DISUSED Weymouth Harbour Tramway

This is the long disused Weymouth Quay or Harbour Tramway. Built in 1865, it used to run services from London Waterloo on the South Western Main Line to Weymouth Quay with passengers for the Channel Island Ferries. The last scheduled passenger service was in 1987. The last trains to use the line were rail-tours back in 1994 and 1999. The line was officially placed into temporarily out of use status for many years. However, this expired in 2015. in 2016, Network Rail proposed to close the line permanently which was agreed by Weymouth Council. There were reports that Weymouth Council were to purchase the line from Network Rail for £50,000, but this did not go ahead.
Ironically since 2016, the signals on the line were upgraded with new signal post telephones and the signals lights were repaired. The section near the mainline which was heavily overgrown was cleared from debris and overgrowth.
Although the line status is 'in use', it's unlikely to see any rail traffic in the near future as the tramway track has had no maintenance for several decades and the condition of the trackbed under the road is unknown. Several attempts for railtours to traverse the line have been refused due to this. There is also the Health & Safety of a train running on a road. Network Rail have said they are open for any talks of potential use of the tramway if a viable option is put forward, until then it will remain disused.
This is a very unique railway, there are videos of trains running on this line on KZread. These are some good examples:
• Class 73's on Weymouth...
• Weymouth Quay Railtour...
Thanks to southwest455 in helping with this video! :)
#Weymouth #AbandonedRailway #UKrailway

Пікірлер: 433

  • @keithgale2596
    @keithgale25963 жыл бұрын

    Today (5th October 2020) the line was severed from the network and contractors are due to lift the line over the next few months - very sad occasion

  • @captainboing

    @captainboing

    3 жыл бұрын

    yep, all gone. Was in my news feed at the end of October that the rails had been lifted and a temporary road surface laid all along commercial road before a final re-surfacing later in the year. Shame

  • @Keithbarber

    @Keithbarber

    3 жыл бұрын

    Sad but inevitable Surprised it lasted so long in situ after its use for boat trains ceased

  • @richardhunt304

    @richardhunt304

    Жыл бұрын

    This tramway made Weymouth,I have fond memories of this and actually seeing g a train use it,wonderful !!

  • @stephenpowell5912

    @stephenpowell5912

    11 ай бұрын

    Name and shame the Ponces who proposed this after 3 to 2 years ago,Loved Weymouth in its heyday ,When people had work and the trains ,Class 33s where running through here in the 1980s growing up ,It's heartbreaking no trains run through here anymore ,Shame on the local council and Network Rail .😠

  • @leeosborne3793

    @leeosborne3793

    5 ай бұрын

    @@stephenpowell5912 What were they actually supposed to do with it? It was used for boat trains. The ferry terminal moved to Poole years ago and most of the foot traffic has moved to the airlines.

  • @kiles99
    @kiles994 жыл бұрын

    I did this line on a mid-90s railtour, and took my mother along as she loved Weymouth. She wasn't a rail enthusiast by any means, but considered the trip down the tramway as one of the best experiences of her life.

  • @toku_floyd
    @toku_floyd4 жыл бұрын

    It’s a great experience, going through the streets of Weymouth on a train. I took a train from Waterloo to Weymouth and discovered that it was going to the harbour, decided I was not going to miss this one; stayed on the train at Weymouth and when the police escort for the train arrived we were off to the harbour. Lovely journey.

  • @davidwhite3041
    @davidwhite3041 Жыл бұрын

    This is one of those treasured locations you never forget, I was instrumental in organising a special weekend excursion to Guernsey and Jersey in 1977 (with the cooperation of British Rail and Sealink) . The train ran from Wolverhampton High Level, Birmingham New Street, Coventry, Leamington Spa and Banbury right through to Weymouth Quay. Locomotives changed at Bournemouth Central from a class 47 to a flashing class 33 which took us through the streets of Weymouth upto the quayside to board the boat. The ships on the route were either Earl Godwin or Caledonian Princess. The price included Bed, breakfast and evening meal with a coach tour of the island on the Sunday with lunch and evening entertainment at the hotels, on the return sea journey we had vouchers to exchange for 1 x litre of spirits and 200 cigarettes, all for £19.50 . What you might say! YES £19.50 We repeated the exercise the following year with 472 on board. at a slightly higher price with three further trips going via Portsmouth Harbour in 1978/9. Happy days.

  • @johnedwards4214
    @johnedwards42144 жыл бұрын

    Part of history still stands my dad use too walk infront of the class 33 locos in the early 80s on that route thank-you for the video

  • @grahambrown5013
    @grahambrown50133 жыл бұрын

    I remember as a youngster travelling on this line a few times, my parents often went to the Channel islands on holiday and would take this train to the harbour station to catch one of the two British Rail ferries "Sarnia" and "Caesarea" to the islands.I also remember holidaying in Weymouth and seeing the trains snaking through the back streets.

