In 1987 (I think) a railway magazine ran an April's fool story about the Weymouth Quay being gauged for third rail stock. Except we did gauge the branch to assess shoe-clearance for hauled 442 units. Sadly, much of the highway surface would have fouled the shoegear and the costs to either resurface the road else fit retractable shoegear to some 442 units was prohibitive.
Takes me quite a while to edit these old vhs tapes, also I often recorded too much when I had the old 3 hr tapes Thanks for watching my shakin' videos.....................Mike into the garden now; grass needs cutting.
Great video Mike--The ship seen at Weymouth Harbor was the old Brittany Ferries ship "Cornouailles" which used to travel between Plymouth and Roscoff 1977--1984. she was later transferred to the British Channel Islands ferries for the summer only Weymouth--Channel Islands service, renamed "Havelet" 1989--1997 when she was laid up at Weymouth, she was then sold to Montenegro Lines for the Bar--Bari (Italy) services, being renamed "Sveti Stefan", in 2013 she was taken to Turkey where she was scrapped. This ship was always an unstable vessel due to it's size and often than not used as a back-up ship, I have traveled on board once in 1982 from Plymouth to Roscoff and that was quite a wobbly ride, the bathrooms on board being filled well with seasickness testament to her 9 hour crossing!! Luckily we crossed back a week later on the better MV Quiberon to Plymouth. I hope this is useful information regarding the ship we see on your video. :-)
Thanks for your interest and information. Being on the train didn't allow us to talk to any locals, so your reply was excellent, thanks again..Mike all the 77s now and still enjoying railways
Great video Mike...Iv'e seem this only once at Weymouth before....quite amusing watching People 'bumping' Cars out of the way !! Very enjoyable watch...Steve.~
ive only ever been there once and that was while I was in the warrington sea cadets in the mid 70s and we went to what I think was Weymouth sea cadets a stone throw from the water opposite the ferry train terminal we was there for a week and one day we went out in a sailing boat out to sea as we was very close to the river mouth and we had to rush back to the slip way opposite the terminal as we was being chased by a ferry and we ad to get back in so that we didn't get capsized from the ferries wake lol enjoyed it though
I was also on this special. I recall that I was on the first of two trains that day. Those on the later train may well have the rueful satisfaction of knowing that they were on the last ever train to Weymouth Quay. I don't think the branch has been used since & its future must be very uncertain. Even at the time this video was shot, the Weymouth Quay Tramway was the last surviving example of a rail "Tramway", with a whole swathe of railway legislation applying to just this type of line. I also remember that when we departed Weymouth Quay around lunchtime, the town bridge was raised to allow a ship to pass. I suspect that the coincidence of a train passing just as the bridge was raised was a very rare event even when the line was in regular use. I think I may have some photos taken on the day some where. Will see if I can dig them out and post them on a website.
Brilliant video Mike of this train to Weymouth Quay. It bought back memories of my youth as use to go they every year with my parents and see the then steam trains and freight go through the streets to the harbour. This is back in the 60s & 70s .That was the good old days. C&A
the last time I saw the quay side with trains stopped there was in the mid 70s when the sea link ferries with the BR symbol on their funnels was operating from there as I was in the sea cadets at the time and we travelled from warrington and it took all night as we set off at midnight and we stayed at what I think was Weymouth sea cadets a very old large buildings with some smaller buildings in the walled area which was a stones throw away from a slip way opposite the ferry train terminal as we visited Portland naval base while we was there as we went on board HMS APPOLO we had to work for our meals and I ended up at the Portland sick bay from food poisoning after eating tope
We have trams in some of the major cities but it seems a shame that we don't have proper railways operating through public streets anymore. Must have been a fantastic sight back in the day.
Stopped because the third live rail for electric trains could not be made safe. South West trains were all electric and would've had to bring in a Diesel unit, just for the station to quay section. Not economically viable. No point bringing back that part of the service, as the Condor Cat no longer runs from Weymouth.
