The Weymouth Harbour Tramway: A Seaside Oddity Soon To Be Lost? | Another Station, Another Mile #14
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ต.ค. 2024
- For as long as rail travel has existed in Britain, the railways have been intrinsically linked to one place in particular - the seaside. Countless seaside towns in Britain can trace their history back to the arrival of the railways, as with them came freight for cargo ships, boat trains for passenger ferries, and tourists wanting a nice trip to the beach. Weymouth was one such town to benefit from this rise in prosperity, but while a station some distance from the seafront was adequate, what if the trains could run all the way through the town itself, along public roads, right up to the Weymouth Quay to pick up and set down both cargo and passengers for ships in the port? Back in 1865, that idea was realised - and here is the result. Welcome folks to the curious story, of the Weymouth Harbour Tramway!
#WeymouthQuay #WeymouthHarbourTramway #Railway
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We used to live on commercial road in the 70s and wave to ppl on the train from the first floor bay window, it was literally feet away and very exciting at the time
Ah that sounds really cool! Imagine looking out your front windows and seeing a train rumble past on the road outside, so close you could almost touch it xD
Another Station, Another Mile it was amazing to see those big monsters up so close, quite frequently in the summer too, and the whole house used to shake when they trundled by
I am another local and remember going down in the 70's to watch the trains run along the tramway its such a travesty what Weymouth and Portland Borough council are planning to do ! But hey I am also good friends with Mark Poulton (The Weymouth Punch and Judy Man) and the council have not helped him in the slightest. Still a wonderful place to be associated with and the walk along the old railway route to portland is one everyone should do, stopping in at Sandsfoot Castle on their way.
Used to have family holidays,at least twice a year at Weymouth.....
Travelled over the tramway quite a few times.... a few from it's last passenger stop for the loco change at Bournemouth.... but mostly thanks to friendly drivers from where the train used to stop and await it's escort car before entering Commercial Road..... vaguely remember the 03 diesel shunter that used to work the boat train in pairs in the early/mid 70s before the 33s took over.....
I should have made the effort to do it with 37s and 73s in the early 90s but didn't..... shame it's gone...
Well done for the film, the historical value came across with your passion and informed commentary. Thanks for the dedicated approach regardless of the weather.
I bet Weymouth council will be kicking themselves in 30 years time...
If I'm honest Dorset County Council never know what they're doing 😂
Dorset County Council. Should....... LEAVE it Alone!
Weymouth council aren't that intelligent, they really don't have a clue what they are doing, and really don't care either.
Eh I don’t think so. It’s very short, doesn’t have any space as a useful right-of way, and probably Weymouth doesn’t need a tram network 🤷🏻♂️
It was because nails killed bicycles and cars tyres. They could of cleaned it up. They don’t know what they are doing.
Caught a special train from Swindon to the Quay back in the mid 1980's. It wasn't a railway special, just an excursion train with a boat across to Jersey for a day trip. When we arrived at Weymouth, they attached a board with yellow flashing lights and a bell to the front of the class 33. In addition there was a police car in front and at one point the police and railway staff had to "bounce" (by hand) a car out of the way. The only downside to the day was leaving at 05:30 and getting back about midnight.
money to rip up a tramway that really isnt causing any issues but no money for the homeless. i love the quirky nature of this line with the class 33s trundling along it back in the day.
Weymouth council wont listen. They just want done with it. They have an iconic railway, possibly of great heritage. They are missing on something here.
Could become a British version of the Molli.
It’s the rail industry that’s closed it down. Non electrified quayside running presents all sorts of problems not least with motive power and rolling stock. Let alone crewing and rostering.
I remember sitting in the Ship Inn one August in the 80's. "Martin", I said to my mate, "Can you see a bloomin' great train going past the pub?". He looked over his shoulder, "Yes", he said. "Good", I said, "So can I".
I remember the boat trains in the 1950s crawling through Weymouth streets headed by a GWR "Matchbox" pannier tank. I think that those were the only BR engines small enough to be allowed on the line. And yet the Class 33 diesels were used later.