  • @j.d.philipps288
    @j.d.philipps2884 жыл бұрын

    Excellent filming and very steady camerawork. I've lived in Weymouth for 65 years and had several family members who were British Railway employees and my maternal great-grandfather was a GWR man based at our docks. My earliest memories of our unique tramway go back to the late 1950s when, as a toddler, I stood in awe as huge, hissing, puffing steam locos with a clanging bell mounted at the front, operated by the fireman via a long pull-cord, hauling trains of clanking goods wagons or majestic passenger carriages progressed slowly along Commercial Road. Harbourside motor traffic was brought to a standstill as railway engines had the right-of-way at all times. As a 12-year old, I was lucky enough to ride footplate on several of our pannier-tank 0-6-0 engines with my uncle at the regulator and it's an experience which is still vivid in my memory. By the 1970s and 80s diesel locos had replaced steam and much larger engines with deep roaring and throbbing motors frightened young children and unsuspecting visitors alike. Motorists who'd inadvertently parked their cars in a way which encroached on the "iron road" would most likely return to find the vehicle had moved several feet as railway crew (and often helpful bystanders!) walking ahead of the locos would physically 'bounce' the errant car out of harm's way. Woe betide larger trucks or lorries as they'd find themselves at the end of a tow-truck's chain, if the driver was absent! Thankfully, efforts by some self-aggrandising and mean-spirited individuals to have the tramway rails consigned to the dustbin of history have come to a big, fat nothing. Accidents to cyclists, motorbikers and cars have been the result of the driver's own complacency and lack of awareness. I either cycle, motorcycle or drive my car over the rails nearly every week and have never come to any harm even in the wettest weather. Long may the Harbour Tramway be part of Weymouth's historic fabric and, fingers crossed, will once again be used for purpose.

  • @johncourtneidge

    @johncourtneidge

    4 жыл бұрын

    Thank-you for this! I posted: Magnificent, hurrah! Thank-you. This is very close to my heart. Surely it is a case for a Heritage Trust restoration project.

  • @Tox1415
    @Tox14154 жыл бұрын

    I remember going on the boat train in about 1975, it was bizarre looking out of the train and seeing cars alongside.

  • @ericstuart1480
    @ericstuart14804 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for this. I knew it in the ,1960s, but I'd forgotten how long it was! Great to be reminded of a fascinating bit of railway.

  • @I-Love-Taylor-Swift
    @I-Love-Taylor-Swift4 жыл бұрын

    I'm not a trainspotter or anything, but I find ordinary real-life videos like this interesting.

  • @IAmJonnariffic

    @IAmJonnariffic

    4 жыл бұрын

    I Love Taylor Swift It’s interesting to see in this case what the town would have been like back when it was in use isn’t it 👌🏼

  • @misterchippie

    @misterchippie

    4 жыл бұрын

    Me too - this sort of video will be gold in 20-30 years. I filmed my own town back in 1992 just before it was demolished and rebuilt, and I'm so glad I did. Just wish I'd got more footage!

  • @U2QuoZepplin

    @U2QuoZepplin

    4 жыл бұрын

    I’m not particularly a train spotter myself either , but the pleasure I get from watching this suggests that I might be or I was in another life. I’d be proud to call myself a trainspotter too! I just need the anorak and a new pair of glasses.

  • @60s70sTheBest
    @60s70sTheBest4 жыл бұрын

    I just happened to come across your video by chance. It's a very good documentary, and the local scenery is great including the barking dogs. No spoken words just on screen text to explain things when needed. It was like I was there walking in your footsteps. I liked that your camera didn't bounce around making the experience even better.

  • @musicurio
    @musicurio4 жыл бұрын

    Thank you! I well recall the sense of awe when, en route to guernsey in 1976 the train just seemed to break out of the station and go down the road - as in fact it did!

  • @anthonyheaton5798
    @anthonyheaton57984 жыл бұрын

    Seeing a train going along there used to be a highlight of a visit to Weymouth.

  • @webrarian
    @webrarian4 жыл бұрын

    I remember travelling along this on a Boat Train from Waterloo in early April 1981 en route to Guernsey. I was working in Central London and commuted to Waterloo and saw the trains to Weymouth Quay on the indicator boards. The opportunity presented itself - I think it might even have been a Golden Rail holiday - to travel the line. While the journey to the boat was fine, once we were on the ferry all hell was let loose and we had a very, very unpleasant crossing in a Force 8 gale.