+borctanksnkits The line closed in 1987 and the remaining ferries only went to the Channel Islands. Not enough customers basically. It may reopen as a short line tourist attraction...have a look at the Weymouth Website
Not possible to make the 3rd "live" rail safe. All the trains on that service are electric only, so they would've had to keep a Diesel unit at Weymouth Station, just to pull the train through to the quay. Not really viable, economically.. Also, there are no ferries operating from the quay since the Channel Island Condor ferries moved their base to Poole.
you could have filmed from the other side of the train so that the viewers could have seen the 2 ships that was in port I think they were both ferries but one was deffo a ferry which was the last one that I saw when train got towards the end of the line
Sadly Dorset County Council have decided to rip up the rails on the road now because they've deemed that the rails have deteriorated to a point where they would be unusable for trains, and also to improve safety on the roads there as apparently they're a tripping hazard for cyclists....
No way place this. Because of this place train like tramway is too big!!! Why not try plans new metro-tramlink in instead like Croydon tramlink, you know?! Oh dear, look too many things tightly fit in there place the way could through it a problem! 😓
A great pity the line to the harbour is no more.
In 1987 (I think) a railway magazine ran an April's fool story about the Weymouth Quay being gauged for third rail stock.
Except we did gauge the branch to assess shoe-clearance for hauled 442 units.
Sadly, much of the highway surface would have fouled the shoegear and the costs to either resurface the road else fit retractable shoegear to some 442 units was prohibitive.
Thanks for watching. I'm so pleased YT keep my 1200 + clips for you all to enjoy long after I posted them...Mike
Takes me quite a while to edit these old vhs tapes, also I often recorded too much when I had the old 3 hr tapes
Thanks for watching my shakin' videos.....................Mike into the garden now; grass needs cutting.
Great video Mike--The ship seen at Weymouth Harbor was the old Brittany Ferries ship "Cornouailles" which used to travel between Plymouth and Roscoff 1977--1984. she was later transferred to the British Channel Islands ferries for the summer only Weymouth--Channel Islands service, renamed "Havelet" 1989--1997 when she was laid up at Weymouth, she was then sold to Montenegro Lines for the Bar--Bari (Italy) services, being renamed "Sveti Stefan", in 2013 she was taken to Turkey where she was scrapped. This ship was always an unstable vessel due to it's size and often than not used as a back-up ship, I have traveled on board once in 1982 from Plymouth to Roscoff and that was quite a wobbly ride, the bathrooms on board being filled well with seasickness testament to her 9 hour crossing!! Luckily we crossed back a week later on the better MV Quiberon to Plymouth. I hope this is useful information regarding the ship we see on your video. :-)
Thanks for your interest and information. Being on the train didn't allow us to talk to any locals, so your reply was excellent, thanks again..Mike all the 77s now and still enjoying railways
37250 is now preserved at the Wensleydale railway
I was on that train, great day, PS it was 2x 73 and 1x 37, not the other way round :-)
Great video Mike...Iv'e seem this only once at Weymouth before....quite amusing watching People 'bumping' Cars out of the way !! Very enjoyable watch...Steve.~
ive only ever been there once and that was while I was in the warrington sea cadets in the mid 70s and we went to what I think was Weymouth sea cadets a stone throw from the water opposite the ferry train terminal we was there for a week and one day we went out in a sailing boat out to sea as we was very close to the river mouth and we had to rush back to the slip way opposite the terminal as we was being chased by a ferry and we ad to get back in so that we didn't get capsized from the ferries wake lol enjoyed it though
I was also on this special. I recall that I was on the first of two trains that day. Those on the later train may well have the rueful satisfaction of knowing that they were on the last ever train to Weymouth Quay. I don't think the branch has been used since & its future must be very uncertain.
Even at the time this video was shot, the Weymouth Quay Tramway was the last surviving example of a rail "Tramway", with a whole swathe of railway legislation applying to just this type of line.
