Weymouth - summer weekend loco-hauled services - 2007

[whole diary]

[Timmer]

Anyone heard any further news on this? According to the latest Rail FGW^▸ (First Great Western) are remaining tight lipped about this. Maybe Riviera are secretly painting up a rake of Mk2s^▸ (Mark 2 coach) in FGW livery for a big press launch. Sorry Im dreaming again!

[Scooby]

Not directly related, but FGW^▸ (First Great Western) ran two additional return services Exeter - Paddington today to cater for Exeter City playing at Wembley. Riviera stock with EWS^▸ (English Welsh & Scottish Railway Ltd, now known as DB Schenker Rail (UK^▸ (United Kingdom))) class 67 locos.

[Jim]

We had 158798 + 153 on the 0915 Bristol - Weymouth.
158747 + 150 worked the 1827 Arr in to Bristol from Weymouth

[Timmer]

We had 158798 + 153 on the 0915 Bristol - Weymouth.
158747 + 150 worked the 1827 Arr in to Bristol from Weymouth

Thanks for that Jim, Was going to ask what the stock was for the first summer sunday operation. With the weather being good yesterday I imagine loading was quite good.

[Timmer]

At last FGW^▸ (First Great Western) admit that they are going to run an extra loco hauled service during July and August. Do wish they would stop banging on about this so called 'extra' service running from Westbury to Weymouth on sundays though, it ran last year and the year before and started from Warminster. Two things of note 1)it does not appear on the journey planner 2)shame it looks like its gonna be a slow stopper, surely existing services do a good enough job at covering stopping at every station. Apart from that good news loco hauled services are back on the Weymouth line!!!! 

http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/NewsItem.aspx?id=510

First Great Western has added a further train to the Weymouth line^s weekend schedules, this is in addition to an extra Sunday morning service from Westbury to Weymouth that was added for the summer timetable in May.

Now, to meet the demand for a south coast summer Saturday service from the Bristol and Bath areas, First Great Western is also adding a locomotive hauled train on this popular route. The train is hired^in from EWS^▸ (English Welsh & Scottish Railway Ltd, now known as DB Schenker Rail (UK^▸ (United Kingdom))) trains and will complement the First Great Western services at weekends from Bristol, Bath and Westbury to the coast.

From 7 July, the new service will leave Bristol Temple Meads at 0834 on every Saturday in July and August, and arrive at Weymouth at 11.03. It calls at local stations ranging from Keynsham, Oldfield Park, Bruton, and Maiden Newton - as well as the major towns along the route such as Trowbridge, Bradford-on-Avon, Yeovil Pen Mill and Dorchester West.

The train will return from Weymouth at 1747, arriving back in Bristol Temple Meads at 2004. This means that day trippers can choose from homeward bound services on offer from Weymouth to Bristol ^ with two leaving at 1721 and at 1747.

Julian Crow, First Great Western^s Regional Manager West of England, says: ^This locomotive hauled train can accommodate several hundred people and complements the enhanced local train services that link Avon, Somerset and West Wiltshire with the Dorset coast on summer weekends. We have hired this extra train to add what we hope will be a popular addition for the summer. All we and our customers need now is better weather.^

Andrew Griffiths. First Great Western^s Regional Manager Severn and Solent adds: ^We are pleased to be able to respond to customer requests and can now offer a wider choice of services linking Bristol and Bath to the Dorset coast for day trips. This special service is ideal for taking the kids to the seaside, and means there are the highest number of seats on the route for many years.^

The service will run until 25 August 2007.

Ends

[Timmer]

Timetable for this extra service:

http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Documents/Custom/FGW%20-%20375%20Weymouths.pdf

[Jim]

Ta for the timetable link, will give it a go on Saturday & will report back

[Timmer]

Ta for the timetable link, will give it a go on Saturday & will report back

Nice one Jim, look forward to your report. Weather is looking good for Saturday so will be interesting to see what the loading is like. Have a good trip!

[Jim]

0804 Bri - Wey 3 car (150/153)
0834 BRi - WEY 67 set, fairly quiet
0904 BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains) - WEY 5 car TPE^▸ (Trans Pennine Express) combo (1 o them being 798)

1721 WEY - BRI 5 car TPE combo (1 being 798 which stabled in Weymouth)
1747 WEY - BRI (left before 1721) not that busy

[Trowres]

1747 WEY - BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains) (left before 1721) not that busy

Jim, are you able to explain the comment about the 1747 leaving before (the?) 1721?