  • @spammerwhammer5526

    @spammerwhammer5526

    4 жыл бұрын

    In the mid 1960s I and a school friend used the same rail service to get to Guernsey where we camped for 2 weeks. We had a similar nightmare voyage when returning to the mainland.

  • @ssbohio

    @ssbohio

    4 жыл бұрын

    @Laz Arus What are the dark rumours about Guernsey?

  • @hoppinonabronzeleg9477

    @hoppinonabronzeleg9477

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@ssbohio Royal paedo scandal! Jimmy Savile Haute De La Garene (Jersey) etc.

  • @johnlannikk2701

    @johnlannikk2701

    4 жыл бұрын

    Dont remind me about terrible crossings....blech...yerch...hewoinkerrrr

  • @rubyait
    @rubyait4 жыл бұрын

    I find “branch line” to be very appropriate for its current condition!

  • @jwilson2042
    @jwilson20423 жыл бұрын

    I lived in Weymouth 1977/1978 and this brought back so many wonderful memories, thank you. 😌

  • @Tommy-ri1lo
    @Tommy-ri1lo3 жыл бұрын

    I was a bit anxious before but this video has really chilled me out. Thanks for doing the journey and uploading it.

  • @timjmyall
    @timjmyall4 жыл бұрын

    Very interesting after watching Fred Ivey's film of 1994 showing the line in use - the sad passing of time. Liked the the written commentary, nicely paced and informative. Thank-you.

  • @michaelfeeney8437
    @michaelfeeney84374 жыл бұрын

    Very interesting film. Thanks for taking the time to do this and post it.

  • @MrRockwellrob
    @MrRockwellrob4 жыл бұрын

    I lived in Weymouth when the line was active, always wonderful to see, and great fun watching them bump the obstructing cars out of the way. Thank you!

  • @klaus-peterlapp5658
    @klaus-peterlapp56584 жыл бұрын

    Habedank ich finde eure Filme immer wieder atemberaubend und hört ja nicht auf damit jeder ist seines angucken Schwert und ich finde euch phänomenal ich bin ein leidenschaftlicher Fan von KZread Filme und gucke alle Richtungen ich kann gar nicht hin so viel gucken wie ich gucken möchte schönes Fest und schöne Feiertage wünscht ein leidenschaftlicher KZread Zuschauer

  • @CUDDLES67
    @CUDDLES674 жыл бұрын

    Such a shame, it's part of our railway history. I can remember in the summer of '81 taking photos of the train making it's way down to the harbour.

  • @terrypearson7787
    @terrypearson77874 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for this excellent video. My partner Susan Jeffrey and I have happy memories of working in a Summer Repertory Theatre Season at the Weymouth & South Dorset Arts Centre in Commercial Road - sadly, now demolished - the site is now a car park, visible at the left of frame behind the black railings at 6'45'' approx. We remember the trains passing frequently during our stay.

  • @kristinajendesen7111
    @kristinajendesen71114 жыл бұрын

    One of the the old Weymouth drivers told me that there used to be a board on the back of the freight trains warning cars to keep 20ft behind (I think this was the distance). Of course one driver ignored this and followed closely behind. The train came to a halt and the wagons took up the slack then started moving quckly back from the compressed buffers. One squashed motor 😄

  • @hellothere6023

    @hellothere6023

    4 жыл бұрын

    Kris Jenders did the driver survive

  • @kristinajendesen7111

    @kristinajendesen7111

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@hellothere6023 Yeah, embarrassed. Sorry, when I say squashed I just mean the front of the car up to the A pillars. Of course thsy weren't built to withstand major impacts in those days.

  • @johnhealy8513

    @johnhealy8513

    4 жыл бұрын

    So I guess that car was well and truly BUFFER-ted ha ha!!

  • @j.d.philipps288

    @j.d.philipps288

    4 жыл бұрын

    Occasionally, trains on the tramway did have signs on the final carriage or goods wagon telling motorists to keep their distance but it was only in the later years of the line's commercial operation that these notices were used. Somehow, common sense seemed to have eluded drivers who'd managed to pass their driving tests in the 1980s and after.

  • @visionist7

    @visionist7

    Жыл бұрын

    @@j.d.philipps288 to be fair, very few people would automatically know how train buffers behave when the train stops.

  • @jonathancook4022
    @jonathancook40224 жыл бұрын

    The fact they upgraded parts of the infrastructure must surely mean Network Rail either intend to do something with it, or are preserving it in case it is needed in the future - almost doing the opposite of Mr. Beeching in anticipation of some unknown need for it in the future, knowing that if they remove it now, It won't be able to be re-built

  • @steeveedee8478

    @steeveedee8478

    4 жыл бұрын

    I suspect bureaucracy - if the line is still officially 'open' then whoever is responsible for it will be mandated to keep it up to current specification and if there is a requirement that signalls across the network are upgraded to a certain level then this line gets them too.