Strange how that works, right? :)
Being local to Weymouth, all of the line has been removed along Commercial road and the crossing at King Street. Part of its have been removed along the harbour side now. A small section has been kept between Kings Street and the bus depot. The Curve has been kept. The loading Dock was being a pain to remove as its in a concrete slab so the Dorset Council don't what it's going to do about it. I know that the tracks at the Quay station will be removed in 2021. Speaking to the work men it was going to be cheaper to remove the tracks than keep them and bring them back into use.
Hey from The States! We had entire trolley lines ripped out or paved over during the 1960s. So I feel your pain.
I'm from the philly suburbs, and at least here, I've been able to see the trolley line that ran by my house back when. Look it up on YT, and you may be able to find your own
Tram services (as in a light rail passenger mover) in the UK have a similar story. Bus companies were largely responsible for their demise.
vikingwoman1988
That was because the oil, tyre, and car companies bought public transport up then eliminated it.
Los Angeles used to have one of the best public transportation systems in the world.
@@cjeam9199 same here
A survey found that the old 1865 wooden sleepers had rotted away in many places and are now unsafe to prevent the rails spreading under rolling stock load, let alone a locomotive. these would all need to be replaced to make the tramway operational again.
The location of the quay station is falling into the sea and has become dangerous, being beyond repair. This is why it is being demolished before it can fall down.
I always make sure to like your videos as soon as I watch them, the quality of video is excellent, especially compared to alot of channels with way more subs.
Thank you! Thats very kind of you to say, I appreciate it 😊
I remember this line well. As a young lad, whenever we went to Weymouth for the day I would watch the train run along this route. There were about two trains a day each way. When I was very young there was a bit of freight as well with tankards in the sidings. Once we went on the ferry from Weymouth and had to wait on board, for the train to deliver foot passengers. I am talking about the 1970's. I'm sad that it is in such a state now and thought that they should have done something with it during the Olympics in 2012.
Excellent report, congrats on your dedication and passion despite the weather. It's a crying shame they are doing this. Probably all gone now as this was three years ago. 😞
A bit of advice about the weather, try going between April and September (possibly October) if you want good weather, rather than what looks like December to February. As for stupid closures, you should check out the Bridport branch line just down the coast from Weymouth, which closed in the mid 70's, and that's something they're now regretting, immensely.
Brilliant video on a unique but now lost railway. We went there in Jan 2023 and almost nothing remained of the tramway. It survived Dr. Beeching, but not the local council. What a waste..
I live in Weymouth and it is a shame it's going but you have a council to contend with that won't listen to anyone except a chosen few land owners. Bright ideas like a stunning heritage line are lost in the mix.
It is a pity that the council is tearing it up but they are going a head with it . Will be another bit of history exsponged for ever good video cheers.
Mental that they won't even consider this as a tram line, the UK is lacking so badly in tram networks as opposed to other countries
This needs to be a Heritage railway
I agree
Absolutely. We Yanks follow British Rail news items very closely and we share your thoughts and ideas about preservation. Lots of that going on in your Country right now. Weymouth is special. I hope common sense prevails.
The old Great Central could sure use some help! Lots of history there!
@@bennettgibson7287 Me too.
I'm not a train 'enthusiast', and I don't even know why I watched this video.
But, I'm glad I did, because it was fascinating, and your presenting was really good to watch.
Haha! Thank you :) and honestly, compliments from folks who aren't normally into train videos like this, mean a lot to me? Because I've managed to make you interested, and that's meant I've done my job ^_^
Saw a boat train going down this in the early 1980s, preceded by men with red flags. Extraordinary.
There was an unholy public ruck in 1993 when a motorist plonked his Sierra right on the track blocking 33109.
12:20 the person on the mobility scooter drove into the river because they were staring 😆 I thought I heard a splash a few seconds after they leave the screen.
I heard it too XD
Oh no, perfect xD
Something definitely happened 😂
I had to look again after reading your comment. That was hilarious 🤣
There is a similar line in Zwickau in Germany, where heavy rail trains run along a tramway. Remarkably the tramway is even dual gauge with the trams being metre gauge, although as far as I know the streets are largely pedestrianised.
We should stop the council from ripping up the tramway; I'd rather replace the rails and have parry people movers running along the line....
