Melksham to Weymouth - Summer Saturdays, 2024

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Through Train - Melksham to Weymouth - Saturday 8th June 2024 and every Saturday until September 7th. Departs Melksham at 09:10, arrive Weymouth 11:08. Return 19:32 from Weymouth, arrive Melksham 21:34.   Return fare - Adults £22.60 (a third off with a railcard or for groups of three or more), child aged 5 to 15 £11.25 - pay on the day at the ticket machine by card or in cash on the train, or book online in advance.   Train operated by GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway).

There is LOTS to do in Weymouth ...

[bradshaw]

Or, if you are feeling energetic, get out at Maiden Newton and walk the old lanes to Dorchester passing a Roman Aqueduct and hillfort along the way. Route as thin red line.

Refreshments at Maiden Newton, Stratton and Dorchester.

[TaplowGreen]

11:37 Weymouth to Chippenham due 13:35

11:37 Weymouth to Chippenham due 13:35 will be cancelled.

This is due to a shortage of train crew.
Last Updated:09/06/2024 02:58

[grahame]

Lovely to have made the trip to Weymouth today, posting from the Pavilion, drink a cup of coffee and making sure my laptop and phone are fully charged.

Lovely journey down here today - just shy of 20 people joined the train at Melksham, on time.  We sat outside Westbury for a couple of minutes (don't we always?) awaiting a platform and then for a few minutes at Castle Cary, the train manager explaining that we were awaiting a train coming the other way which had been diverted off its route by a points failure on another line.  But not to worry because we were due to sit at Yeovil for 17 minutes anyway while we awaited the single line.

SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) train - 6 cars - came through the middle platform at Cary and we were off, pause for another train at Pen Mill, and then on to Weymouth, on time.   Excellent and clear announcements and explanations from the train manager - really GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) have some excellent staff.   I understand the train 30 minutes earlier had been full and standing - we were at perhaps 45% of seats occupied south of YVP.

[JayMac]

...drink a cup of coffee and making sure my laptop and phone are fully charged.

And making sure to keep the beverage away from said laptop?!

[grahame]

Day trip post / report - Saturday 27th July 2024

Outbound

As I walked to the station, I met a resident who had been planning a day trip by train to Weymouth, but have pulled out on learning that the journey planner was reporting that the direct return train in the evening was cancelled. Goodness knows how many others changed plans and decided not to go too, but never the less 25 people joined the train at Melksham and 5 got off.  There were 109 people on the train - 165102 - as it approached Trowbridge.

As an informal volunteer, but with knowledge of the concerns, I had a decision to make with regards alerting people to potential problems getting home at the end of the day, or not.  I say "potential" because it's very common for cancellations reported on Journey Check to be revoked and for the train to run. But I did have a word with the Train Manager and she checked on her system and assured me that the return train was now running, so I felt vindicated in not scaring the hejeebers off people. She left the train at Westbury, and said she would check with control.   The new train manager said that there were a lot of cancellations on the Weymouth line, but was assuring people that the Swindon train would run because it parks up in the siding there all day, but he suggested they check back at around 17:30.

Around 90 people in each carriage by the time we reached Weymouth (and a few had left at Dorchester) so not far shy of 300 on the train when we reached the seaside, and they all flowed out and down the road to the beach at around 11:15. Which as already rather busy - what a contrast to a week earlier, with wet weather and not quite into school holidays.   As a side thought, the following two GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) trains into Weymouth were both cancelled (11:35 and 12:27), and on a line with an infrequent service that would have seriously smashed people's day out plans - next train that ran in at 14:32 (due 14:27, 5 late). To the extent that people give up on the train.

I walked across to the Clock Tower and along the prom to the King's Statue for te bus to the Jurassic Coast.  The First "Jurrasic Coaster" stood there behind the the Go-Ahead "Jurrasic Breezer" and it seems we have "bus wars" - competition between two commercial operators - ongoing. Almost everyone was getting om the front bus which looked to be around a half to two thirds full.  There were just 4 passengers on the rear bus, and I was one of them.  We set off on the Coaster behind the Breezer ... at one point we overtook it, and it then passed us back. At one point it was out of site but we caught up again, and we pulled in behind it the verge-side stop for Durdle Door (actually a fair step to to the hilltop holiday park, and beyond it the descent to the Door). The Breezer disgorged a mightly lot of people - many in a single walking group - and three of us got off the Coaster, pulled up behind and blocking the lane.