  • @Trek001

    @Trek001

    4 жыл бұрын

    I believe the signals need to be upgraded otherwise the interlocking for the rest of Weymouth would confuse the system.

  • @invicta1015

    @invicta1015

    4 жыл бұрын

    Yes I noticed this the other week. Someone has upgraded the track system through the street I.e. welding and track replacement. A bit odd since this line is disused.

  • @Trek001

    @Trek001

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@invicta1015 Very likely a formality - its more or less the same situation as newhaven marine

  • @johnmoar7658

    @johnmoar7658

    4 жыл бұрын

    LAND RAIL BANK

  • @spurioustransients
    @spurioustransients4 жыл бұрын

    I have a whole bunch of photos of a train running along the harbour from the early 1990s. It was actually a big thing at the time, brought loads of tourists out. I'm sorry to see that it is currently disused; I had wondered if that was now the case. Thanks for the video.

  • @johncourtneidge
    @johncourtneidge4 жыл бұрын

    Magnificent, hurrah! Thank-you. This is very close to my heart. Surely it is a case for a Heritage Trust restoration project.

  • @paulscoombes
    @paulscoombes4 жыл бұрын

    I distinctly remember traveling through the streets of Weymouth on the train having come down from Leicester to go on holiday in Guernsey in 1968.

  • @monochromaticlightsource9153
    @monochromaticlightsource91534 жыл бұрын

    Rumours always start with a good story that sounds plausible, the story goes something like this... Wouldn't it be great to get the tramway going again? We could get a steam engine to run up and down the quay several times a day. That could meet up with one of the paddle steamers that visit Weymouth a few times a year and take the passengers to Swanage, where they would disembark and walk up to the station before travelling on the Swanage railway pulled by steam to Norden, then onto the SouthwestRail network and back to Weymouth.

  • @brianbunn3604

    @brianbunn3604

    4 жыл бұрын

    Sounds nice, but there is no rail service from Norden to Network Rail. The main line runs to Wareham Station, which is on SouthWestern Railway Waterloo-Weymouth line. A successful trial service was run by the Swanage Railway Heritage Line in Summer 2017, but various issues have meant nothing since, although it is intended to connect Swanage-Corfe Castle-Norden-Wareham in the future. There were a handful of summer Saturday trains run by SWR two years ago to Corfe Castle, but most were cancelled because of strikes. At present, the only way to travel from Swanage, Corfe Castle and Norden to the main line is by road.

  • @benjaminlee422
    @benjaminlee4224 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for this interesting video. I am only slightly familiar with this line as I was a passenger on the first train after the services was discontinued. It was a rail tour in the early 90s I'm not sure which year. I remember the crowds watching the train coming down the street and the crew having to bump cars out of the way where they had been parked on or too close to the line despite all the warning signs and the fact that notices had been sent warning residents the the train would be coming. It was all very exciting and a great day out in a sunny Weymouth. I remember my family spent most of the day on the beach near the harbour and excellent fish and chips on the seafront. What a great way to spend a day. I seem to recall that we were in old southern railway green carriages pulled by a diesel but I might be wrong.

  • @steveandrews7880
    @steveandrews78804 жыл бұрын

    went to Jersey in 1970 used this line, can remember the the BR guys moving cars off the tracks, another brilliant production .. R

  • @user-me2qq6lx7i
    @user-me2qq6lx7i4 жыл бұрын

    I passed this once on a school trip on the coach. I was very amazed as I haven't seen an abandoned railway before.

  • @lewcarrumjohnson2786
    @lewcarrumjohnson27862 жыл бұрын

    I was in Weymouth this week and saw the remaining rails on the quayside and wondered what they were, excellent video giving me an insight to a lost railway.

  • @BadApe351
    @BadApe3514 жыл бұрын

    Really fascinating video...even for someone on the other side of the world. It's hard to imagine the activity that would have been going on around the line in it's heyday. How the "powers that be" can't see the potential in operating the line occasionally as a tourist attraction beats me.

  • @ThumbsUp114
    @ThumbsUp1144 жыл бұрын

    I lived weymouth and vividly remember the trains going to the sea link terminal. Thank you for sharing

  • @flippop101
    @flippop1014 жыл бұрын

    I had often wondered how I should imagine this line. Thank you for taking the trouble to film it.

  • @AndreiTupolev
    @AndreiTupolev4 жыл бұрын

    7:20 The b**locks Councillors do talk. If anyone constrains the development of the town it's blinkin' them.

