Any info for Weymouth quay railway ?

[31A]

There have been plenty of ports and quays connected to the rail network by street running "tramways" (Looe comes immediately to mind) but, apart from Dieppe, does anyone know of any other places where these were also used by passenger boat trains* I think the very original Calais Maritime may have fitted this description before it was moved to roughly where the car ferry port is now but that was way back in the mid nineteenth century.

 

*Technically, apart from a couple of road crossings, the kilometre long line from Dieppe Ville to Maritime ran along quaysides but the quays were open and next to a public road so trains had to be preceded by a flagman.

 

 

At Tyne Commission Quay, passenger trains ran onto paved trackwork, but not sure how much of the line leading to there (if any) was paved:

 

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/295404

[Isambard Kingdom Brunel]

I used to cycle around Portsmouth Dockyard on my "Racing bike" on my way to my ship. I regularly hit the rails.

Some said if you got stuck in the rails you could go twice round the dockyard before you got to the dock you needed

[Pacific231G]

At Tyne Commission Quay, passenger trains ran onto paved trackwork, but not sure how much of the line leading to there (if any) was paved:

 

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/295404

The same was true of the Ocean Terminal at Southampton. The lines that crossed Canute Road from the side of the old Terminus statino and carried special boat trains from Waterloo for the QE2 etc until fairly recently are still used for car trains etc. However, even inside the docks, the track is mostly open ballasted rather than inset.

 

Inset track is obviously more expensive than conventional so that seems to apply to a lot of docks and quays.

Edited April 5, 2016 by Pacific231G

[Paul Webb]

They still have not lifted the track here at Weymouth but are still talking about removing it.

 

Paul

[bike2steam]

No surprise there then, probably got more important things to spend the money on. ;-)

[Frank S.]

Hi Guys,

I wonder If any one here has a copy of 'The Abbotsbury Branch' by Brian Jackson ?  I know it has "some" Weymouth Quay content, but I wonder just how much ? I'm trying to get a complete library of Weymouth Quay references, but this book is going for about £33, so I don't want to invest in it, If it only has one or two photos.

Thanx,

Any help much appreciated.

Frank Savery

[Frank S.]

Hi again Guys,

I've found another book on the Weymouth Tramway.

'The Great Western at Weymouth' by J.H. Lucking, Pub by David & Charles in 1971 ISBN 0 7153 5135 4.

This concentrates on the GWR boat services from Weymouth to the Channel Islands and France. But it includes a chapter on the Tramway.

I got mine on e-bay.

Cheers,

FrankS

[DLT]

They still have not lifted the track here at Weymouth but are still talking about removing it.

 

Paul

 

They've been arguing about it for twenty years!

[bike2steam]

Besides it'd mean spending money they can ill afford to spend - too many pot-holes to fill first !!

[Bailey Gate]

Hi Guys,

I wonder If any one here has a copy of 'The Abbotsbury Branch' by Brian Jackson ?  I know it has "some" Weymouth Quay content, but I wonder just how much ? I'm trying to get a complete library of Weymouth Quay references, but this book is going for about £33, so I don't want to invest in it, If it only has one or two photos.

Thanx,

Any help much appreciated.

Frank Savery

  A great book if you want to know about the branch, but very little about the quay...  I would recommend looking at a copy before purchase to see if it's worth it to you.. 

 

Regards

 

Geoff

[Kenton]

 

They've been arguing about it for twenty years!

 

and much longer than that - still talk is cheaper than actually doing something constructive.

[Geoff Endacott]

still talk is cheaper than actually doing something constructive.

 

...or in the case of the tramway, something destructive.

 

Geoff Endacott

[Horsetan]

No surprise there then, probably got more important things to spend the money on. ;-)

Spending money on cutting back on other facilities, if I know W&PBC!!

[shortliner]

FWIW Chris Ellis' new book " Modelling Branch Lines and Industry" (ISBN 978-0-904811-26-3) has a two page article by John Flann on the Weymouth Harbour tramway. The cost is £7.50 post free (£10.00 for overseas) from Kristall Productions, 4 Surbiton Hall Close, Kingston, Surrey, KT1 2JX, UK

Edited May 3, 2016 by shortliner

[Frank S.]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for latest source of Info, Jack.