I will come back with my return journey log soon, but just to record that the road traffic on the hill down into Weymouth was a continuous stream, lots of cars jamming the lanes into Durdle Door and Lulworth, and LARGE car parks these charing £10 for up to 4 hours or £20 for longer.  Both places crawling with visitors and I noted that my British accent was in a distinct minority.  Damage / erosion caused by the numbers of visitors all too evident; many areas fenced off.

[infoman]

I thought I read somewhere that there is a boat from Weymouth to Durdle Door beach,any info on that Grahame?

[grahame]

Day trip post / report - Saturday 27th July 2024

Outbound

[snip]

I will come back with my return journey log soon ...

Inbound

From West Lulworth at 15:14 on the Breezer to Wool Station, with the 15:15 Coaster just behind us. Both buses carried on to Wareham and Swanage (both two hourly services) and no need for two vehicles. There might have been enough space on one single - decker, and it WAS a busy, busy day.  On time (I think) at Wool station, 15 minute wait for the hourly (London) train that calls there; other buses in from various places like the Tank Museum and Monkey World and perhaps Swanage and Dorchester, and a healthy number joining the train.

5 car electric unit to Bournemouth, attached in the rear to a further 5 there.Clear announcement as to which carriage needed for Pokesdown, Christchurch, and New Milton and on time in to a very busy Southampton Central at just before 17:00. I should have switched to the 17:10 to Bristol Parkway (normally a Cardiff train, but the Severn Tunnel closed this weekend) but it was cancelled ... time for a quick bite of food.

Ticket gates don't like FOSS^▸ (Freedom of Severn & Solent Rover) Rovers. Put it in and came out several times.  Had a chat with one of the people standing for SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) on the gate who turns out is security not tickets who pointed me right across the gate-line to another woman who insisted I tried my ticket again, then when it failed took a look at it, rolled her eyes and begrudgingly let me through. Not a hint of a smile, and I got the distinct feeling it was my fault for using a ticket such as this rather than the inadequacy of the system to cope with a valid ticket.

And so - a seafood ramen that was lovely for tea, and back into the station for the 17:36 as far as Salisbury.  Gate-line failed to accept my ticket, but the person now on duty let me through without a smile or acknowledgement, but also without any rancour.   Train was across the bridge (far side) and I note that yet again the lift to the middle platform is out of action.  I only go to Southampton occasionally, and the lift "always" seems to be out.

17:36 to Salisbury late - slipped behind the 17:45 to Bournemouth and according to the departure board also behind the 17:51 to Weymouth.  However, the Salisbury train came in first to a manual announcement over-riding the automated system.

A lovely cup of coffee from the outlet on the platform and a smile from the lady serving (makes such a difference) but no-where to put the cup as I juggled to use my phone.  Why the complete absence of horizontal surfaces?   And so into the train, and a late but free of events journey to Salisbury, arriving on the main platform 4 rather than 6, with the train shunting straight out of the way westwards.

There is a failure at Salisbury for the incoming local train from the Solent area (the Romsey 6 or rocket) to connect to the new onwards local trains to Bristol - that possibility misses by 3 minutes.  Whether that should be a connection, or a through train ... something for the future?  For yesterday, the late running of the train from Southampton meant it would have missed as a connection, and that might have been what prevented it terminating at platform 6 before the arrival of the London local train "on top" of it.

Anyway ... onwards from Salisbury, Not at 17:42 (that cancelled train from Portsmouth) nor at 18:12 (the local train that failed to connect) but at 18:42.  I should have been on the 18:35 from Westbury back to Melksham but the first cancellation mean that connection missed. There's a 20:38 from Westbury to Swindon vis Melksham, but it's an empty train on a Saturday, so no option there. And there's a 21:18 as well - but that's the train from Weymouth that was cancelled yesterday - so even at that still-early hour how to get home?

Amazingly, the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) journey planner offers journeys on a Saturday evening from south of Westbury to Melksham going "round the triangle" - Westbury to Bath, Bath to Chippenham and Chippenham back down to Melksham and that's what I did.  Short changes at both Bath Spa and at Chippenham.  The platform at Bath was heaving with people, with tannoy advice to move to the ends of the platform to speed up loading, and on the train advice being for people to move towards the back so that they can get seats. 

At Chippenham, the 19:59 to Melksham WAS running ... although all three trains due to leave between 8 and 9 O'clock - one to London and two to Bath and Bristol - cancelled.  But the Westbury was running and indeed turned up and ran on time.