  • @jagman84

    @jagman84

    4 жыл бұрын

    The Parking Nazis are the biggest constraint. Lots of double yellow lines = lots of fines. The cost of removing the rails is eye-wateringly high so the council have 'delayed' it!

  • @christophermee5214

    @christophermee5214

    4 жыл бұрын

    AndreiTupolev how much was spent on the ferry port upgrade? Then condor said fuck it wont sail from weymouth anymore

  • @andrewhutchinson36

    @andrewhutchinson36

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@jagman84 The council needs to help get the trains running again - not remove the rails! The kine was one of the sights and sounds of Weymouth, something people traveled from all over the world to see. This sort of unique attraction is exactly what town centres need. I cannot understand why councilors cannot see what an asset the line could be.

  • @mrlister2000
    @mrlister20004 жыл бұрын

    Great video! It's 21 years since I was last in Weymouth and whilst the dockway and port remain the same, the rest of the town has changed alot!

  • @Tuffydipstick
    @Tuffydipstick4 жыл бұрын

    I remember the boat train going through Weymouth to the harbour.

  • @johndufton9686
    @johndufton96864 жыл бұрын

    Very imformative and interesting video. I lasted visited Weymouth Harbour when travelling to Jersey in the 90's. It's a real shame the train and ferry services have stopped.

  • @FreedomtowerStudios
    @FreedomtowerStudios4 жыл бұрын

    Awesome Video Morthren! It reall is a shame this line is no longer used and facing permanent abandonement.

  • @UKLevelCrossingsChannel
    @UKLevelCrossingsChannel4 жыл бұрын

    Nice video morthren - Known about this line but nice to see a video in its current state with your brilliant information-filled documentary 😊

  • @likeher9

    @likeher9

    4 жыл бұрын

    Very said! Brilliant video Morthern.

  • @pleaseyourselfsir
    @pleaseyourselfsir4 жыл бұрын

    Great video , I enjoyed it ! ....Thanks for sharing ! 🧐🇬🇧🤔👍🏻❤️💪🏻🤓🤓🤓🤝🤝🤝

  • @hojomo
    @hojomo4 жыл бұрын

    Thank you SO much for walking the line - have watched the older "tour" vids and mapped the route - good to follow you at a sensible pace! I'll put it out @4RailTrail immediately 🙂

  • @bleulander7364
    @bleulander73644 жыл бұрын

    I would have thought the Weymouth Harbour Tramway would have been an asset to Weymouth, as a possible tourist attraction…?

  • @retrogamelover2012

    @retrogamelover2012

    4 жыл бұрын

    Yeah. Surprised they didn't try using it as a vintage historical preservation line, kind of similar to other branch lines, junctions and mining routes in the country.

  • @Xantaxia

    @Xantaxia

    4 жыл бұрын

    I've been thinking the same for a while, ever since seeing the video of a train coming down it. In my head I see a small saddle tank loco pulling a few carriages down the line.

  • @davidstorton910

    @davidstorton910

    4 жыл бұрын

    That would be great running on wooden sleeper that are 160 years old and have been kept nice and damp underground (I bet they are like sponge), those lines have had more cyclists face planting than any other menace in the WORLD

  • @retrogamelover2012

    @retrogamelover2012

    4 жыл бұрын

    That doesn't mean that they won't try to fix any tracks or sleepers that've deteriorated over time, you know. I doubt that they'd be THAT careless.

  • @Xantaxia

    @Xantaxia

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@davidstorton910 And that's one of the reasons they have refused to let trains run down it. The tracks have been there since the 1860's so you would have thought that cyclists should have got used to them being there by now really, kind of like the tramlines in Nottingham and Sheffield etc.

  • @magicdave93
    @magicdave934 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for posting this very interesting video of one of my favourite places! 👍🙂

  • @Tindallhall
    @Tindallhall2 жыл бұрын

    Great video! Was there a couple of weeks ago - station building now gone but still some remnants of track and point work on approach to station.

  • @rinston3591
    @rinston35912 ай бұрын

    Thanks for filming this bit of railway history

  • @Kub5008
    @Kub50084 жыл бұрын

    I love how the signals are still in use!

  • @Graham_Langley
    @Graham_Langley4 жыл бұрын

    Went along the tramway back in the late 60s [Edit: 1969] en route to a family holiday on Guernsey. Came as a complete surprise as none of us had any idea this was what happened. Good to see there are signs it may be put back into use.

