Steam's up aboard the Santa Special in Swanage

Over the weekend Swanage enjoyed some early morning sunshine.....
with the remaining wet fish shop, Swanage Bay Fish, offering a 'Today's Special' on locally caught sprats.....
around the town there are some unusual artworks.....

but surely top of the list for visitors is the renowned Swanage Railway where all aspects of steam engine life can be viewed from many angles........
including taking coal and water .....
before the engines make their way to the station......
and depart for the end of the line at Norden Park a mile south of the famous Corfe Castle ruins....
manned by a dedicated team of volunteers of all ages, some of whom are seen here cleaning up after an ash box has been emptied into the pit.....
and polishing the Westcountry Class Eddystone an engine that would have pulled trains to Penzance on many occasions.......at this time of year thousands visit Swanage station and make their way aboard the Santa Special where the kids get to travel with Santa and a present while the adults are treated to mince pies......
leaving Swanage station with all the sights, sounds and smells that are associated with these classic examples of British engineering that helped create the modern industrialised world as we know it today......
at the end of the day, St Mary's Church played host to the Belvedere Singers seen here with the audience participating in singing the Twelve Days of Christmas as they raise funds in support of their local Swanage Hospital.