Weymouth harbour branch

Author
Discussion

SeeFive

8,280 posts

232 months

Monday 14th November 2016
quotequote all
I will never forget when I was a small boy and the train came through the strange feeling of standing in the road right next to it and looking up at the wooden plank bit I typically looked down on and stepped on to get on the train at the station back home. It was way above my head! It just seemed so tall.

Collectingbrass

2,198 posts

194 months

Monday 14th November 2016
quotequote all
If ever there was an image that summed up this board: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:D6535_and_Conco...

Shakermaker

11,317 posts

99 months

Monday 14th November 2016
quotequote all
I always wondered when it was used, spent some time in Weymouth as my ex lived in the area but she didn't know.

Cool video for sure

loggo

410 posts

111 months

Tuesday 15th November 2016
quotequote all
The only time I saw it working there was a pannier tank pulling the train.
Back in 1970 or so I was a guard working out of Newport Ebbw junction. We were above Pontllanfraith pushing the train with the guards van (remember them?) Next to the engine. At about 15 mph we rounded a bend to find that we had hit an Austin Cambridge which had been parked with the rear overhanging the track. Driver appeared and was most upset!

Yertis

18,016 posts

265 months

Tuesday 15th November 2016
quotequote all
Was the harbour branch an LSWR or GWR operation, or both? I've only seen boat trains hauled by big Southern engines, but GWR engines doing the harbour bit.

ukaskew

10,642 posts

220 months

Tuesday 15th November 2016
quotequote all
My Dad used to drive this line (possibly my gramp too, would have to check), amazing sight when I was a kid, back when it was ok to sit up in the cab with him as well. He's just about to hit 45 years of driving so has a few stories!

There is somewhere else on the south coast with a line through town if memory serves correctly.

rs1952

5,247 posts

258 months

Tuesday 15th November 2016
quotequote all
Yertis said:
Was the harbour branch an LSWR or GWR operation, or both? I've only seen boat trains hauled by big Southern engines, but GWR engines doing the harbour bit.
It was owned by the GWR: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weymouth_Harbour_Tra...

In steam days, there were tank engines kept at Weymouth to operate the line and the various port-related sidings in the area. From about 1934 there were three of the GWR 1366 class kept there for the work, one of which has been preserved https://www.flickr.com/photos/70023venus2009/95052...

These three were displaced in 1962 by Rustin and Hornsby 204hp diesel shunters, one of which is working the train in my Flickr photo further up the thread. The steam tanks then went to Wadebridge to replace the Beattie Well Tanks on the Wenfordbridge china clay traffic.

The main line engines were detached at Weymouth Melcombe Regis and replaced with the shunters for the train's last few hundred yards to the Harbour station. Later on (late 60s/ early 70s - can't remember exactly) the class 33 diesels were cleared for use over the branch, and they appear in photographs heading most of the trains through to the end of the regular passenger service.

RichB

51,431 posts

283 months

Tuesday 15th November 2016
quotequote all
I remember going on that line when I went on holiday to Jersey back in 1974/5. It was dark as we trundled along the street into the harbour. I wonder what pulled us back then? I don't think it was a shunter.

Johnnytheboy

24,498 posts

185 months

Tuesday 15th November 2016
quotequote all
ralphrj said:
According to the wikipedia page regular services stopped in 1987. After that it looks like there were only a handful of special trains until the final one in May 1999.
I went to see either the last scheduled service, or an early special by the look of the dates. I remember there being a bit of a crowd.

Remember the old coaches where they told you not to use the loo while in a station? Same should have applied to the Weymouth Harbour branch, as after the train went by there was a poo wrapped in loo roll in the middle of the track, with this big crowd there.

It's funny what memories stay with you.

RichB

51,431 posts

283 months

Tuesday 15th November 2016
quotequote all
Johnnytheboy said:
Remember the old coaches where they told you not to use the loo while in a station?
Shame people can't read these days because the tracks at Paddington are strewn with crap, quite disgusting.

