Train GraphicClick on the map to explore geographics
 
I need help
FAQ
Emergency
About .
No recent travel & transport from BBC stories as at 22:55 28 Apr 2024
Read about the forum [here].
Register [here] - it's free.
What do I gain from registering? [here]
 22/05/24 - WWRUG / TransWilts update
02/06/24 - Summer Timetable starts
17/08/24 - Bus to Imber
27/09/25 - 200 years of passenger trains

On this day
28th Apr (1996)
GNER franchise (Sea Containers) starts on ECML (*)

Train RunningDelayed
19:38 London Paddington to Swansea
19:53 London Paddington to Plymouth
20:44 London Paddington to Worcester Shrub Hill
21:30 London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads
22:10 Taunton to Bristol Temple Meads
23:03 Reading to Gatwick Airport
PollsThere are no open or recent polls
Abbreviation pageAcronymns and abbreviations
Stn ComparatorStation Comparator
Rail newsNews Now - live rail news feed
Site Style 1 2 3 4
Next departures • Bristol Temple MeadsBath SpaChippenhamSwindonDidcot ParkwayReadingLondon PaddingtonMelksham
Exeter St DavidsTauntonWestburyTrowbridgeBristol ParkwayCardiff CentralOxfordCheltenham SpaBirmingham New Street
April 28, 2024, 23:13:39 *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Forgotten your username or password? - get a reminder
Most recently liked subjects
[138] Clan Line - by Clan Line !
[118] Visiting the pub on the way home.
[44] South Western Railways Waterloo - Bristol services axed
[42] access for all at Devon stations report
[27] Labour to nationalise railways within five years of coming to ...
[22] Misleading advertising?
 
News: A forum for passengers ... with input from rail professionals welcomed too
 
   Home   Help Search Calendar Login Register  
Pages: [1] 2
  Print  
Author Topic: Alcohol on trains from Weymouth  (Read 12073 times)
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40843



View Profile WWW Email
« on: August 07, 2015, 03:19:11 »

In previous years, the final Weymouth->Bristol train on Saturday nights (20:21) has been a "dry" train with no alcohol to be taken on board, and a strong policy of denying travel to those who are seriously drunk.   I haven't seen the notices this year, and I'm aware of the significant discouragement to use this train through with it being bustituted part of the way.   Is it a dry train this summer?
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
Adelante_CCT
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 1314



View Profile
« Reply #1 on: August 07, 2015, 06:59:28 »

Quote
 
Is it a dry train this summer?

Depends if it rains  Smiley
Logged
Phil
Global Moderator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 2044



View Profile
« Reply #2 on: August 07, 2015, 11:41:05 »

I saw a notice at Westbury station saying something about alcohol being banned on that train.
Logged
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40843



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #3 on: August 07, 2015, 12:10:32 »

I saw a notice at Westbury station saying something about alcohol being banned on that train.

Is that this year, Phil?   I'm not surprised, but FGW (First Great Western) twitter feed advised me otherwise:
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
Phil
Global Moderator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 2044



View Profile
« Reply #4 on: August 07, 2015, 18:35:23 »

I saw a notice at Westbury station saying something about alcohol being banned on that train.

Is that this year, Phil?   I'm not surprised, but FGW (First Great Western) twitter feed advised me otherwise:

It was just last Sunday!
Logged
bobm
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 9843



View Profile
« Reply #5 on: August 09, 2015, 10:36:48 »

Was this the one, Phil?

Logged
Surrey 455
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 1230


View Profile
« Reply #6 on: August 09, 2015, 13:00:13 »

What is it about west country folk? I'm sure that if I took a can of beer onto a SWT (South West Trains) train at Weymouth around the same time I'd have no problems. In fact a nice person with a trolley would probably offer to sell it to me on the train later on in the journey.
Logged
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40843



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #7 on: August 09, 2015, 13:08:30 »

What is it about west country folk? I'm sure that if I took a can of beer onto a SWT (South West Trains) train at Weymouth around the same time I'd have no problems.

I suspect you could indeed leave Weymouth with a can of beer on the 20:10 ... but as it's the service that's dry rather than the departure, you wouldn't then be allowed to change into the Bristol train at Upwey.   Of course, there isn't actually a 20:21 to Bristol at all this month; it's replaced by a 20:21 to Westbury, but after a pint or two I wouldn't like to point that out and suggest that there isn't a ban during August.   What fun we pedants have  Grin
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
WSW Frome
Transport Scholar
Sr. Member
******
Posts: 180


View Profile
« Reply #8 on: August 12, 2015, 20:36:29 »

From various observations over recent years, the brown liquid lovers mostly disembark at Yeovil or else by Westbury. The 20.21 Saturday has continued to be "dry" year round for several years now - but mostly this caution seems excessive. BTP (British Transport Police) reinforce the process in force and seem to travel to Yeovil only. 
Logged
Surrey 455
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 1230


View Profile
« Reply #9 on: August 12, 2015, 22:24:57 »

What is it about west country folk? I'm sure that if I took a can of beer onto a SWT (South West Trains) train at Weymouth around the same time I'd have no problems.

