Great Western Coffee Shop

On Saturday 9th of June SWR are running a service, 1L11, from Basingstoke (07.22) to Corfe Castle via Yeovil and Weymouth. (http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/W10661/2018/06/09/advanced)

At Weymouth one set is removed and forms the 12.10 to Yeovil Junction and 14.12 return.
The Corfe set returns at 15.45 combining with the set at Weymouth to return to Waterloo.

The SWR Weymouth service is a summer dated one but I am not sure if the Swanage Railway trip is repeated. On other Saturdays there is a Swanage-Wareham shuttle.

From 12th Feb 2018, at 06:56

(http://www.wellho.net/pix/wsb2cc.jpg)

But I suspect that 158 887 was just dreaming ... really headed for Southampton Central!

I’m surprised not more is being made of this yet or is it still TBC even though it’s showing up in RTT?

This is from today’s Dorset Echo. However it mentions the Wizard as an HST. I presume they are wrong


http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/16243566.Extra_rail_services_to_be_a_boost_for_tourism_this_summer/

1O72 - still class one train extra on summer Saturdays - shown in GWR timetable without refreshments (clue) and running just as fast as the other trains on the line (second clue).  No "Weymouth Wizard" in the list of named trains (third clue).  Extra train back - 18:30 off Weymouth - is class two, similar timings to other trains on the line (fourth clue) and calling on request at the halts (fifth clue).

I suspect the Dorset Echo is a bit clueless!

Or recirculating a previous years news.

As are most so called 'local news outlets' now all owned by the same company. Some articles you see nowadays must be written by someone hundreds of miles away and are mainly click bait. Very sad to see 'local journalism' become so trashy.

In fact, neither local nor journalism.

When I looked at RTT the Basingstoke - Corfe is shown as NOT calling at Weymouth on its outward journey as the Weymouth times are not bold as are those at other stopping points are so presumably is only to detach the leading unit whilst the rear unit then reverses to Wareham thence Corfe.

Also RTT shows two round trips Wareham - Corfe one single leg of which is shown as Operator WR  so I do wonder if this a precursor of possibly peak holiday season Wareham - Swanage trips and is for WR personnel to obtain traction familiarisation in preparation for stock hire-ins as previously on this forum it was stated that preserved diesel stock would not be ready in time for this summer ?

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/advanced/CFC/2018/06/09/0000-2359?stp=WVSC&show=all&order=wtt

Swanage Railway aren't planning to run a regular service until September. I would imagine the cost of paying West Coast to operate the service last year was too much to do this year despite good loadings.

West Coast (WC) are shown on RTT to be running services  every Saturday from 16th June.

Also a friend has received this from Barry Doe regarding SWR service:
"SWR can’t tell me why it’s only showing for June 9th (something I knew about a few days ago) but assures me it runs every Saturday from this one until September 8th"

and

"The fare is £10 from Salisbury to Corfe (very cheap indeed) or £5 from Weymouth/Wareham – which is also cheap. For those who arrive Wareham from the east on Waterloo trains it’s still £5."

I’m presuming that’s a data error.  There’s little to be gained from not calling, and when I looked last week the return train did make a normal call.

Paul

From a follow up in the Dorset Echo
( http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/16243566.Extra_rail_services_to_be_a_boost_for_tourism_this_summer/ )


Which I think is the Dorsetshire way of (not) saying "sorry, we's gotten it rong!"

"Please stand back from the edge of platform 2 - the next train is not scheduled to stop here" ... and, yes, I have heard that announcement at Weymouth!

So have I, usually when the empty stock for the Wizard was approaching the platform for the return to Bristol.

Good on The Dorset Echo for correcting their story and removing the picture of the HST.

RTT for Saturday morning’s through service is now showing a proper Weymouth passenger call:
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/W10661/2018/05/26/advanced

Paul

Someone somewhere must have accessed this forum and acted accordingly. Amazing how influential this forum is.

So why is this not being promoted by either Swanage railway or SWR?

Lone WC operated journey also changed to SW now.

Looking to be a sensible use of a six car (2 x 159?) train from SWR land to Weymouth on summer Saturdays - one unit providing fill in shuttles to Yeovil, and the other headed for Wareham, with three round trips to Corfe Castle.

Maybe they are going for a 'soft launch' before publicizing it.

The services are starting TOMORROW, 26th May. Have just received this from SR via Twitter

http://www.swanagerailway.co.uk/events/detail/summersaturdayspecial.

it is already loaded into Twitter

Sorry, I meant Real Time trains!

Dorset Echo article on the new service starting tomorrow:
http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/16248529.New_tourist_train_between_Weymouth_and_Corfe_Castle_starts_this_weekend


Great initiative and great to see something operating from the mainline onto The Swanage Railway this summer.

National Rail enquiries reckons it can't find a fare, but gives you the times.

SWR website isn't any better. In fact it can't even find the trains. Searching for Clapham Junction to Corfe Castle on 26th May or 2nd June I get

Having read the Swanage Railway link above, It seems as though from further afield you'll need to buy two sets of tickets. One for the SWR Corfe castle train and one for your connecting train.

My reading of the information put out by SWR is that through fares are only available on the through train, or perhaps later trains from stations between Weymouth and Wareham

My understanding is that this was only ‘put to bed’ just in time for this weekend. The publicity giving full details was only sent out yesterday.
 In a reply to me, Chris Loder of SWR says that  “services will all be clear and accurate next week for the summer, but they will be SW services in the times as per 26th May”

It would suspect that the tickets are specific to that train and add on ones are needed to travel from other stations.