Or even take a leaf out of London's book back when trams were widespread there, most trams used an electric conduit buried beneath the roadway, with an insulating topper to protect the public walking over it, the topper having a slit big enough for the tram's contact to reach through, so they can run electric trams without needing overhead cables, which require a lot of infrastructure.
Exactly, everybody but a council could see it could be a TRAM line. Borrow a spare from Blackpool or some working museum piece, , screw the lottery, get some volunteers together. Manchester, , Edinburgh & even Blackpool outwith the promenade got rid of the tram cause they got in the way of the car. Now theyre putting it all back & its costing them millions!
@@camjkerman while it may have been a lot neater in appearance, unfortunately the London tram conduit system was complex and very expensive to construct and maintain, when compared to an overhead system, and junctions were very complicated to build, adding to the high costs. By comparison, an overhead system is relatively simple and therefore cheaper to construct and maintain, but it's just not pretty...
@@CaseyJonesNumber1 I wasn't thinking on looks, I was more thinking on compactness. The Conduit system going into the road rather than a few feet above the roof of the tram would enable the trams to be as big and spacious as possible without the need for raising bridges.
The tramway causes lots of accidents with push and motorbikes. That’s the reason
Hi I’m from Weymouth. There are a lot of us who would like the tramlines removed despite appreciating their history and uniqueness.
This is because of the many injuries the tramlines have caused. I personally know of 15 people who have been injured as a result of the line. They become very slippery when wet and have caused broken wrists, legs and backs to cyclists and pedestrians.
Probably the worst incident was when a police car in pursuit skidded on the tramlines and the officer was paralysed permanently from the waist down. She was a mother of very young triplets.
There have been many calls over the years to remove them before someone dies. It have also been suggested that they could be filled in with some kind of resin to make them less slippery. I’m not sure why that couldn’t happen but this info is all out there if you research hard enough.
Thank you for the video, it was interesting to learn more about the tramlines.
I do know of those safety concerns, and I did mention them in the video - hence why I wondered if there was a way to make them less slippery, filling in with resin and such. There are many functioning tramways around the country that don't seem to have the same issue, like the Manchester Metrolink, so is there a way to fix the Weymouth tramway in the same way?
From what I've read (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong), it has something to do with the grooves and the fact that they use different types of track. On tramways like the Metrolink, they have shallower and narrow grooves, whereas in Weymouth, they use proper railway grade track so the grooves are wider and deeper.
There are some reports in local press that Red Funnel ferries who operate the Isle of Wight ferries are interested in running a ferry service to the Channel islands from Weymouth.
Oooh, interesting!
Yay. Someone has their thinking cap on!
What an incredible video from a very personable young man!! Im no spotter but the moment he mentioned Class 33, I immediately thought of 33109 which went past my house in Upway every day. Next shot, 33109. What a blast from the past and I'm only 45!! Shared!!
Southampton still has a dock railway that still occasionally gets used
Been to weymouth on hoilday and i have seen the tramway and i never really knew about the history of it good to know
One thing I like to do in this series is shine a light on hidden railway secrets and stories you might walk past and easily miss in everyday life. Now you know what those random tracks in the road at Weymouth are about now! 😆
We visited the UK ( from the US ),for my nephew’s wedding and we were fortunate to be able to walk the waterfront section of this ‘ tramway’! We saw the historic poster of the last train to Weymouth Harbor, and while very enlightening, also saddening-that was in July 2017! What an incredible legacy! You don’t appreciate the real value of anything, until it’s no more! Then it’s too late! A special trip, once or twice a week, might reawaken public awareness, as to the value of this regular railway, tramway! May she live forever!
@@selwyncarter3227 In English (as opposed to American), it's a tramway. Just accept it.
@@Otacatapetl there isn't a tram involved though....
@@blue9multimediagroup There doesn't have to be.
13:40 - Reason why it's being ripped up? Two words - "Dorset Council". I lived in Weymouth for 40 years, as a kid I used to fish by the harbour as the ferry trains went by. Over those 40 years, Dorset Council (and other now defunct sub councils) have systematically destroyed Weymouth and all its infrastructure. Last year my family and I moved far away from Dorset because we were sick of living in a dying town run by incompetents.