  • @warweezil2802

    @warweezil2802

    4 жыл бұрын

    Better to put in a light tram service and restrict car access.... if public transport is the way of the future this seems a golden opportunity to put in a service at a reasonable cost

  • @colinnutley6428
    @colinnutley64284 жыл бұрын

    This line should be part of a heritage line, most of the track is in reasonable condition and it could be an asset to Weymouth once more. They could even organise heritage boat trips to France from the end of the line where the ferry used to run from.

  • @English_Dawn
    @English_Dawn4 жыл бұрын

    Excellent and atmospheric. 🙂👍

  • @rubbishsignup
    @rubbishsignup4 жыл бұрын

    Travelled on it in 1986. Great memories and super 8 film!

  • @nigeljohnson8022
    @nigeljohnson80224 жыл бұрын

    Interesting video, thanks for sharing.

  • @AlanPope
    @AlanPope4 жыл бұрын

    Always nice to see a gentle, calm and informative morthren video in my subs. Keep up the good work.

  • @morthren

    @morthren

    4 жыл бұрын

    Thanks!

  • @ronleitch7788
    @ronleitch77884 жыл бұрын

    An interesting video, which brought back memories of a day railtour I took in the mid 1980s from London to the Harbour! It wasn’t quite as derelict looking back then, but it was still a fascinating day out!

  • @glenjarnold
    @glenjarnold4 жыл бұрын

    Great video. Love Weymouth and we come down at least 3 times a year. I've followed this track too on many an occasion!

  • @cliffleigh7450
    @cliffleigh74504 жыл бұрын

    An ideal subject for a drone video too.

  • @mark.e.p
    @mark.e.p4 жыл бұрын

    Ooh not sure why this appeared in my feed but l love a disused railway line story. Always saddens me too.

  • @jeremypreece870
    @jeremypreece8704 жыл бұрын

    We used to visit Weymouth in the 1970's. I well remember this line in use. The "end of the line" shown here was not quite, there were points for the locomotive to 'run around' to make return trip. I also remember tanker trucks in a siding to the left of the station. Once we used the ferry from here, and on deck waited until the boat train had arrived to drop of passengers. No ferry terminal so no need of the station I guess.

  • @nobbyse16
    @nobbyse163 жыл бұрын

    Brilliant video of modern history which should be a good reference for history lessons in the future. 10 out of 10

  • @Peasmouldia
    @Peasmouldia4 жыл бұрын

    Remember this well. Saw many a class 33 traverse the line back in the day. Biggest problem seemed to be parked cars that sometimes had to be bump-lifted clear. The flagman always made it look like a proper bit of Victorian railway operation, if you ignored the 33+mk1s of course. We used to get the first train of the day from Melksham. It originated off Cardiff Canton and was made of three DMUs, two of which were positioning units for other diagrams. Often it would be the chocolate and cream set leading. Cardiff drivers were usually brilliant, telling us their railway histories and tales of the road. Thanks, nice upload.

  • @maryjoycelim
    @maryjoycelim Жыл бұрын

    tramway was first opened with Great Western and South Western trains to support the Channel Island Steam Packet Service. As the port of Weymouth grew, a new system was required to maintain the level of freight passing through the town. Thanks for sharing

  • @McRocket
    @McRocket4 жыл бұрын

    Another well made and interesting video. Thank you.

  • @michaelalexander2306
    @michaelalexander23064 жыл бұрын

    I used to travel regularly between Weymouth and Farnborough, mainly fyom Weymouth station. On one occasion, when there was disruption on the journey, I picked up the boat-train at Basingstoke. I rode it down to the quay on the tramway. I must have been on one of the last services. Brings back many happy memories.

  • @fastacesus8499
    @fastacesus84994 жыл бұрын

    Fond memories of the Tramway. Thank you for posting in your usual style which I love

  • @morthren

    @morthren

    4 жыл бұрын

    Thanks!

  • @marklloyd3536
    @marklloyd35364 жыл бұрын

    Used to watch in fascination as trains squeezed past stupidly parked cars. Thanks for this.

  • @iceydiamond9992
    @iceydiamond99924 жыл бұрын

    Stumbled across your lovely video by accident but thoroughly enjoyed it! Visit the area a few times a year. Am known to be an occasional train spotter too ;) and have an interest in old railways. People find that quite odd for a woman in her 30s. It would be lovely to see a tram going from the station/large car park area along to the harbour, would be a lovely tourist attraction. Can't see it happening, too much effort and money. Thanks again :)

  • @johnmurrell3175
    @johnmurrell31754 жыл бұрын

    I remember travelling down there in the late 1960's behind a steam locomotive if I remember correctly. The train was preceeded by a number of P-Way staff who were bumping parked cars out of the way and trying to get them tightly into the gaps between the lamp posts so they would have difficulty getting out - some sort of measure to disuade them from parking obstructing the tracks in future. A very slow journey to the ship and it was very rough on the ferry. We got stuck in Guernsey for the night as it was too rough for the ferry to Sark to run.