 

A  couple of questions for those who saw the Tramway in operation :~

 

I've now collected about 95% of published info on the Tramway, but of all the photos I've look at, none seem to show the rear end of goods trains ~ Did they use a Brake Van (ie GWR Toad-type)(?) or something special (?) or nothing, just a tail-lamp (?).

 

Could anyone tell me which bus company's vehicles were seen on the streets of Weymouth - in BR days (?)

I'd like it to be 'Southdown' as several of their buses are available in OO - but I'd like to check before splashing out on a fleet of Southdown Bedford 'OBs'

 

Thanx,

FrankS

w-a-y down South in Tasmania

[Rivercider]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for latest source of Info, Jack.

 

A  couple of questions for those who saw the Tramway in operation :~

 

 

Could anyone tell me which bus company's vehicles were seen on the streets of Weymouth - in BR days (?)

I'd like it to be 'Southdown' as several of their buses are available in OO - but I'd like to check before splashing out on a fleet of Southdown Bedford 'OBs'

 

Thanx,

FrankS

w-a-y down South in Tasmania

 

Weymouth was a Southern National area, so Bristol built buses are what you should be looking for,

 

cheers

[Kenton]

 

I've now collected about 95% of published info on the Tramway, but of all the photos I've look at, none seem to show the rear end of goods trains ~ Did they use a Brake Van (ie GWR Toad-type)(?) or something special (?) or nothing, just a tail-lamp (?).

 

I'm old enough to remember steam down the line and the vans used for the tomato and flower traffic from the channel islands as well as oil tanks for the refuelling. I don't recall any brake vans being used. I could be wrong of course and a photo would be some evidence of that. But remember that the traffic down the line was at a walking pace (sometimes slower) effectively only one engine in steam so the use of a brake would have been inconvenient. The biggest problem was not hitting cars parked on the line or pedestrians who had their eyes and ears closed.

 

 

 

Could anyone tell me which bus company's vehicles were seen on the streets of Weymouth - in BR days (?)

I'd like it to be 'Southdown' as several of their buses are available in OO - but I'd like to check before splashing out on a fleet of Southdown Bedford 'OBs'

 

 

 

Weymouth was the "end of the line" for buses as well as trains. So although Southern National handled quite a bit of traffic there were several other bus companies running from the depot. Although I lived in Dorchester (8 miles to the North) many of the buses that came through Dorchester originated at Weymouth. The red Hants and Dorset double deckers came from Weymouth garage on their way to Salisbury. The Black and White buses from Cheltenham terminated at Weymouth (usually making up the return the next day). A few of the Bere Regis buses (main garage in Dorchester) were garaged overnight in Weymouth. I recall other colours for buses in the garage. We have to remember that Weymouth was a very popular sea side resort in the 50's-60's and people took holidays there from all over the country. Just as Weymouth had both exGWR and SR lines it received other trains as specials from further afield in BR days.

[bike2steam]

Another fairly common coach operation would have been Royal Blue.

And yes train progress to the quay along the 'street-running' section was walking pace as someone ( or more) had to walk ahead of the train, with a red flag, and if a car was parked in the way it would be 'bounced' clear, if possible. One of the last guys to carry the flag was a small rotund person with a crazy sense of humour by the name of Mike ( the one on the left in the pic link below), especially by the photogenic location as the loco passes the Sailor's Return pub near the road overbridge.

 

https://uk.images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?p=steam+trains+to+weymouth+quay+images&fr=slv8-hpd10&imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia-cache-ak0.pinimg.com%2F736x%2F95%2F8b%2F76%2F958b7696d54ebb621d3d3c5761aa1e91.jpg#id=64&iurl=https%3A%2F%2Fc2.staticflickr.com%2F6%2F5512%2F14373851035_f2fa94d793.jpg&action=click

Edited May 7, 2016 by bike2steam

[DLT]

I remember Southern National buses in Weymouth; we would use the service (can't remember the number) that went to Upwey Wishing Well.

Royal Blue Coaches were a familiar sight, their garage was at Radipole Spa, just down the road from my Grandmother's house.  I never traveled on a Royal Blue, they were luxury long distance.

