CROSSCOUNTRY is commemorating the withdrawal of its High Speed Train (HST) fleet by running a charter on September 26, ‘The Pines Express’ from Leeds to Swanage.
A mini tour then follows, ‘The Bournemouth Belle’, from Swanage to Bournemouth and return. The original ‘Pines’ ran from Manchester London Road (later Piccadilly) to Bournemouth via Bristol, Bath and the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway south to Branksome Junction, near Poole, and onto to Bournemouth, pine trees being prevalent in this part of the country.
This means