That's a real shame to hear, honestly. Looking at the old tramway tracks being ripped up, surrounded by an abandon station and closed, crumbling ferry terminal, really did feel pretty sad - especially knowing that there's seemingly no appetite to reopen or invest in any of those things.
@@HeyItsAJOmega yes mate, you summed up the feeling perfectly in your video. Good that you have helped record the history for when it's all been ripped up.
10:44 Ma-ree-na, not ma-rinner. #justsayin
🙄 you'd hate the way my dialect pronounces it 😁
It's: "saying", not: "sayin".
@@pingpongpung Indeed. A classic case of glass houses and stones.
What a neat oddity. I'm glad I discovered your channel. As an American inexplicably fascinated by British railway history, your candid explanations and use of whiteboard maps are much appreciated, especially given my gaps in historical and geographical knowledge. If I could make a suggestion: I'd love to see more period photos incorporated to illustrate your detail-rich monologues and connect the past to the present.
I love filming freight trains that run down the middle of the roads. We still have dozens of them in USA that are still in use. I sure would like to see one running in Weymouth
It's with great sadness that to me that our unique harbour railway has finally fallen victim to the thumb-suckers who thought the lines were a danger to pedestrians, cyclists and motorists. Work to rip up the tracks started in October and already the greater part of the route has gone. Even the contractors men, who I spoke to on the day the first lengths were torn up, told me they couldn't understand why such an historic railway was being destroyed. Residents of Weymouth have been polled several times and were overwhelmingly in favour of our harbour railway being left in situ and, hopefully, used again which goes to prove my suspicions that local democracy is a myth.
Great video! It's a shame that these links have gone (eg Newhaven Harbour and, more to the point, Dover)
Interesting video AJ!
Thanks for sharing.
I live not far down the Dorset coast from Weymouth (you will have passed by my local station on your way) and the tramway has always fascinated me, as many disused lines do.
I am sure you have seen some of the great videos on TH-cam of the line in use, and the effort involved in trying to run a train down there.
You are right about getting to see it whilst you can, there are many things over the years that I wish I had taken more time to look at or document, knowing that they would be gone one day. But always put it off, and it becomes too late.
If you enjoy these unique lines, you should take a trip to Southampton and check out what you can of the dockyard branch there. Once used for taking cruise terminal passengers on prestigious trains to luxury cruises, and now used for mass freight.
The dockyard branch crosses a very busy road and needs quite a bit of work to prepare for a crossing and stop traffic.
Also some videos in TH-cam of trains crossing in recent years.
Keep up the great videos, all the best.
A lot of rail links to minor ferry ports have closed over the years: Tilbury Riverside, Dover Western Docks, Newhaven Marine. Weymouth Tramway probably ran into the ground because it was difficult to keep it clear as it wasn't used that often unlike a modern tramline which has trams along it every five minutes, like Croydon where I used to live. It was probably quicker to simply travel into Weymouth station and take the bus or taxi to the harbour if you weren't driving and the fact that no train could serve both stations probably contributed to the harbour tramway's decline (plus electrification, and you can't apply 3rd rail to a street line). In fact, the ferries out of Weymouth have stopped because the company running them decided to use Poole instead.
Live here, such a shame it's going shouldn't be allowed. My mum said back when she was young if there were cars in the way they'd bounce them away from the tracks!
According to wikipedia - In February 2020, it was reported that £1.1 million had been awarded by the British Department for Transport to facilitate the removal of the track as it was "In a deteriorated state" and was no longer usable
As usual, lack of maintenance.
I was fortunate to see this almost twice a day growing up, just outside my back door, while living in one of the guest houses opposite the fright dock. One of the guests was so exited, they ran out to see it and neglected to throw on some clothes. The passengers waved and pointed in support.
I think they have already stopped traffic along the harbour, but unfortunately this may be to pull up the lines.
This needs to be a Heritage railway.
The reason they have stopped vehicular traffic around the harbour during daytime is to avoid holidaymakers having to crowd the pavements, thereby not 'social distancing' during Covid-19.
