Swanage Railway

This was a busy week as not only did I have the day in Slimbridge, Purton and Sharpness, but two days later I was off to Dorset to meet up with my brother the Spotlight Kid for a day that began at Worth Matravers. The two outings resulted in getting on for 600 pictures that had to be worked through before I could choose a blip, and I was already some days behind with a backlog of pictures to process and analyze. I got the Purton Hulks blip up last Thursday, and finally completed work on the Dorset shots yesterday evening.

We had met in Worth Matravers at the Square and Compass, a pub that had been recommended by Blipper grasshopper6, but who unfortunately hadn't been able to join us on the day. It was a fascinating old pub, made up from two converted cottages, complete with a fossil museum and artworks dotted around, and with an interesting range of ales. We sat outside with a view that included the sea some way below. After lunch, we walked down to the Jurassic coast, complete with caves and coves, and along the coastal path followed by the uphill slog back through an area known as East Man NT.

Nearby was a halt on the Swanage Railway line, and we just had time to drive to Harman's Cross to catch a train into Swanage. We were delighted to find that we were being pulled by Eddystone, a 4-6-2 West Country Class locomotive built in Brighton in April 1946. It is now owned by Southern Locomotives Ltd, an organisation that restores, maintains and runs steam locomotives, based in Herston, near Swanage, and whose Patron is the actor Edward Fox. Eddystone was retired from service in May 1964, but has been at Swanage Railway since 1999 and became operational again in 2012.

We had about an hour before the last train of the day left Swanage, a tank engine this time, and we spent it watching the engines take water, shunt from one end of the train to the other, and come and go; and to wander over the road bridge to the engine shed viewing point and look at other engines, diesels and rolling stock.

We got back to Harman's Cross just after half past five, and ended up at a gastro pub in Morden called the Cock And Bottle for some fresh haddock, chips and peas. We each left at 2015 hr as the light was fast fading and I got home at ten after a full and invigorating day.

L.
6.5.2014 (1903 hr)

Blip #1245
Consecutive Blip #107
Day #1484

Alternatives:
Gull At East Man
Taking The Token

A Day In Dorset, 17 April 2014 (big Flickr album)

Lenses: Pentax 17-70mm, Pentax 55-300mm x 1.4

Dorset series
Railways series

Lozarhythm Of The Day:
Courtney Love - You know my name (recorded February 2014)
Recorded in Los Angeles, this was produced by Michael Beinhorn, with whom Courtney Love had collaborated in Hole, and features Tommy Lee on drums

One year ago: Chestnut Cottage