[martyjon]

Jim, are you able to explain the comment about the 1747 leaving before (the?) 1721?


I'm not Jim but I too travelled to and from Weymouth on the T & T 67's additional service yesterday.

Passengers were coming onto platform 2 at Weymouth and on seeing a 3-car 158 (158798) in platform 3 were making their way to that service as station staff were pointing them to that service as being the first that would leave for Bristol.

As the 67's were approaching and entering platform 2 an announcement was made to the effect that the inbound service was delayed by approximately 20 minutes due to a late running service at Castle Cary. The late running inbound service was due to link up with the 158 already in platform 1 and form a 5-car unit to Bristol.

At the appointed time for the 67's to leave the train was ready and they departed on time.

Thus all the way up, the 67's were picking up passengers that were awaiting the 1721 unit.

Mind you there were some strange looks from passengers as we made booked stops at the stations along the way.

At Bruton a young girl wanted to alight and panicked because the door didn't open automatically and a fellow passenger had to open the door for her.

At Frome, Westbury, Trowbridge and Bradord-on-Avon young people waiting on the platforms for a train into Bath for a night out just looked gobsmaked when we stopped and asked if we were going to Bath and were heard as they boarded that they've never been on a train like this before.

Going down in the morning I doubt whether there were more than 50 - 60 persons on board and most of these were rail buffs like myself but for the reasons given above there was more usage on the return.

I cant understand why FGW^▸ (First Great Western) have not given more prominence to advertising this additional service to give chance for the news to filter down to the press, only issued a press release on Thursday, less than 48 hours before the commencement of this limited duration Saturdays only service.

[Timmer]

I cant understand why FGW^▸ (First Great Western) have not given more prominence to advertising this additional service to give chance for the news to filter down to the press, only issued a press release on Thursday, less than 48 hours before the commencement of this limited duration Saturdays only service.

I'm going to write to FGW and ask why. It's almost as if they want it to fail but Im sure thats not the case as it would be an expensive way to prove a point. If anyone from FGW is reading this two points a)start the service earlier in the summer season b)Flaming well advertise it if you don't get it into the main timetable! Here is an opportunity to make money which you need to do from now on in.

[D7]

I strolled down to Weymouth station to see the train, but was 15 mins late, and it had already heaed to the sidings.
However I was just in time to see the 5 car 158 formation pull in, stupid thing is it was abolutely packed full of poeple complaining "at least 5 coaches is better than normal"!!!!!

Having read the previous comments about only 50-60 on the 67's obviously none of FGW^▸ (First Great Western)'s customers had any idea that just 10 mins earlier a 6 coach train with tables for everyone had been running just ahead of the sprinter! Absolutely stupid!

[Timmer]

I strolled down to Weymouth station to see the train, but was 15 mins late, and it had already heaed to the sidings.
However I was just in time to see the 5 car 158 formation pull in, stupid thing is it was abolutely packed full of poeple complaining "at least 5 coaches is better than normal"!!!!!

Having read the previous comments about only 50-60 on the 67's obviously none of FGW^▸ (First Great Western)'s customers had any idea that just 10 mins earlier a 6 coach train with tables for everyone had been running just ahead of the sprinter! Absolutely stupid!

This is the problem, no one, other than those of us who follow what happens on the railways, knew there was going to be an extra service starting and we were'nt 100% sure it was happening till it was confirmed officially by FGW Thursday.

Thursday was too late to release the press release and expect the local papers to get it in their Friday editions (if they wanted to of course). It also didn't appear on the journey planner till Friday so anyone who had decided earlier last week to go to Weymouth and checked the train times would'nt have found the service.

Sorry to say that FGW have handled this one badly. They had their first experience last summer of what to expect on this route as well as ex-Wessex management to advise but they still went ahead and cancelled the 8.54 ex Westbury-Weymouth and the return 16.41 to Bristol from last year's Saturday timetable which, with them now running this extra service, dispels the myth that they can only run what Dft tells them to.

[D7]

moving on from FGW^▸ (First Great Western) stupidity, just to satisfy my curiosity, were both locos running both ways, or was the rear switched off when not in use?