Way back in the late 70’s I have fond memories of day trips to Weymouth, and the thrill of watching a train go past so close you could reach out and touch it (not that my dad would have let me get remotely close enough). My introduction to TH-cam was coming across a video of the tramway in operation, it’s a few years back, so I’ve no idea if it’s still listed. It seems mad that as we’re all told it is time to abandon our cars yet another part of, what could be, our connected public transport network is being ripped up instead of refurbished.
Senseless vandalism to dig up this historic track which ought to be upgraded and maintained as a useful tram facility. Totally agree with your conclusion!
I'm no expert but maintaining a shared space between full sized trains, cars and pedestrians sounds pretty unsafe. Sure we got along all those years just fine but I can't think of an example of anywhere else in Britain where such a scenario exists today. Sure it'll be sad to see it go but it sounds like it's useful life is up.
@@samgregory7266 I used to holiday in Weymouth from the 70s upwards and saw the 'boat train', come and go regularly.
There was no problem with cars (other than badly parked or people didn't read the signs) or pedestrians, it never felt unsafe walking along side it as it made its way to the ferry, (and I was a kid), we had the sense to not get to near it and get out of the way, if we were on the track ahead. The train had two or three guards walking in front of it to warn people, and people got out of the way. The guards (along with the police) would bump cars off the track or if they were sticking out onto it. The train didn't come down the track at speed.
Perhaps people had more respect for the rules then and used their common sense, unlike now, when they have to be warned a hot drink may be hot!
It was sad when the trains stopped along with ferries. I think that did a lot of damage to Weymouth's tourism, as people came to see the train, as it was so unique.
Weymouth Council in my view take a long time to make decisions but when they do they are very short sighted. Deleting heritage and history is a terrible shame and unfortunately Weymouth seems content on doing this.
Walking out of my office for lunch in Zurich Switzerland (2017) there was a full size diesel loco running slowly on semi unused tram lines on the pavement. Boy it looked huge. Two men walked in front scraping dirt out of the lines and bumping cars out of the way where they were parked a bit close. It was pulling open top wagons where demolition rubble was being taken away for disposal. Looked strange and very neat.
I love the way this video is shot so much, the colour on all the shots looks so nice and it matches the mood.
I first went on the boat train in 1956 as an 8 year old with my late Nan And Grandad on our way to Jersey by Steam Boat.. Fast forwards to the 1990`s and my son was living there, so before i left for the drive home we had a walk round the harbour.. Then we saw the police moving cars parked wrongly along Harbour side. Not long after came a special train pulling dining coaches for travellers on a day out on a train.. By chance / fate we was there to see all this.. Countless Holidays In Weymouth has seen us drive the road of far magical memories for me and that will never go..
Ahhh, what lovely stories! Thank you for sharing them :)
Weymouth used to be a thriving port. It closed the ferrys and the tramway to its cost! People ask now “WEYMOUTH” ? “Where is that”? The place is now run down and tatty, i know I used to go here many years ago when the trains ran along this line regularly. Too many railways have been closed for no valid reason causing the financial collapse of the relates towns! This line would be a marvellous tourist attraction if steam trains were run along it, imagine the photo opportunities! Well done Weymouth for cutting your own purse strings.....🤷🏼♂️
Reasons why we left Weymouth #2553 😂
Yeah. I'm not looking forward to my council tax money going on that.
I live in Guernsey and as a child went on this train with my family. It was a big thing then
I once went on vacation for a week to Weymouth. I went to the station to see some 33's I then saw a southern ranger advertised. I spent very little time in Weymouth that week. I had heard that if cars were parked over the lines, multiple people would try and jump on the suspension and hop the car off the lines. Great days and 33/1 haulage.
I'm from Weymouth and I didn't know half of this, it's actually pretty interesting but living there I barely even noticed the tram lines!
The track was cut up and lifted several years ago now :-(
Nice piece of nostalgia, Adam. What a fright it must have given any motorist, not anticipating he/she would be sharing the public road with a full-sized locomotive! The town of my adolescence - Ramsgate, in Kent - even had a station on the Ramsgate Sands, reached through a massive tunnel from the Town Station.