FourWheelDrift

88,377 posts

283 months

Sunday 19th February 2017
quotequote all
Spotted this on youtube, Weymouth might not have the trains any more but they still go down the streets of LaGrange Kentucky USA.

https://youtu.be/TVWvt-bpoCI?t=55

No problems with parked cars there. But you might have to wait a while to be able to pull away.



and in Tampa Florida, past the office buildings - https://youtu.be/9iG0xOAgWMI?t=44

Shakermaker

11,317 posts

99 months

Monday 20th February 2017
quotequote all
FourWheelDrift said:
Spotted this on youtube, Weymouth might not have the trains any more but they still go down the streets of LaGrange Kentucky USA.

https://youtu.be/TVWvt-bpoCI?t=55

No problems with parked cars there. But you might have to wait a while to be able to pull away.



and in Tampa Florida, past the office buildings - https://youtu.be/9iG0xOAgWMI?t=44
I thought I would look that up on Google Maps and mistakenly looked up La Grange, Texas. That also has a street running section of track going down a main road.

but wow, 10 minutes for that train to pass, I wonder how frequent that is? Must be regular enough to keep the track, but not so regular to make it worth re-routing to a dedicated section. Though I guess, it would still have level crossings etc that would get closed off for the same length of time but if it was segregated, could the train go at a higher speed?

Steve_D

13,737 posts

257 months

Monday 20th February 2017
quotequote all
Shakermaker said:
.....but wow, 10 minutes for that train to pass, I wonder how frequent that is? ........
Write up said 4 trains in the day filmed.

Steve

Shakermaker

11,317 posts

99 months

Monday 20th February 2017
quotequote all
Steve_D said:
Shakermaker said:
.....but wow, 10 minutes for that train to pass, I wonder how frequent that is? ........
Write up said 4 trains in the day filmed.

Steve
Didn't read that bit, cheers.

Impressive. Cumulatively, less time closed than the level crossing near my house throughout a day I reckon then, as that probably closes for 3-4 minutes at least 15 times a day. But time it wrong when you want to finish work or just dash over the road to get your lunch and I guess you could get caught short!

FourWheelDrift

88,377 posts

283 months

Tuesday 21st February 2017
quotequote all
Seem to be quite a few places that still have trains run through towns although not quite the single line with parked cars up the high street like LaGrange.

But here's another one, driver takes the wrong turn and despite police on the scene they can't get the train to stop (perhaps it just can't) and it wipes out the empty car - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pi-nmUFLV8

Shakermaker

11,317 posts

99 months

Tuesday 21st February 2017
quotequote all
FourWheelDrift said:
Seem to be quite a few places that still have trains run through towns although not quite the single line with parked cars up the high street like LaGrange.

But here's another one, driver takes the wrong turn and despite police on the scene they can't get the train to stop (perhaps it just can't) and it wipes out the empty car - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pi-nmUFLV8
It does stop, just not in time; clearly needs quite a bit of distance to stop that given how long one assumes the train would be to have to need 2 engines pulling all those double stacked containers!

FourWheelDrift

88,377 posts

283 months

Tuesday 21st February 2017
quotequote all
I think he was trying to get on the line to use the train to push him up to the required 88mph but misjudged it.

HOGEPH

5,249 posts

185 months

Tuesday 21st February 2017
quotequote all
Dogwatch said:
Now we know what pwig stands for!

Apparently there was a colour light signal protecting a level crossing, I think the one near B&Q, which was still shining down the line until quite recently even though there hadn't been a train for years!
It's still lit up, annoys me every time I go past it!

Trevatanus

11,109 posts

149 months

Tuesday 21st February 2017
quotequote all
My Aunt and Uncle used to take my younger sister and I to Weymouth on hols when we were kids.
I remember the train heading down to the Ferry to the Channel Islands.
About 10 years ago, I popped into a museum when I was down there and saw a picture, and asked the person if they still ran this service.
"No dear, it stopped in the mid 70's"
That's when middle ages set in.
frown

FourWheelDrift

88,377 posts

283 months

Tuesday 21st February 2017
quotequote all
Trevatanus said:
My Aunt and Uncle used to take my younger sister and I to Weymouth on hols when we were kids.
I remember the train heading down to the Ferry to the Channel Islands.
About 10 years ago, I popped into a museum when I was down there and saw a picture, and asked the person if they still ran this service.
"No dear, it stopped in the mid 70's"
That's when middle ages set in.
frown
Regular passenger services stopped in 1987 and it stopped completely in 1999.

1999 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJbv5me0pRQ