Great Western Coffee Shop

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?

Depends if it rains  :)

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 twitter feed advised me otherwise:

It was just last Sunday!

Was this the one, Phil?

(http://www.mbob.co.uk/rforum/weywsb.jpg)

What is it about west country folk? I'm sure that if I took a can of beer onto a SWT 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.

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  ;D

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 reinforce the process in force and seem to travel to Yeovil only. 

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.

... in which case, passengers can only get 'trollyed (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Trollyed)' beyond Bournemouth ...  ;) :D ;D

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.

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 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...

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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... :-X

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.

Can't help but reflect on the irony of FGW 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...

I have to say in defence of the policy that the 20:21 of Weymouth on a Saturday used to be the worst train in the west ... and if the current comment is "but it's no problem" then that's because of the measures taken. Whether the measures are over-the-top and / or still necessary I wouldn't like to speculate; I started the thread originally based on a question I got asked on Facebook, and contradictory information from two sources as to whether the train is dry this year.

Anecdotal I know but if my experience yesterday is anything to go by I would suggest the measures are still necessary. 

There was a group on the "homeward" Wizard who were openly boasting they had been in several pubs since arriving on the HST at lunchtime before bringing more supplies onto the train.  Their behaviour was borderline.  Had they been in the pubs for another couple of hours until the 20:21 who is to say how they would have been.