A good subject for another video maybe? In fact the Ramsgate tunnel branched off around Dumpton, from the 1930s however the bench was unused and instead a light-rail shuttle ran through the tunnel from a terminus that is now a used-car lot. Passengers had to alight at Dumpton Park and walk to the other terminus. The tunnels are open as a visitor attraction and well worth a visit.
they're utterly bananas to not use it for light rail, but of course, far better to invest money into removing infrastructure than to invest it into infrastructure (???)
Oh the days of Watching Brian walking in front of that train down to the quay. Those days are gone, and as others have said, the councils never listen to the real people of our town, just the so-called landed gentry who always get what they want with the help of little brown envelopes to certain councillors. Unfortunately, because of the way our political system works, you only have power if you have money or are prepared to corrupt yourself for the promise of big payouts if you scratch certain backs of certain influential people.
Thanks for the video, it is so nice to see Weymouth getting good online publicity.
Excellent video, very well produced. Good on you for capturing the line before it disappears, too
Thank you! ^_^
I work in that Aldi I got to go on that tramway when I was a kid but didn't appreciate it as much as I should. Very good video
Very nicely done, and a welcome introduction to your channel. I travelled on this in a boat train from Waterloo in 1980, followed by a Force 9 storm during the crossing to Guernsey. Blame all the people who chose flying over the ferries for killing this off.
There is a similar thing in Trafford Park in / near Manchester. Never seen any footage of it in use and the lines cross and straddle the roadways rather than run along them.
Chris Lea-Alex some of it got removed recently when you built the metrolink line
Most of the tracks in Trafford Park have been ripped up now, however if you walk along Ashburton Road West there's still a few remnants of the rails and there's even still a few road signs warning drivers of trains.
Trafford Park railway shut in 1998. Barton Dock Rd freight line to the terminal closed in 2014. Still some tracks remaining.
The council, in their "wisdom"are currently removing the rails as I write. Very shortsighted loss of some of Weymouths heritage. As a lifelong Weymouth residenti have many memories of watching card being bounced out of the way, and summer crowds enjoying the spectacle.
Yup, I've seen the pictures of the mass roadworks being undertaken. So frustrating, to be honest.
I can only agree with you, the Weymouth Tramway is so unique it must stay where it is.
There must be other uses available.
A passionate plea, I concur that the tramway should remain - somewhat arrogantly, I admit, especially as I don't live in Weymouth but, with the harbour no longer accommodating boat trains, plus the high density of road traffic in that area, it's probably inevitable the tracks will be lifted. It would be a fitting tribute to the history of the tramway if some of the track would remain in situ.
It would definitely be nice if parts of it were preserved, as like an outdoor museum section. It does seem baffling that with the desire to improve public transport and decrease car usage at an all-time high, such moves to try and make use of this tailor-made tramway for something along those lines seems to have fallen away?
Especially now that battery-powered trams are a thing. No need for electrification, which ironically killed it off!
There are still some full size trains that run through towns in US. Saw one where loco had to stop and ask badly parked car to move.
Chicago South Shore and South Bend runs down the middle of 11th and 10th street.
I'm amazed. Weymouth used to be my parents' favourite holiday destination, so we visited it many times when I was a kid. I thought I knew the town fairly well, but I had no idea this line existed. Funny the things you can overlook.
I remember seeing a train come down to the harbour when I was in Weymouth on holiday in August 1976. The train was accompanied by big guys from the local fire brigade. Their job was to bounce parked cars out of the way. Great fun watching.
Went on holiday there in about 1986 and I can remember being stood on Commercial Road by the car park watching the train coming down the street with the train staff walking it through. As it kid it was so cool to see!
Love this channel.
Thank you! :)
I agree it makes no sense to spend so much money to rip up something for no reason. Weymouth is looking to attract more visitors, wouldn’t people like to bring their kids to run on a little railway that runs through the streets? The cost is minimal, the legislation and permits are all there and precedence long established. If I recall Parry People Movers were first tested on the tramway.
A very informative and interesting story about a short piece of railway 🧐🤔😀
Unfortunately, the tracks between Weymouth station and the quay have now been removed and tarmacked over. As a Weymouth born person - many moons ago - I was sad to see them go, despite being the victim of my bicycle front wheel being caught in the tracks, twice, thanks to inconsiderate car drivers forcing me over.
