Flying Scotsman hauls Swanage Railway trains on 24, 25, 28 and 29 October and 1 November. Fares from £59.95, display days £29.95, and two road changes planned.
Flying Scotsman arrives on the Swanage Railway in a little over two weeks. Dorset Council has now set out the road changes that will come with it.
The locomotive will be in Purbeck for ten days, from Friday 23 October to Sunday 1 November, to mark the railway’s 50th anniversary year. It hauls trains on five of those days and stands on display at Swanage station on the other five. Most of the visit falls in Dorset Council’s half term, which is 26 to 30 October.
Which days it runs
The Swanage Railway’s announcement of 11 March and its booking pages give the same dates:
- Hauling trains between Swanage, Harman’s Cross, Corfe Castle and Norden: Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October, Wednesday 28 and Thursday 29 October, and Sunday 1 November
- On static display at Swanage station: Friday 23, Monday 26, Tuesday 27, Friday 30 and Saturday 31 October
On the display days the locomotive does not haul any trains. The railway runs its own steam service instead.
What the tickets cost
The railway sells four ways to see the locomotive. Two have their prices on the railway’s own pages. Each figure below is the price without the optional Gift Aid donation that the booking system offers.
| Ticket | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Standard travel | £59.95 adult, £29.95 child aged 3 to 15 | A reserved return from Swanage to Norden behind Flying Scotsman, plus a Freedom of the Line ticket for the day |
| Private compartment, up to six people | £419.95 | The same journey in the Loch Rannoch coach, with Prosecco or elderflower cordial and shortbread |
| Static Day Experience | £29.95 per person | Entry to see the locomotive at Swanage station, plus a Freedom of the Line ticket on the railway’s own steam trains |
Children under three and carers travelling with a disabled passenger go free on both. The Flying Scotsman page also lists a bubbles and scone package, a 1920s grand afternoon tea and a grand breakfast aboard the Devon Belle. Their prices are shown only in the booking system.
Points from the railway’s terms worth knowing before you book:
- the Flying Scotsman ticket is valid only on the departure printed on it
- the railway asks you to arrive at least 30 minutes before that departure
- dogs are not allowed on the reserved Flying Scotsman train, except registered assistance dogs
- the railway says the locomotive “may be changed for operational reasons”
The road changes on running days
Dorset Council published two notices about the visit on 1 October. Both are intended orders, which the council says it will make at least seven days after that date. Both apply only on the five running days.
A351 Valley Road, Harmans Cross: temporary 30mph limit. This covers about 1,520 metres, from the 30mph and 50mph signs at the western end of Harmans Cross to the junction with the B3069, in both directions. The council says it is needed because more people are expected on the Afflington bridge, where the A351 crosses the railway between Harmans Cross and Corfe Castle.
Northbrook Road, Swanage: closed at the railway bridge. About 60 metres between Gilbert Road and Court Road will be shut to vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians. The railway asked for it because of the number of people expected on Northbrook Road railway bridge. The bridge stays open during the day when the train is not running. The signed route for drivers is Court Road, Kings Road West, Rempstone Road and the A351.
Why the Devon Belle matters
The train will include the Devon Belle, a late 1940s Pullman observation carriage. Flying Scotsman and the Devon Belle toured the United States together between 1969 and 1972, the railway says. The tour company went bankrupt. The locomotive came home but the carriage stayed in America.
Swanage Railway volunteers rescued it from San Francisco in 2007, where it was being used as a company boardroom. It has since been restored and overhauled.
Flying Scotsman belongs to the National Railway Museum in York. It was built in 1923 and in 1934 became the first steam locomotive in the UK to haul a train at 100mph, the railway’s release says. It last visited Swanage in 2019 and 2022.
What it means for you
- If you want to ride, book the running day and departure you want. The railway says tickets are “expected to be extremely popular”.
- If you just want to see it up close, the display days at Swanage station cost half the adult fare, and also cover the railway’s own steam trains for the day.
- If you drive through Purbeck on 24, 25, 28 or 29 October or 1 November, expect 30mph through Harmans Cross and a closed road at the Swanage bridge.
- If you are coming from Poole, the Sandbanks chain ferry is still running for the whole visit. Its last day before the refit is 1 November, the final running day. Our ferry story has the details.
More for the week is on our October half term in Dorset and Halloween in Dorset pages. Road closures across the county are on our roadworks and travel page.
Sources
- Swanage Railway: Flying Scotsman to celebrate Swanage Railway 50th anniversary, 11 March 2026, for the dates, the Devon Belle history and the locomotive’s record.
- Swanage Railway event pages for standard travel and the Static Day Experience, checked 6 October 2026, for prices, dates and booking terms.
- Dorset Council notice, 1 October 2026, Public Notice Portal, for the A351 speed limit and the Northbrook Road closure.
- Dorset Council 2026/27 term dates, as set out on our half term page.
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