Norden railway station
Encyclopedia
Norden railway station is a railway station located half a mile to the north of the village of Corfe Castle, on the Isle of Purbeck
in the English
county of Dorset
. It is the northern-most station on Swanage Railway
, a heritage railway
that currently operates from Norden to Swanage
. A Park and Ride
site is adjacent to the station, and visitors can leave their cars, and ride the train to the beautiful village of Corfe Castle and the popular seaside destination of Swanage.
The Norden Nest Buffet is open at Norden station on most operating days. The site is also the home of the Purbeck Mineral and Mining Museum.
line from Wareham
to Swanage, a line that opened in 1885 and was finally closed by British Rail
in 1972. From the time of closure, a strong campaign to reopen the railway as a steam locomotive
operated heritage railway
developed, and the Swanage Railway began operating a steam service at the Swanage end of the line in 1982. As the line was progressively extended northwards towards Corfe Castle, concerns grew that terminating the line there would make existing parking problems in the picturesque village worse. It was therefore decided to extend the line the further half a mile to Norden, and build a Park and Ride site there.
Although there was never a passenger station at Norden prior to the opening of the current station in 1995, the station is built on the site of the former Norden Ball clay works. These works were served by a siding off the Wareham to Swanage railway, and also by two narrow gauge
railways that connected the Ball clay pits to the works, and the works to small ports on the south side of Poole Harbour
. The earliest of these was the Middlebere Plateway
, a horse-drawn plateway
that opened in 1806 and was Dorset's first railway. At the beginning of the 20th century this was superseded by Fayle's Tramway, a conventional steam locomotive
hauled railway. After the Second World War this railway was replaced with a local system that ran across the Skew Bridge at the eastern end of the station to the mines on the southern side of the A351. Because of this heritage, the Swanage Railway is developing the Purbeck Mineral and Mining Museum on the site at Norden.
(2 mins), Harman's Cross (12 mins), Herston (trains stop only on request), and Swanage
(23 mins).
Although track is now complete through to the junction with Network Rail
at Worgret Junction, the normal service on the Swanage Railway still terminates at Norden. Special services occasionally work to and from the main line.
Isle of Purbeck
The Isle of Purbeck, not a true island but a peninsula, is in the county of Dorset, England. It is bordered by the English Channel to the south and east, where steep cliffs fall to the sea; and by the marshy lands of the River Frome and Poole Harbour to the north. Its western boundary is less well...
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
. It is the northern-most station on Swanage Railway
Swanage Railway
The Swanage Railway is a long heritage railway in the Purbeck district of Dorset, England. The railway follows the route of the Purbeck branch line between Norden railway station, Corfe Castle railway station, Harman's Cross railway station, Herston Halt railway station and Swanage...
, a heritage railway
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
that currently operates from Norden to Swanage
Swanage
Swanage is a coastal town and civil parish in the south east of Dorset, England. It is situated at the eastern end of the Isle of Purbeck, approximately 10 km south of Poole and 40 km east of Dorchester. The parish has a population of 10,124 . Nearby are Ballard Down and Old Harry Rocks,...
. A Park and Ride
Park and ride
Park and ride facilities are car parks with connections to public transport that allow commuters and other people wishing to travel into city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system , or carpool for the rest of their trip...
site is adjacent to the station, and visitors can leave their cars, and ride the train to the beautiful village of Corfe Castle and the popular seaside destination of Swanage.
The Norden Nest Buffet is open at Norden station on most operating days. The site is also the home of the Purbeck Mineral and Mining Museum.
History
The Swanage Railway follows the route of the former London and South Western RailwayLondon and South Western Railway
The London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in...
line from Wareham
Wareham, Dorset
Wareham is an historic market town and, under the name Wareham Town, a civil parish, in the English county of Dorset. The town is situated on the River Frome eight miles southwest of Poole.-Situation and geography:...
to Swanage, a line that opened in 1885 and was finally closed by British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
in 1972. From the time of closure, a strong campaign to reopen the railway as a steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
operated heritage railway
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
developed, and the Swanage Railway began operating a steam service at the Swanage end of the line in 1982. As the line was progressively extended northwards towards Corfe Castle, concerns grew that terminating the line there would make existing parking problems in the picturesque village worse. It was therefore decided to extend the line the further half a mile to Norden, and build a Park and Ride site there.
Although there was never a passenger station at Norden prior to the opening of the current station in 1995, the station is built on the site of the former Norden Ball clay works. These works were served by a siding off the Wareham to Swanage railway, and also by two narrow gauge
Narrow gauge
A narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...
railways that connected the Ball clay pits to the works, and the works to small ports on the south side of Poole Harbour
Poole Harbour
Poole Harbour is a large natural harbour in Dorset, southern England, with the town of Poole on its shores. The harbour is a drowned valley formed at the end of the last ice age and is the estuary of several rivers, the largest being the Frome. The harbour has a long history of human settlement...
. The earliest of these was the Middlebere Plateway
Middlebere Plateway
The Middlebere Plateway, or Middlebere Tramway, was a horse-drawn plateway on the Isle of Purbeck in the English county of Dorset. One of the first railways in southern England and the first in Dorset, the plateway was built by a very wealthy London Merchant Benjamin Fayle , to take Purbeck Ball...
, a horse-drawn plateway
Plateway
A plateway is an early kind of railway or tramway or wagonway, with a cast iron rail. They were mainly used for about 50 years up to 1830, though some continued later....
that opened in 1806 and was Dorset's first railway. At the beginning of the 20th century this was superseded by Fayle's Tramway, a conventional steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
hauled railway. After the Second World War this railway was replaced with a local system that ran across the Skew Bridge at the eastern end of the station to the mines on the southern side of the A351. Because of this heritage, the Swanage Railway is developing the Purbeck Mineral and Mining Museum on the site at Norden.
Services
Services run every day from the beginning of April to late October, with weekend only operation in March, November and December. The level of service varies from 6 to 17 trains a day in each direction, depending the season and the day of the week. Trains from Norden travel southbound to stations at Corfe CastleCorfe Castle railway station
Corfe Castle railway station is a railway station located in the village of Corfe Castle, in the English county of Dorset. Originally an intermediate station on the London and South Western Railway branch line from Wareham to Swanage, the line and station were closed by British Rail in 1972...
(2 mins), Harman's Cross (12 mins), Herston (trains stop only on request), and Swanage
Swanage railway station
Swanage railway station is a railway station located in Swanage, on the Isle of Purbeck in the English county of Dorset. Originally the terminus of a London and South Western Railway branch line from Wareham, the line and station were closed by British Rail in 1972...
(23 mins).
Although track is now complete through to the junction with Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
at Worgret Junction, the normal service on the Swanage Railway still terminates at Norden. Special services occasionally work to and from the main line.