The farthest 'away' you can travel from, on the £10 Promo Day Return (valid on SWR trains only) to Corfe Castle, is Salisbury. And then from any station that the specials call at, with the Promo Day Return reducing to £5 from Weymouth onward. There are no other fares to Corfe Castle.

Anyone wishing to travel from further afield, connecting into the specials, will need to buy split tickets.

Guess where I'm headed as I type?

The Promo Day Return is valid on earlier returns from Corfe Castle at 1210 (if you only want 30 mins there!) and 1410. Those are shuttles to Wareham, where you can change for services to Weymouth. Travel from Weymouth onward with GWR does mean purchase of another ticket though. This is what I'm doing. Returning from Corfe Castle at 1410 to Weymouth. Then from Weymouth at 1603 to Maiden Newton, with a Day Single.

(https://image.ibb.co/bTKgBT/rps20180526_110707.jpg) (https://ibb.co/d1uEWT)

This service must hold some kind of record. Four reversals en-route. Yeovil Junction, Yeovil Pen Mill, Weymouth, Wareham.

It would be good if you could let us know how busy it is. I will have to do it later on as Marion has Dorset Art Weeks in her studio for the next three Saturdays.

Today the Corfe Castle section it is about half full. The Weymouth portion was busier when I boarded at Maiden Newton.

Five cars (1x 158, 1x 159) from Basingstoke to Weymouth. 158 dropped there, with the three car 159 onward to Corfe Castle.

Has anyone spotted the small error on the tickets I pictured up thread?

Stagecoach lives on.

No "Where were Finn and I today?" as I've rather given the game away by posting in this thread!

(https://preview.ibb.co/cQQJQo/rps20180526_121553.jpg) (https://ibb.co/cAzOrT)

Finn and I decided we'd return from Corfe Castle at 1410 for a connection to Weymouth at Wareham, thence the 1608 GWR to Maiden Newton.

I'm currently sat in a pub in Wareham as the next Weymouth train is delayed by an hour due a, fatality at Weybridge. My connection at Weymouth into the 1608 is looking less and less likely so I'll probably be back on the special at 1654.

How well loaded was the train to Corfe BNM?

BNM, if you carry on posting photographs like this FINN will be demanding appearance fees..... ;) ;D

See post #31.

Not bad considering how little and late the advertising was.

How I missed that...doh! I know, I was distracted by the pic of Finn!

I'm planning a trip next Saturday from Gillingham.  Despite what it says on the SWR website entry under offers, tickets are still not available on line - "No trains or fares found".

The SWR online ticket sales (Mixing Deck) finds trains and fares for 9th June. For some reason the trains aren't present in the plan for 2nd June yet.

They should all be in the system this week. See post #28

Had a trip on this today from Gillingham.  Train was well loaded throughout, in fact very full after Yeovil.  Although we dropped a number of passengers at Weymouth these were replaced by joiners at Weymouth, Dorchester and Wareham so that the train was full on arrival at Corfe Castle.  The steam railway offer a reduced rate ticket for passengers off this service (£10 vs £13).  The train was equally full on the return journey.  A nice day out, nice weather and lovely fish & chips and a large ice cream.

Great to hear the service is being well used and this with just over a week ago from being first publicised. Shows there is a market for this kind of service. Oh to see this on the West Somerset Railway.

I heard that the Railway Unions are stopping such on the WSR. Par for the course.

Heard from where?

Why would the unions be preventing additional work for their members by stopping GWR and WSR running through services?

If I remember correctly, at one time the local bus service was exWestern National and had a number of RMT drivers.

When then WSR branch was closed by BR the replacement road services personnel were represented unionwise by the NUR, now of course the RMT. I'm not a historian but Google might come up with the history of why through rail services are currently prevented as a regular occurence. Specials do run onto WSR metals and a few years ago there were a series of Bristol - Minehead services run by the defunct Fragonnset outfit. FGW have run shuttles for WSR gala days and I travelled the line in a GWR liveried 150 from and to Bristol a couple of years ago in connection with the launch of the WSR AWAYDAY promotion. I have also travelled the WSR line on 220 001 which was renamed Somerset Voyager from its original name of Maiden Voyager at Minehead. Then of course was it last summer an HST was planned to run to Minehead from Paddington but due to gauging issues at Blue Anchor was only permitted to Bishops Lydeard, there is a thread of that excursion on this forum.

Yes it would be nice to have a regular shuttle from Taunton to Bishops Lydeard but "politics" for the present preclude this eventuality.

I'm aware of the historical union issues involving bus drivers and the WSR. Is there really still a militant NUR/RMT cabal at First Bus's Taunton depot, and within the GWR train driving ranks, 40 odd years after the original dispute?

The RMT certainly haven't 'blacked' the WSR in recent years. Numerous GWR organised rail tours have made it onto WSR metals with no union rumblings. I think it highly unlikely that unions would stand in the way of a regular Summer Saturday through working similar to that on the Swanage Railway.

CJB666 was intimating that there are current union problems stopping GWR and WSR working together. It'd be nice if there was a source for that.

I think it's just a lack of will from GWR and WSR. Different mindsets to those at SWR and Swanage Railway.

On the 'Saturday Special' again today.

Boarded again at Maiden Newton. Much busier than last Saturday. I'd say about 3/4 full across the 5 carriages.

So pleased to read that BNM. After spending all the money on the infrastructure to enable trains to run regularly off the mainline it’s good to see it being used.