  • @nigelkthomas9501

    @nigelkthomas9501

    4 жыл бұрын

    John Murrell I was told of cars (and other vehicles) literally being shoved/crashed out of the way by trains on this line. A class 33 loco is a good bit heavier than an average car and wouldn’t take any crap!

  • @johnmurrell3175

    @johnmurrell3175

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@nigelkthomas9501 The only car I have ever seen in person hit by a train was a black BMW 300 series that was parked in the railway depot where I used to work. It was hit by the corner of a flat wagon at low speed. The wagon survived without damage but the entire top right corner of the BMW was demolished - the headlamp ended up by the windscreen ! The top of the front right suspension was ripped off as well though the engine survived. I beleive the car was a write off - London Underground refused to pay as the owner did not have permission to park in the depot & he had left it infringing the tracks. In a depot of course a bit like the Weymouth Tramway there are no sleepers to give an indication of the swept area.

  • @darrenhaynes865
    @darrenhaynes8654 жыл бұрын

    a great piece of history that will will just disappear in sections of lines left uneffected over the coming years. great vid but so sad. as we know all good things go in the end no matter what...

  • @BS25BaldEagle
    @BS25BaldEagle4 жыл бұрын

    Fascinating. I was born in Weymouth. It brought back memories of mine as a child watching the trains at a snail's pace squeeze past parked vehicles with inches to spare, a railway worker walking before the train getting vehicles moved. I'm glad it is still possible to use the line even though it hasn't been for some years.

  • @ronin472100
    @ronin4721004 жыл бұрын

    Very interesting...Nice work

  • @mibars
    @mibars4 жыл бұрын

    Based on the sattelite view one may just walk around that building to the left of that massive blue "Restricted area" gate and see the remaining couple meters of the tracks

  • @jfreelan1964
    @jfreelan19644 жыл бұрын

    An excellent video to another part of the country I never got to. Thank you for the tour.

  • @kittikoko
    @kittikoko4 жыл бұрын

    A real shame - I would've loved a ride on the tram. Thanks for showing us the route!

  • @AndreiTupolev
    @AndreiTupolev4 жыл бұрын

    another Interesting Fact: Just at the end of the loading quay 13:33, there used to be a siding going off to the end of the raised part of the quay (you can still see the tracks), and there was another siding constructed during the war going off to a linkspan for a train ferry alongside the cargo stage. It was never used as such though I think. The track alongside the cargo stage was for loading trains of vans with potatoes and things straight off the boats. 14:38 that's now been extended until about February,. like nearly everything

  • @fredhobbs1463

    @fredhobbs1463

    4 жыл бұрын

    Would be interesting to see what potential there is for a battery electric tram. Quiet, clean, and possibly narrower than a standard train to make access easier. Recharge at each end of the branch. No need for running round. Seaton tramway does a good trade.

  • @mickfoster7140
    @mickfoster714026 күн бұрын

    I remember walking with the trains as a kid on Summer holidays in the 60s. So sad its now gone. According to Streetview it looks like the track has been retained where it curves through the car park just before the town bridge.

  • @michaelcampin1464
    @michaelcampin14644 жыл бұрын

    I remember getting the boat train from Waterloo to Weymouth Harbour hauled by a Class 33 back in about 1978. Then the Ferry to.St Helier those were the days.

  • @edwardhoughton8861
    @edwardhoughton88614 жыл бұрын

    Rumour was it was going to reopen to help travel to the Olympic sailing venue at Weymouth in 2012 as we now know it never happened

  • @peterg957
    @peterg9574 жыл бұрын

    That was very interesting to watch... Thank you my friend...

  • @merlinathrawes6191
    @merlinathrawes61914 жыл бұрын

    Nice walthrough! We don't get much turnaround time at Weymouth before heading back out again (most being about 45 minutes for the 03 fast service), so it's nice to see a modern walkthrough. Lots of old pictures and equipment in the Weymouth mess room but nothing really up to date ;)

  • @MegaBoilermaker
    @MegaBoilermaker4 жыл бұрын

    I think that you will find that this branch line (not a tramway) is listed as a "strategic asset by the MOD and it is not the only one. You are not supposed to know this of course !

  • @SgtChip

    @SgtChip

    3 жыл бұрын

    That would make sense, having a rail line that heads directly to a harbor is quite useful for military operations. The MOD could consider this as a backup plan for if a harbor must be closed or is damaged. As long as Network Rail keeps the tracks in operable condition, you have a fully functional possible military installation.