I walked through the train after we had left Chippenham and there were 50 people on there, and I wondered if some of that was people from Chippenham looking to head toward Bristol but doubling back at Trowbridge.  But thinking about it, no, no-one was doing that.  People flooded off the train in Melksham - 29 - and another five were waiting on the platform at Melksham to join - that's 55/34 on the usage measure I use for the service which shows just how important evening the Saturday evening trains are ... which leads to the question "how did the people on a day trip to Weymouth and from other places" get home.   Both later trains due into Melksham at 21:34 and 22:36 - cancelled

I don't know how people got home. But I know we have a right mess of a system when last trains are cancelled, and I wonder what GWR did. The passengers I met earlier in the day were not experienced enough to get to Bath for the 19:45, 21:05 or 23:15 buses (which were my planned safety net), and I would suspect that there was quite a number who had their plans upset.  It would appear the the advice of the train managers ("it will run") were both wrong and over-optimistic - playing with fire by making an unmet promise to passenger who were probably got going to be robust to the changes.  I may be wrong - there MIGHT have been a bus from Weymouth to Swindon that satisfied everyone ... I may learn as the week starts. 

[grahame]

I thought I read somewhere that there is a boat from Weymouth to Durdle Door beach,any info on that Grahame?

There are a number of trip boats / leisure ferries from Weymouth and the odd one may go to Durdle or Lulworth.  But I would doubt the Durdle trips would actually land there.  Just perhaps at Lulworth ...

[Chris from Nailsea]

1. Melksham.




Oh, sorry, wrong topic: I misunderstood. 

[grahame]

I joined the train this morning at Melksham ... along with 43 others, giving a total load on 127 on the way to Trowbridge. And 2 passengers got off at Melksham. So that's [129/46]. From chatting with a few people on the platform (and a bloke I know who was already on the train) there's a wide range of destinations, but Weymouth and for the day is dominant, with people aware that the return through train leaves at 19:32.

[bobm]

The Gloucester to Weymouth service following it half an hour later was four coaches and from the platform looked to be fairly lightly loaded. 

[grahame]

I joined the train this morning at Melksham ...

Picture from 40 minutes ago - doctored to persevere preserve anonymity of people out for the day

Thank goodness for the longer platform

Thank goodness for the longer trains

Gentle alert to any daily operation staff - as to just how many taxis you will need if you cancel the 19:32 from Weymouth tonight or send the return train somewhere else  



Edit note: One of grahame's typos corrected, purely for clarity.  CfN.

[TaplowGreen]

Fingers crossed neither the weather nor GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) let you down!

[grahame]

Picture from 40 minutes ago -

Thank goodness for the longer platform

Thank goodness for the longer trains

Gentle alert to any daily operation staff - as to just how many taxis you will need if you cancel the 19:32 from Weymouth tonight or send the return train somewhere else  

Final summer run of the through service Saturday service to Weymouth from Melksham this summer, and I'm planning to make the trip.  I have not been marketing the trip "hard" this summer - it's been a  risky business with the outbound journey cancelled several times on the day (and no backup alternative available) and the return journey lost at least one - that's even more serious as it leaves people stranded and I heard a report of people being four hours late home. Serious when the train is due back at 21:32 ...

Come the winter, there is still a through train in the timetable on Sundays to Weymouth - but it's later in the day and not suitable for day trips.  The through train the other way is actually on Sunday morning.   And with very few exceptions indeed,  long connectional waits at Westbury and joining up services with high cancellation rates on both legs have made the trip recommendable away from Saturdays only to robust trainspotters.

But I am not depressed.   The number of local journeys and journeys with more modest local connections - to and via Bristol and Salisbury for example - remains strong and for around 350 days a year rather than for 14.    On 13th July, 31st August and 1st September at big public events at Melksham, the Melksham Environment Group team handed out timetable leaflets (our own local production) to anyone who wanted them at the carnival and festival and we had plenty of takers.

"Anyone who wanted them" was key to our briefing ahead of events; the objective was not to get as may out as we could, but to reach people who wished to engage.  Very happy with "I look them up online" we heard from many; accepting of those who said "We never use the train". And, yes, lots of questions about Weymouth, diverted to "here are the services that run every day in the autumn.   Started with six boxes of leaflets, one left.  14th September, picnic in the park. 25th October - oh, wait - not in the diary yet  ...