Great Western Coffee Shop

The Bristol Evening Post reports that there are no plans to run a loco service to Weymouth this summer, the Bristol-Minehead service won't be running and concerns for people wishing to take the bikes on Cross Country services to the South West:

http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=145365&command=displayContent&sourceNode=145191&contentPK=20396752&folderPk=83726&pNodeId=144922

What is there source regarding no Weymouths. None running is not what I have heard!

There is nothing in the timetable for them! Infact, this year the second down Weymouth is later than usual, leaving arrivals at 10.54 and 12.08. Anyone for a 2car 150 on the 10.54!

FGW have had plenty of time since last summer to getting something sorted regards loco-coaches for the coming summer season. I don't see it happening myself  :(

It has gone all quite on the loco front in FGW towers lately, was pretty sure it was a done deal though???

I do not know if FGW are in the business of making money or if they consider that its just not worth the hassle of arranging Bristol Weymouth specials or (anywhere else for that mater) at a sensible arrival and departure times for the summer period it just does not make sense to me. It would encourage people to use the trains for a day out if they were advertised properly and comprised of suitable stock and heaven forbid actually given a reduced fare. Weymouth in the summer period is a night mare by car. So the removal of that agro would be an advantage. and an added bonus.  :-\

My understanding is that under the current financial regime it would cost FGW more to hire in an extra train for the day; the only trains available - loco and coaches - cost about 6 grand a day, so they would need to sell 300 extra tickets at 20 pounds a head just to break even.  But an Adult cheap day return from Bath to Weymouth is just 13.90 (Saturday 21st June as an example), and with a "groupsave" 4 adults together would pay just 27.80, plus (I think) a pound for each child; 31.80 for 8 people in a group of 4 adults and 4 children.  At those rates, you would have a severly overcrowded train before your broke even.

There could be very interesting omens here for then the Olympic yachting comes to Weymouth. My understanding froma  talk I heard by the Olympic Transport organisers a coupld of weeks ago is that they want the train companies to keep old trains in service (perhaps mothballed for a couple of years and brought back for a week or two) so that they have two generations of stock available over the few weeks of the games.   Same thing with staff - retain retiring crew for a year or two so that they have extra capabiity at the critical period.   I find it hard to square these aspiraions with the economics of what's happening in summers at the moment.

Any idea why on earth they cost so much, and how could Wessex afford those prices when they used to run their loco Weymouth trains?

iirc wessex owned there coaches outright

As far as I am aware, the Class 31 locos and coaches used by Wessex on the Brighton / Weymouth services were hired on a rolling contract from the now defunct Fragonset / FM Rail spot hire company. I also believe ^ but stand to be corrected if anyone knows different ^ that the SRA at the time provided the funding to Wessex to run them. On the demise of FM Rail, Victa WestLink Rail took over some of the stock which were used on last years  Butlin^s trains, but they also seem to have bit the dust.

I had my suspicions when I noted the 1510 Weymouth was retimed to depart at 1610 on Saturdays until Sept 6 that the possibility of a loco-hauled additional was now unlikely. If there is a climb down and one does run, I can only see it running between Westbury and Weymouth which probably makes it not cost justifiable.

From GW:

Might be an idea to borrow 2x158s from First Scot Rail for the summer season, which I would presume is less busy in damp Scotland  :D

That's hiring expensive resources! ;)

Although they are a sister company, each individual TOC is forced to make money for itself - there is no primary pool of money for all TOCs. Hence I would suggest that leasing units off another operator is unlikely. Although they may be able to sublease a 159 off SWT as per their current "Saturday lease a unit" agreement.

I know it a daft question and i will most likely be shot down but perhaps there may be an 180 still knocking around  Fgw somewhere. or perhaps there is some reason they cannot use on this line

I don't think they are cleared down through Maiden Newton but I will check in my SA later, plus they have limited speeds when travelling on third rail routes.

Wouldn't be cleared nor will any staff be trained on them! Besides, 180s are very expensive (and unreliable) bits of kit to lease!

Update - 180s are showing as cleared Castle Cary to Dorchester Junction. Not cleared Dorchester Junction to Weymouth by the looks of it.

Bus shuttle to Dorchester South from West with 2tph to Weymouth would be good.

Apart from the 2tph are not really 30 mins apart, it's more 15 mins apart then 45 mins ...

That is why I said 2tph not every 30 minutes.

My point was, there is no point running 2 buses, more just 1 bus to connect into the fast which will handily connect into the Upwey too!

I have been formed that FGW are awaiting costs so no final decision has been made.

From the email I got from FGW, I suspect we won't be seeing 67s on the route. Might borrow a HST?? Gotta be SSL though!

Are we overlooking something? what about diverting one of the Padd-Exd stoppers in the summer 6 weeks, a Padd-Weymouth HST!

The difficulty of that trick vacman is the small issue of ensuring that it is a short swing link stock formation.... and as far as I'm aware there aren't diagrams of bogie type...

Although a candidate for a Weymouth HST could be an additional 0935 London Paddington to Weymouth via Westbury, calling at:
0735 London Paddington
0803 Reading
0850-0852 Westbury
0902 Frome
0916 Castle Cary
0934-0940 Yeovil Pen Mill
0948 Thornford
1002 Yetminster
1007 Chetnole
1019 Maiden Newton
1031 Dorchester West
1040 Weymouth

It would then in turn be able to operate the 1110 to Gloucester as far as Westbury (assuming times don't change during the summer tt) - running on timings (slightly modified to allow for HST acceleration:
1110 Weymouth
1115 Upwey
1122 Dorchester West
1135-1141 Maiden Newton
1149 Chetnole
1153 Yetminster
1156 Thornford
1204 Yeovil Pen Mill
1218 Castle Cary
1223 Bruton
1237 Frome
1247 Westbury (connects into 1252 unit forward)

Then it could maybe work an additional Westbury - Southampton Central (all in the name of additional capacity while using spare stock!)

1309 Westbury
1318 Warminster
1340 Salisbury
1401 Romsey
1415 Southampton Central

1433 Southampton Central
1443 Romsey
1503 Salisbury
1523 Warminster (replaces 1528 Warminster - Great Malvern to Westbury)
1526 Dilton Marsh (single door only?  ;D ;D ;D)
1529 Westbury

Then...

1536 Westbury
1546 Frome
1557 Bruton
1603 Castle Cary
1616 Yeovil Pen Mill
1619 Thornford
1622 Yetminster
1625 Chetnole
1637 Maiden Newton
1652 Dorchester West
1700 Upwey
1706 Weymouth

This then allows for
1827 Weymouth
1839 Dorchester West
1856 Maiden Newton
1917 - 1920 Yeovil Pen Mill (1749 off Temple Meads will have to run 2 mins later)
1933 Castle Cary
1953 Westbury
2042 Reading
2110 London Paddington

Not really great timings on the return but that's really the best path that I can see

Hell's Bells, belive or not Scotland is a very highly popular Holiday destination, to be honest Scot Rail ARE short of stock during the Main Holiday Season.

How about an adelante for this summer. Are they cleared for the route?

As said above Dorchester West to Weymouth is not cleared.