Weymouth - summer weekend loco-hauled services - 2007

[whole diary]

[Jim]

1. As FGW^▸ (First Great Western) have completely loused up this operation, I will report an incident that happened on the return journey on the 28th July as a result of this louse up. A woman accompanied by four teenage girls boarded the train at Weymouth and found the train manager who was sat behind and on the opposite side of the aisle to me. She requested that the train be stopped at Yetminster. The train manager was flummuxed. We dont stop at Yetminster he replied. Oh yes you do replied the woman, there it is in the timetable, x stops on request. Ah replied the TM^‡(resolve) and looked at this timetable which was the printed HEART OF WESSEX partnership line published pamplet. I waded in at this point with my copy of the official FGW Timetable and pointed this out to him that this was also the notes in the offical timetable. Ah noted the TM both these timetables quote the Weymouth departure as 1749, BUT there is not a 1749 departure, we are the 1747 departure, you should have caught the 1721 departure my dear. I pointed out to the TM that there in no 1721 in either timetable.

2. The EWS^▸ (English Welsh & Scottish Railway Ltd, now known as DB Schenker Rail (UK^▸ (United Kingdom))) TM then contacted FGW control and explained the situation who as one would suspect, knew nothing of this cock-up and agreed to the train calling at Yetminster, but the driver had a different idea, NO, the train was too long for the platform, not withstanding that it was also too long for at least one other platform served by the service, Bradford-on-Avon.

3. The solution for this party was therefore to stay on the train until Yeovil Pen Mill and return to Yetminster on the down service which we would pass there, and which would be held for them.  

4. at Westbury a RPI^▸ (Revenue Protection Inspector (or Retail Price Index, depending on the context)) boarded

5. so Bristol/Westbury crews were used for what has now transired to be such a short period of operation although
6. the TM was, again from memory, from Hertfordshire and had recently been acting as a TM on the special services provided for the Golf Open Championship in Scotland, and was booked to do all the trips involving this service and does these duties on an ad hoc basis for EWS being a retired ex-employee.

1. Twas a timetable co** up and has been postered at quite a few stations
2. Keynsham, Trowbridge, B-o-A, Frome just to name a few!
3. No need, we always ended up waiting for the unit
4. The Westbury based one, if so I shall refrain from comment
5. I think the morning one was Bristol and Return Westbury
6. Ah yes, nice friendly chap

[martyjon]

Martyjon,  Many thanks for that full report - it makes very interesting reading to put it mildly.  I find myself wondering if we could / should encourage anyone to put "official" views on things suhc as this.  Anyone had any replies to questions about the service from FGW^▸ (First Great Western)?

Grahame.

I think this would no doubt be an agenda item on the next Heart of Wessex Partnership (HOWP) / FGW joint meeting if there is such an animal, but definitely on the agenda of the next HOWP meeting.

Will be an interesting to be a fly-on-the-wall at either event.

M.

[martyjon]

I have amended my earlier post to include reference to the credit card size line timetable (E8) which also DOES NOT include the 1721 Saturdays Weymouth - Bristol service but the 1749 Weymouth - Bristol with request stops as per the pocket timetable E at Chetnole, Yetminster and Thornford, and also scheduled stops at Oldfield Park and keynsham which the T&T 67's did not stop at.

[Lee]

Lots of disguntled potential passengers at Westbury station on Saturday morning.

[Timmer]

Lots of disguntled potential passengers at Westbury station on Saturday morning.

I bet there was. I was passing Oldfield Park station around the time the loco service would have stopped there and let the handful of waiting passengers that the next service to Weymouth wouldnt be there for another half an hour because the loco was cancelled. Unlike last weekend FGW^▸ (First Great Western) didnt put posters up announcing the service was cancelled from this station. I bet the 9.04 ex Bristol was heaving.

[ChrisMcCarthy]

Graham,

I'm sorry that I haven't been on the forum for quite some time, but I really felt I had to respond after seeing this thread.

I have to confess the first that I had heard about the locomotive cancellation was from the First Great Western website but from seeing the various posts, it would appear that the whole episode with the locomotive on the Heart of Wessex Line has been a bit of a shambles from start to finish.

I don't travel down the Heart of Wessex Line as much as I would like to, having work commitments in Taunton, but being a "Weymouth" lad, I do enjoy going "home", and it always good to travel down it, especially remembering the trip down using the locomotive in the Wales and West/Wessex Trains days.

