WEEDS have been removed from the Swanage Railway heritage line with the help of a multi-purpose vehicle (MPV).
An MPV usually consists of a two-vehicle train which can be adapted to meet the requirements of the railway.
MPVs can often be seen in the autumn equipped with high pressure water jets to blast leaves off the lines and where necessary apply a sand-like gel to help trains grip the rail better.
And in the winter, the trains come out at night to de-ice the conductor rail if the temperature falls below five degrees.
In this instance, however, the train supplied by Network Rail was deployed to treat the weeds around the railway.
The MPV enabled Swanage Railway to efficiently treat and kill weeds growing along the 5.5 miles of line, helping keep this heritage line free from weeds and running reliably.
This working came about through cooperation between Network Rail, Balfour Beatty and the Swanage Railway as part of a commitment to support this historic line.
Mark Goodall, Network Rail Wessex route director, said: “We were delighted to support the Swanage Railway by providing a weed killing train to treat the surface around the railway.
“This success shows the strength of partnership working with both Balfour Beatty and the Swanage Railway and it is a relationship we intend to continue for a long time to come.
“Heritage railways are hugely popular tourist attractions and play an important role in celebrating and retaining the history of our amazing railway.
“As a rail industry we provide a range of support to help keep heritage railways running safely and reliably and many of our staff volunteer their time and expertise.”
Swanage Railway Company chairman and Swanage Railway Trust director Gavin Johns added: "We are very grateful for the collaboration of our valued partners - Network Rail and Balfour Beatty - in kindly providing this efficient and effective weed-killing train.
"Maintaining our track in a safe and useable condition is essential for our nine-mile heritage line and managing weeds that grow along the track is a key part of that activity as stone track ballast free of weeds enables water to quickly drain away.
"The MPV enabled the whole of the Swanage Railway to be treated in a few hours in a very effective and efficient way."
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