I used the Bournemouth bus on a few occasions, I think it was Number 11.

Cheers, Dave.

[petethemole]

The red buses would have been Wilts & Dorset. Without searching the Net for old timetables or route info I doubt if Hants & Dorset service buses (green) went that far west although coaches may have done.

[bike2steam]

With a somewhat complicated history within the National Bus Company, the probability is that W&D has only run into Weymouth from Bournemouth since 1983, before that it was H&D, with W&D only running services to Weymouth from Blandford, and Salisbury up to 1963. As between 1963 and 1983 W&D became part of H&D - confused ?? Oh - and H&D did run red buses as well.

Edited May 7, 2016 by bike2steam

[Kenton]

 

The red buses would have been Wilts & Dorset. Without searching the Net for old timetables or route info I doubt if Hants & Dorset service buses (green) went that far west although coaches may have done.

 

 

You could well be correct. I was only 10 at the end of the 50's so childhood memory fog has an influence. All I know is that the Salisbury bus was red (Dad used to tease me because I used to call it the Strawberry bus ) and it was a double decker (usually with the separated drivers cab) I used to stand holding the rail at the front upstairs because of the views and motion all the way there. With no car we used to go everywhere by bus and train and Salisbury was a regular bus journey.

 

I am sure there were also buses to Bournemouth and Southampton that originated/terminated in Weymouth, though for those destinations we would go by train. We would also go to Exeter and even Plymouth a couple of times a year by bus and it wouldn't surprise me if those buses came from Weymouth through Dorchester. From about the age of 8 I would regularly travel to visit an aunt just outside Bridport and the Bere Regis "mystery tours" were a regular Sunday outing going as far afield as Clovelly, Mevagissey, Wells, and anywhere the bus could travel to in a day. In the 50's and even well into the 60's there were quite a few private independent bus/coach operators in Dorset (and probably elsewhere) catering for local needs. I seem to recall there was a small operator in Blandford and another in Bridport. In the 60's I recall very well there was a small operator in Cattistock (a very small village) that ran a bus service to Dorchester, Maiden Newton, Yeovil and Bridport along with other small villages. Although they did run a summer service to Weymouth (apparently) the link is a bit tenuous and although I was a regular customer of theirs in the mid-late 60's (most school holidays I worked on the farm of the John Record in Rampisham and used to take my bike on the bus or leave it overnight at their garage.) More interesting details on the company here and other bus fan info.

 

Most people just didn't have cars so to go anywhere you caught the bus, cycled, or used shanks' pony. Sure Dorset was pretty well served by rail but not the first choice for a short journey as you had to get to the station first. Other than the once a quarter trip to Nottingham, usually by rail, to visit relatives and occasional trip to Taunton, Bristol or Southampton, I didn't get to foreign fields until 68 and the call of university. Since then I've been making up for it.

[DLT]

I can remember a single-decker on the Salisbury service, but not what colour it was.

[Frank S.]

Thanks for alol the Bus Info, guysd. I got a headache trying to follow all the different type and colour scheme variations on Hatton's Website

 

I found a photo of a Brake Van on the Tramway. also a Shunters Truck.

The Brake Van is a standard BR example on Page 56 of The Weymouth Harbour Tramway by John Lucking The caption says ~ 'A typical pier scene of the 1960's.....with all three roadfs full of Box Vans. note also the Goods Brake, a type of vehicle only occaissionally seen on the Tramway.

 

The Shunters Truck is on Page 112 of the same book. The caption says ~ ' Plate 187 A 'shunters' runner had no part bo play on the tramway and it was most unusual to see one there. On 30th April 1960,No 7782 was switched from yard shunting at very short notice and did not wait to detach it the runner'.

 

Fascinating photos are those of the oil train which trundled up and down the Tramway for nearly 509 years.

 

definitely THE book to have on the Weymouth Tramway

 

Cheers,

Frank Savery,

Ulverstone, Tasmania

[RobR]

Frank, have a look at pages 84 and 85 of this book. This shows the lamps and board used at the end of the train. The board says 'DANGER KEEP 50 FT CLEAR'. This was to allow for buffer rebound when a loose-coupled train stopped, as vehicles had been following too closely.

Rob