It is an end of an era, one that many locals and holiday makers used to enjoy. Especially the ones wanting to go to the channel islands.
They will never come back because the local council will say, "its to expensive", to reinstate the line. (Sigh!)
Thank you local council, (NOT!), for getting rid of a tourist attraction that Weymouth needed.
I would love to describe the people on the council a number of names, but if I do this post would probably be deleted.
Thank you sir for letting me revisit the past. (Wow! that makes sound old, probably because I am!)
I find myself wondering how you have so few subscribers. Excellent channel. Great video. Thank you.
Great video and very well presented!
I used the line three times. Can remember drifting past a pub and almost being able to pull a pint through the sliding vents we were that close! Happy green coach days.
Well, what an unexpected 20mins - and why hasn't this guy got a BBC programme ??? I've just relived my childhood in Weymouth, there's a postcard of the train out there with parents green Ford Cortina in front of train. My dad put a penny on the track and the train squashed it. Buddy, thank you for that mate, what a great presentation.
Haha! Thank you, that's very kind - ask the BBC to give me a programme xD And that's a great little story!
You make great videos.
Thank you! :)
Very good video for those who never knew or visited. I lived in Weymouth for 7 or 8 years in the 80’s and witnessed a number of movements on the line, yes including rail staff physically bouncing cars out of the way! The local council then lacked foresight, they even considered filling in the back harbour, the only harbour of any size between Poole and Torbay!!!! Anecdote: In town one day and heard a lad (obviously on holiday ) say “Dad, Dad, there’s a train coming down the street, look Dad look.” Dad’s response was to clip him round the ear and say “Don’t be stupid, get over ere’ and unceremoniously dragged him away, Hey Ho.
I remember seeing live trains in the town in the 1970's. They used to travel at walking pace with a guard walking in front.
you should come to Portsmouth and trace what left of the train tracks from Portsmouth and Southsea Station to the docks and naval base
I remember that line going out across the water from the main station to Pompey Dockyard. I believe it's been demolished now.
I'm happy this video was randomly recommended by TH-cam.
Wrestling fan who likes trains.
Sad. Think of the thousands of navvies who gave their life building lines all over. Also the money spent at the time. A historical relic that can find new ways of usage.
I remember the trains on route to the Channel Islands, great nostalgic thank you
I did this in the 80s on a regular service; they even put a Southern green Channel Islands Boat Train headboard on the 33 at Bournemouth.. They had to send men in front of the train on foot to lift cars away from the track whose drivers didn't believe the line was in use!
We should protest the lifting of the track by sticking a pannier tank in the middle of the road and just leaving it there
A great idea Josh! See if Barrie Scrap yard has one to spare
Finally got round to watching this video, brilliant to watch, I managed to get to Weymouth Quay back in 2019 which was more sunny than the weather you had but it is disappointing that they knocked the station building down and ripped the rails up. Also remember watching a cab ride video that you even saw the men moving the cars out the way as well, About 4 or 5 people dragging a car across the road
It was such an incredible oddity! I'm honestly quite depressed that it was, at such great expense, wiped from existence and next to no effort to save any of it as a historical document was even made. Such stunning short-sightedness.
Great little video. Thanks for sharing.
Hey thank you! That's very kind of you to say :)
Sadly, the line has now been ripped up - on the imitative of the new Dorset Council. Despite ostensibly promoting a green agenda, the council seem to be in the pockets of the cycle lobby & local businesses. Some of the quayside pubs want to encourage street drinking and feel the railway gets in the way. Of course anyway else in the town, getting pissed in the street would be regarded as anti-social behaviour
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I should like to finish by saying how privileged I feel to have had the opportunity to travel by train down the Tramway on quite a number of occasions in the past. This included the first of the 2 trains run on what turned out to be the final day of operation in May 1999. I am so sorry that no one will ever be able to enjoy this unique experience ever again.
Good capture. According to Wikipedia, the line has now been dismantled.