  • @UKTransport232
    @UKTransport2324 жыл бұрын

    I was literally at Weymouth the other day...if I had known I would have tried to check this out. Good video though, thanks for sharing.

  • @billyshearer117
    @billyshearer1174 жыл бұрын

    That is my neck of the woods! Amazing that the line still has working signals. Across the bridge by the train station is a path along the old line past a disused station.

  • @peterobinson3678

    @peterobinson3678

    4 жыл бұрын

    Used to run all the way to Portland...

  • @danielfrostick9927
    @danielfrostick99274 жыл бұрын

    I’d love to see 1 day a train run down the track 1 more time!

  • @MrCSisley
    @MrCSisley4 жыл бұрын

    I'm surprised that nobody has come forward with an idea similar to the Bala Lake Railway. Running a Narrow Gauge Railway over the route where the Standard Gauge route would have taken would be space efficient, could possibly open up double track running at certain sections, and could be combined with the bus service with an "All Transport Ticket"

  • @projectzip
    @projectzip4 жыл бұрын

    What a great video. Been to Weymouth many times I hadn’t seen the tracks.

  • @rogersponge6153
    @rogersponge61534 жыл бұрын

    People thought it was absurd to restore the Swanage Railway. Yet now it’s an important part of the local economy drawing people people from all over the UK and abroad. The Tramway restored could do much to revive Weymouth’s fortunes. Heaven knows, the town needs it!

  • @CALJ154

    @CALJ154

    4 жыл бұрын

    Roger *Warner* !!

  • @fihan_naru
    @fihan_naru4 жыл бұрын

    I literally explored the line using Google Maps a few days ago. I found out the line from an old All The Stations video that I watched a few days ago. It was interesting so that I tried to explore it. And then I watched your video and recognised the twin arch viaduct that is similar to the one I saw on the Street View. Your video is really interesting, it gives the experience of walking down the old line. And for me, it's way better than explore it on Street View. I can't wait to follow along your next journey somewhere street (and rail) in the U.K. 😁 Greetings from Indonesia 👋

  • @cologne2792
    @cologne27924 жыл бұрын

    I was at college there in 1985 and we used to have lunch at the bowling green. First day I was sat there and wondered why there was a train going down the middle of the road!

  • @ChilternRailPhotography
    @ChilternRailPhotography4 жыл бұрын

    How about they actually put trams on that line and use overhead power lines

  • @iand5739

    @iand5739

    4 жыл бұрын

    Don't need overhead wires - battery powered with underground recharge points at each end-of-line.

  • @kharkhov

    @kharkhov

    4 жыл бұрын

    There's no real reason to do so as the line doesn't really go anywhere interesting apart from the quayside and if this vid was done at a slow walk in 17 mins how long would the tram ride last? Ten max? Not worth it.

  • @ChilternRailPhotography

    @ChilternRailPhotography

    4 жыл бұрын

    Well just a guess

  • @adamleewicks8529
    @adamleewicks85294 жыл бұрын

    Thanks again for such an amazing informative video

  • @themightywrighty
    @themightywrighty4 жыл бұрын

    I was wondering when somebody would do the Weymouth Quay line, same the station was closed off, I'm sure there would be interesting things to see.

  • @stephenpearson7903
    @stephenpearson79034 жыл бұрын

    Weymouth has changed quite a lot over the years - the football clubs ground is now an ASDA with a car park, the Nothe use to have a raft which you could swim out to. The brewery is now an antique centre,

  • @jnlloyd86
    @jnlloyd86Ай бұрын

    Great video, thanks for documenting!

  • @TD402dd
    @TD402dd4 жыл бұрын

    It happens in the USA regularly. A line that was built near my home in the 1940s is no longer in use.

  • @morlrd
    @morlrd4 жыл бұрын

    Fascinating! An interesting and well shot video, with excellent, informative captions, not made unwatchable by inane, unintelligible commentary and, worse still, nauseating mind-numbing so-called "MUSIC" to do one's head in. Made all the better by the perfect ambient sound. Very refreshing in all those respects. Many thanks.

  • @storiesincolour5205
    @storiesincolour520511 ай бұрын

    nicely done. great filming and info.

  • @tomdallaspervin3117
    @tomdallaspervin31173 жыл бұрын

    Loved the walk along the track, with some nice information. Brings back childhood holiday memories from the 80s, I've been every year since and now with my children, one thing I've liked to do is follow the line to the harbour, sadly this year it cannot be done 😢

  • @karltrussler3649
    @karltrussler36494 жыл бұрын

    Been it when on holiday this yaer, every intresting and all by the Harbour all the rails are still in place to