotive design.

The Swanage Railway would front four locomotives for the event from their home-fleet, including a pair of Bulleid pacifics owned by Southern Locomotives Ltd; 34070 “Manston” and 34072 “257 Squadron”. Joining them, would be U Class - 31806, and T3 Class - 563. The two visiting locomotives would come in the shape of S15 Class - 30506 from the Mid-Hants Railway ‘Watercress Line’, and ‘Schools’ Class - 926 “Repton” from the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. For the latter, this marks the first visit for a ‘Schools’ Class to Swanage in a decade, and the first time “Repton” has visited the railway in preservation.

The gala would feature an intensive timetable, with services regularly going 'over the road' and onto the Wareham extension as far as River Frome Viaduct, which serves as the current limit of SR metals. As such, services from Swanage would gain a tail locomotive at Norden before continuing west, due to the absence of a run-around loop on the extension. This event would mark 563s first time hauling passengers on the ‘over the road’ extension. In addition, the timetable would be bolstered by a demonstration freight set operating between Harmans Cross and Norden.

Locomotives:
Ex-LSWR S15 Class - 30506
LSWR T3 Class - 563
Ex-SR 'Battle of Britain' Class - 34070 "Manston"
Ex-SR U Class - 31806
BR(S) 'Battle of Britain' Class - 34072 "257 Squadron"
SR V 'Schools' Class - 926 "Repton"

00:00 - 30506 & 563 On shed at Swanage
00:44 - 34070 & 30506 Corfe Common
02:17 - 31806 & 34072 Corfe Common
03:27 - 926 Arland House Campsite
05:29 - 34072 Creech Bottom
06:36 - 34070 Corfe Common
08:14 - 34072 Harmans Cross
09:55 - 926 & 563 Haycrafts Lane
11:35 - 30506 Furzebrook Heath
13:47 - 926 Wurzel Crossing
15:04 - 34070 Wurzel Crossing
16:49 - 563 Catseye Crossing
18:08 - 563 Arland House Campsite
19:49 - 31806 Creech Bottom
21:39 - 926 Norden Common
22:33 - 563 Corfe Common
23:46 - 30506 Wurzel Crossing
25:34 - 926 Dickers Crossing
26:39 - 926 Townsend Bridge
28:17 - 34070 Corfe Castle
29:55 - 34070 Townsend Bridge
31:05 - 34072 Catseye Crossing
32:16 - 30506 Creech Bottom
33:38 - 30506 Townsend Bridge
35:13 - 30506 Haycrafts Lane
37:16 - 31806 Dickers Crossing
38:38 - 563 & 926 Woodyhyde Lane
39:49 - 34070 Creech Bottom
41:22 - 34070 Furzebrook foot crossing
43:42 - 926 Dickers Crossing

All footage filmed on Friday the 12th, Saturday the 13th, and Sunday the 14th of September 2025.