I suspect you could indeed leave Weymouth with a can of beer on the 20:10 ... but as it's the service that's dry rather than the departure, you wouldn't then be allowed to change into the Bristol train at Upwey.   Of course, there isn't actually a 20:21 to Bristol at all this month; it's replaced by a 20:21 to Westbury, but after a pint or two I wouldn't like to point that out and suggest that there isn't a ban during August.   What fun we pedants have  Grin

I probably should have been more specific and said that my own journeys from Weymouth would have been towards Woking or Clapham Junction. I seem to recall that the trolley joins the train at Bournemouth.
Logged
Chris from Nailsea
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 17895


I am not railway staff


View Profile Email
« Reply #10 on: August 13, 2015, 23:04:09 »

... in which case, passengers can only get 'trollyed' beyond Bournemouth ...  Wink Cheesy Grin
Logged

William Huskisson MP (Member of Parliament) was the first person to be killed by a train while crossing the tracks, in 1830.  Many more have died in the same way since then.  Don't take a chance: stop, look, listen.

"Level crossings are safe, unless they are used in an unsafe manner."  Discuss.
The Grecian
Sr. Member
****
Posts: 176


View Profile
« Reply #11 on: August 13, 2015, 23:52:10 »

I was under the impression the ban is all year round but only advertised in the summer. Admittedly I'm not sure how necessary it would be on a grey drizzly November Saturday. I'd concur Yeovil is the largest 'contributor' to the ban, but Frome, Westbury and Trowbridge also seem to send a lot of people to the seaside who might aim to become merry during the day but aren't necessarily so on the train back.
Logged
thetrout
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 2612



View Profile
« Reply #12 on: August 14, 2015, 18:22:20 »

I have seen the sign bobm posted in this thread at Westbury too. But I believe this is the only one that exists on the Network - Certainly on the Heart of Wessex route. A friend of mine found this out the hard way when the police confiscated alcohol intended to be drunk at a party back in Frome...

She had an absolutely valid point that this dry train is very poorly advertised. It's not listed anywhere on the FGW (First Great Western) Website. The Guard was actually happy to carry the alcohol and was satisfied it wasn't intent on being drunk onboard; Even offered to carry it in the rear cab. The Police had other ideas and confiscated the alcohol, then speculated that the guard would be reported to management.

Having spoken to the guard involved since we both share the same theory as to what the Police did with the Alcohol...... The fact the guard never heard about it from management only increases suspicions... My friend also came up with the same theory independently... But saying the Police had a spontaneous Saturday Night off duty nothing more than frivolous speculation and cynicism...



I've also had my fair share of drama with dry trains... Carrying 2x Bottles of Champagne over Christmas intent on being drunk at Christmas Day Dinner and New Years Eve celebrations in Essex. The bottles were stowed in my suitcase unopened and one of them wrapped up - both clearly gifts. Despite this I was told I would not be allowed to travel that day with the alcohol so either go away or surrender it... Considering that conversation happened at around 11PM and trains to Southend run until around 1AM I'll let you be the judge of what happened... Lips sealed
Logged

Grin Grin Grin Grin
Brucey
Global Moderator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 2260


View Profile WWW
« Reply #13 on: August 15, 2015, 18:19:54 »

Echoing thetrout's comments, I have also encountered a dry train, which I did not realise was scheduled as such.  It was due to transport football fans.  The PCSO was insistent that I had to give up the bottle of wine at their checkpoint near the station entrance.  I refused and returned to my car (in the station car park) to leave the alcohol in there.

On my return to the station, the same PCSO accused me of stuffing the alcohol into my suitcase.  I offered to let him look inside, but his colleague (an actual police officer) told me to "move on please".

Had I not had a car to return to, I have would ensured the lid was removed before placing it into a waste recepticle myself (i.e. putting it in so that the alcohol leaks) and the product would be undesirable to be drunk anymore.
Logged
Umberleigh
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 456


View Profile
« Reply #14 on: August 15, 2015, 19:09:30 »

Can't help but reflect on the irony of FGW (First Great Western) offering free alcoholic drinks to First Class passengers at Paddington before they even board the train, and the plebs not being trusted with a can of cider they bought themselves when departing Weymouth...

Logged
Do you have something you would like to add to this thread, or would you like to raise a new question at the Coffee Shop? Please [register] (it is free) if you have not done so before, or login (at the top of this page) if you already have an account - we would love to read what you have to say!

You can find out more about how this forum works [here] - that will link you to a copy of the forum agreement that you can read before you join, and tell you very much more about how we operate. We are an independent forum, provided and run by customers of Great Western Railway, for customers of Great Western Railway and we welcome railway professionals as members too, in either a personal or official capacity. Views expressed in posts are not necessarily the views of the operators of the forum.

As well as posting messages onto existing threads, and starting new subjects, members can communicate with each other through personal messages if they wish. And once members have made a certain number of posts, they will automatically be admitted to the "frequent posters club", where subjects not-for-public-domain are discussed; anything from the occasional rant to meetups we may be having ...

 
Pages: [1] 2
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by MySQL Powered by PHP Powered by SMF 1.1.2 | SMF © 2006-2007, Simple Machines LLC Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!
This forum is provided by customers of Great Western Railway (formerly First Great Western), and the views expressed are those of the individual posters concerned. Visit www.gwr.com for the official Great Western Railway website. Please contact the administrators of this site if you feel that the content provided by one of our posters contravenes our posting rules (email link to report). Forum hosted by Well House Consultants

Jump to top of pageJump to Forum Home Page