Trains stop at Herston Halt thanks to Frank
Last weekend marked a major milestone in a life-long commitment by a South West Trains employee to rebuild part of the Swanage heritage railway in Dorset.
Station Manager Frank Roberts has invested 25 years of his life and thousands of pounds of his own money to complete a series of projects on the Swanage Railway.
One of Frank’s main objectives was to rebuild the Herston Halt platform to allow trains to stop. After months of hard work, that project is now complete and, along with the many volunteers who helped him, Frank took centre stage on Saturday (30 May) during a celebration in Swanage to mark the official opening of the rebuilt Herston Halt platform.
Former Warrant Officer Frank (47) was at the heart of the project to rebuild the platform and has spent more than 25 years making a series of improvements to the heritage line.
Frank, who lives in Swanage, was in the Army for 25 years and developed an interest in the Swanage Railway while posted to Blandford Camp in 1984. He persuaded the Army to volunteer on railway projects within the local community – a tradition that has continued ever since.
He said: “I was bored at weekends and offered to give Swanage Railway a hand. There was lots to do, including the installation of the telecoms so we started with that and just kept going really.”
Frank and his fellow volunteers began a project to rebuild part of the Railway and spent 22 years installing the railway’s telecommunication system, including all the telephone poles and cable along the six mile route. During that time, Frank twice served on the railway’s Board of Directors and, in 2004, was appointed as the first Swanage Railway Infrastructure Manager, a position he held until two years ago when he joined South West Trains.
Now as Station Manager for Staines and Windsor, and despite also studying for a BSc in Railway Operation with the Institution of Railway Operators, Frank has continued to invest time and money into the Railway, most notably at Herston Halt.
Having demolished the original wooden platform in January 2009, Frank and his team of soldiers and Team Herston volunteers were gifted with a kit platform from Woodside Station - which is now part of the Croydon tram link - on the condition that they dismantle and rebuild the concrete structure themselves. The team worked tirelessly to ensure that the new platform was successfully rebuilt just three months later on 10 April 2009 at a cost of just £10,000. The platform is now longer and wider that the original passenger facility.
Saturday marked the official opening of the new platform with a host of celebrations taking place in Swanage. To begin proceedings, the Mayor of Swanage Mr Mike Pratt and Commanding Officer of the 11th Signal Regiment, at Blandford, Lt Colonel James Langley unveiled a stone plaque at the Halt to celebrate the opening of the platform as well as the 25th anniversary of the Army’s involvement with the local railway line.
Later, 500 soldiers took part in a ‘Liberty of Swanage’ Parade, and marched through the town centre to celebrate the occasion.
Frank added: “When I left the Army, I thought military support for the Railway might decline but I’m delighted to say it has actually increased. It’s a wonderful achievement and, along with the people of Swanage, we should thank the hundreds of soldiers who have given up their time over the past 25 years to help restore and preserve this important heritage railway.”