I am not happy about how the whole situation has been handled by First Great Western, who have certainly been careless at the very best, and I am happy to take this up to them for a formal response.

Regards

Chris




Chris Corbin
FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Customer Panel Member
Highbridge and Burnham - Tiverton Parkway   

[devon_metro]

This was not FGWs^▸ (First Great Western) fault and was due to EWS^▸ (English Welsh & Scottish Railway Ltd, now known as DB Schenker Rail (UK^▸ (United Kingdom))) not having a safety case for running passenger service. Perhaps an error to overlook this on FGWs hand but at least they ran an additional train.

[devon_metro]

In response to the Dawlish situation I would like to praise FGW^▸ (First Great Western) for what they achieved. There were 2 4 car diagrams along with 2 3 car diagrams between Exmouth-Paignton (required all through summer really) There were also numerous additional stops from passing High speed services bringing a few hundred passengers per train load. It was a well organised event with additional station staff and revenue protection.

[Timmer]

This was not FGWs^▸ (First Great Western) fault and was due to EWS^▸ (English Welsh & Scottish Railway Ltd, now known as DB Schenker Rail (UK^▸ (United Kingdom))) not having a safety case for running passenger service. Perhaps an error to overlook this on FGWs hand but at least they ran an additional train.

Lets hope everyone concerned has learned from this and that they try again next year, hopefully for more weekends too.

[martyjon]

This was not FGWs^▸ (First Great Western) fault and was due to EWS^▸ (English Welsh & Scottish Railway Ltd, now known as DB Schenker Rail (UK^▸ (United Kingdom))) not having a safety case for running passenger service. Perhaps an error to overlook this on FGWs hand but at least they ran an additional train.

I find it incredible that this operation was stifled by the excuse that EWS not having a safety case for running passenger service.

EWS operate most passenger charter trains in the country, they move HMQ. POW and all their hangers on in their private family train and yet they can't move Joe Public to the seaside for their annual hols.

Another post on this forum states that if FGW cancel a service in advance because they know a guard / driver will not be reporting for duty due to sickness this is a planned cancellation and therefore not included in the statistics for cancelled trains but if a member of train crew goes sick whilst on duty this is an unplanned cancellation and is included in the statistics for cancellations.

Similary if a train will not be running due to a fault on the train which is known beforehand this is a planned cancellation and not included in the statistics but if a train developes a fault in service and has to be taken out of service this is an unplanned cancellation and is included in the statistics.

To Joe Public a train cancelled for whatever reason is a cancellation.

MUST BE BRITAIN GONE MAD. 

[Timmer]

Surprise surprise on what was to be the final weekend of the extra service to/from Weymouth that there will be no DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) train replacement replacing the cancelled loco and coaches service on what is likely to be the busiest weekend of the summer 

http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Content.aspx?id=1671

0834 Bristol Temple Meads to Weymouth will be cancelled due to  contractual issues. Road replacement transport has been arranged as follows -

2 coaches at 0834 from Bristol Temple Meads to Weymouth direct
2 coaches at 0852 from Bath Spa to Weymouth direct
1 coach at 0925 from Westbury to Weymouth direct
1 coach at 0912 from Trowbridge to Weymouth via Frome and Bruton
2 coaches at 1013 from Yeovil Pen Mill to Weymouth direct

1747 Weymouth to Bristol Temple Meads will be cancelled due to contractual issues. Road replacement transport has been arranged as follows -

8 coaches at 1747 from Weymouth via intermediate stations to Brisol Temple Meads

[Jim]

Shame about the short formed Weymouths!

[Timmer]

Shame about the short formed Weymouths!

I would imagine services were pretty busy this past weekend as the 'Autumn' part of the summer timetable kicked in and Weymouth services reverted back to just two coaches despite the good weather. As for Sunday the service was no existent as no services run in the morning with the first trains not until 2pm. They should run the summer timetable/diagrams until the end of the month.

[martyjon]

Now that the problems that surfaced over the operation of the loco hauled services has been resolved it is time for FGW^▸ (First Great Western) to start planning whether they will timetable the extras next summer, they might then be able to advertise the extras well in time rather than this summers 48 hours notice and hope they run throughout the peak summer Saturdays.

[Timmer]

Lets hope they do start planning ahead for next summer. Im sure they will run a loco service now they have less 158s that will need to stay on everyday duties rather than making Weymouth trains longer.