I also remember that when we departed Weymouth Quay around lunchtime, the town bridge was raised to allow a ship to pass. I suspect that the coincidence of a train passing just as the bridge was raised was a very rare event even when the line was in regular use.
I think I may have some photos taken on the day some where. Will see if I can dig them out and post them on a website.
Bloomin' wonderfull mate. Went last year to view the area at the end of the line.
Brilliant video Mike of this train to Weymouth Quay. It bought back memories of my youth as use to go they every year with my parents and see the then steam trains and freight go through the streets to the harbour. This is back in the 60s & 70s .That was the good old days. C&A
Walked along these lines last year when we were in Dorset on Holiday Mike, more great footage from the Wilcock archives....Bob
bono .
the last time I saw the quay side with trains stopped there was in the mid 70s when the sea link ferries with the BR symbol on their funnels was operating from there as I was in the sea cadets at the time and we travelled from warrington and it took all night as we set off at midnight and we stayed at what I think was Weymouth sea cadets a very old large buildings with some smaller buildings in the walled area which was a stones throw away from a slip way opposite the ferry train terminal as we visited Portland naval base while we was there as we went on board HMS APPOLO we had to work for our meals and I ended up at the Portland sick bay from food poisoning after eating tope
We have trams in some of the major cities but it seems a shame that we don't have proper railways operating through public streets anymore. Must have been a fantastic sight back in the day.
as long as it's not freight! Thanks for watching
I also have a Hardback Book called The Railway Policeman.
The Story of the Constable on the Track.
The question is; did anyone think of taking photos, or like myself with a 24 exposure film I restricted myself to family shots.
Mike Wilcock u old fart
A NOSTALGIC JOURNEY CELEBRATING A GOLDEN AGE.
BRANCH LINE BRITAIN.
Paul Atterbury.
What a real shame the trains stopped running to the quay
Stopped because the third live rail for electric trains could not be made safe. South West trains were all electric and would've had to bring in a Diesel unit, just for the station to quay section. Not economically viable. No point bringing back that part of the service, as the Condor Cat no longer runs from Weymouth.
Class 73 Electro-Diesels were designed to run for short distances away from the conductor rail.
Nice one Mike brilliant
apple
Is there any Info on why there isn't any trains using that line apart from its through the street
+borctanksnkits
The line closed in 1987 and the remaining ferries only went to the Channel Islands. Not enough customers basically.
It may reopen as a short line tourist attraction...have a look at the Weymouth Website
People drive there now
No ferrys either now.
Not possible to make the 3rd "live" rail safe. All the trains on that service are electric only, so they would've had to keep a Diesel unit at Weymouth Station, just to pull the train through to the quay. Not really viable, economically.. Also, there are no ferries operating from the quay since the Channel Island Condor ferries moved their base to Poole.
you could have filmed from the other side of the train so that the viewers could have seen the 2 ships that was in port I think they were both ferries but one was deffo a ferry which was the last one that I saw when train got towards the end of the line
Not having been down this line before I wouldn't have known about the ferries
ah ok so if you go again you will now know about them lol
Problem is; they've stopped running trains down that line many years ago
Enjoyed the video a lot just a shame the picture isn't a little clearer
I didn't have a HD camera and I only use my pc to download my clips;sorry !
Sadly Dorset County Council have decided to rip up the rails on the road now because they've deemed that the rails have deteriorated to a point where they would be unusable for trains, and also to improve safety on the roads there as apparently they're a tripping hazard for cyclists....
Thanks for the update; at least I have my video of happier days!
@@TheMichaelWilcock2016Railways Luckily, they've kept the rail sections that were off the road for historical purposes.
sham looks like they are going to lift the track at a cost of 1 million
No way place this. Because of this place train like tramway is too big!!! Why not try plans new metro-tramlink in instead like Croydon tramlink, you know?! Oh dear, look too many things tightly fit in there place the way could through it a problem! 😓