Congratulations on a great video. The first time I went to Weymouth was in the mid 1950s on my way with my parents to the Channel Islands. Trains from Waterloo to Weymouth were steam hauled and terminated at the station in the town. We travelled from Woking to Weymouth because we lived much nearer to Woking Station than Reading Station where we would have had to have gone to catch the "Boat Train", as it was called, so we walked from the town station to the ferry. This was OK because we had sent most of our luggage in a cabin trunk PLA (Passenger Luggage in Advance, now a lost and nearly forgotten service.) Later in the day, while sitting on the deck of the ferry, we saw a train - very much a full size one - come round the tramway hauled by a diesel shunter rather than the main line loco that would have hauled it from Paddington. Yes, the shunter had a bell on the front rung manually by what looked like a rope back to the shunter's cab. This was the "Boat Train" arriving. (There are some videos of trains on this Tramway on TH-cam.)
Haha, what a fabulous story! Thank you for sharing. Class 03 shunters I believe would've handled things if it was a diesel shunter I believe?
@@HeyItsAJOmega It certainly was a diesel shunter.
That's a great and informative vlog. My girlfriend and I love weymouth and we walked along the tracks to the abandoned station in December.
First time I've seen one of your videos - very enjoyable and great presentation considering the pissing rain! Subscribed 👍
Great video thanks. I caught a train there to the ferry in 1981, it was great and very convenient. I have visited in more recent years and like you, find it fascinating!
This is just the sort of quirky, unique rail or transport video that I like. Half way throu & I believe I will become a subscriber. EDIT: As I'm a huge wrestling fan, what was on your top at the end?
Thank you! That's very kind of you to say :) As for my shirt, that would be the awesome Pro Wrestling SOUL promotion! Based in South London, I've been to their shows before and they are a great bunch of folks ^_^
Pro Wrestling Soul, I must admit as a fairly hardcore wrestling fan that's been to 3 Manias & travelled down to London for RevPro, Progress, etc I've not heard of them. I'll see if I can find anything on TH-cam. EDIT: Just found their TH-cam channel. I'll get watching. 👍
I see you have included the I.K. Brunel bridge in the intro! It means a lot to me as I’m from Saltash :)
Oh, awesome! Yeah, that clip is from the Night Riviera episode. No joke, I woke up in my cabin on the train, opened the curtain and looked out the window, and it was the very first light of dawn just as we were crossing the Royal Albert Bridge into Cornwall. And that shot you see was literally me scrambling for my camera to capture the moment, in the very dim light of morning, with all the lights of the houses and boats in Plymouth and Saltash twinkling down below. It was one of the most special moments of my life ^_^
This channel needs more views/subs it's a very good British Railway channel
Very good filming & explaining the history of the tramway, those should never be ripped up & as for some cyclists as you say reckon it should with other people’s reasons, here in Melbourne, Australia we have the largest tramway network in the world & street tramlines are not a problem for cyclists, motorcyclists & cars, also if the idiot state government can “ heritage list” a bloody freeway built in the 1970’s!!!!! Or try to for political reasons, no kidding! Why does not anyone over there try to Heritage list the Weymouth Tramway as it has so much historic value l think, anyway as an Aussie living the other side of the planet l probably should not comment but your wonderful railway history like this tramway should try to be kept & as a future tourist operating tramway it would probably be very popular, imagine one of our Historic W class trams being operated on that waterfront as there are plenty up for grabs that have been stored down here, we have sent many W class trams from New Zealand to the USA, just saying, anyway the old saying you don’t know what you have got till it’s gone.
Interesting video, I remember seeing the trains running down the street on holidays in the 1980s.
When I was a kid I remember tank wagons trundling down the middle of the street. I also seem to recall Class 37s going down there which is much larger than a 33.
They laughed when they began to reopen the Swanage Railway. Now it’s a major money spinner for the town and the Purbecks. With imagination, Weymouth could have used the Tramway and the pier to bring back tourists and Channel ferries. It’s a great shame such blockheads shut it all down.
I went on this line in the early 70's. Didn't know it existed and was most surprised (in a good way).
Awesome video my friend!
So sad to see this is coming to an end, I Just Subscribed 👍😎
Well done it would make a superb trams system as a holiday resort tramway and remive the cars and make quayside pedestrian area...
Chris McCartney YESSss!!!!