Great Western Coffee Shop

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

Not directly related, but FGW ran two additional return services Exeter - Paddington today to cater for Exeter City playing at Wembley. Riviera stock with EWS class 67 locos.

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.

At last FGW 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 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

Timetable for this extra service:

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

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!

0804 Bri - Wey 3 car (150/153)
0834 BRi - WEY 67 set, fairly quiet
0904 BRI - WEY 5 car TPE 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

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

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 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.

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'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.

moving on from FGW stupidity, just to satisfy my curiosity, were both locos running both ways, or was the rear switched off when not in use?

I was the 1 that let her out :P

The rest of your post is correct, thanks for explining what happened, saved me the effort!

Here is a Wiltshire Times article on this (link below.)
http://www.wiltshiretimes.co.uk/news/latestheadlines/display.var.1523466.0.extra_train_added_to_holiday_route.php#comments

Quote from "Des , Ex - Melksham" :

"Has Melksham still got a station ?"

A Bath Chronicle article can be found in the link below.
http://thisisbath.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=163490&command=displayContent&sourceNode=163316&contentPK=17787427&folderPk=89126&pNodeId=163047

Hurrah!!! News about this service is slowly but surely spreading thanks to the local press. BUT without the weather it won't help much.

http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Content.aspx?id=1585

Important information about the Saturday Special Service to Weymouth

For operational reasons on Saturday 4 August 2007, 2 coaches will replace the Weymouth service departing Bristol Temple Meads at 08.34.

Coaches will also run from the following stations along this line at the advertised time for the train:

2 coaches from Bath

1 coach from Westbury going direct to Weymouth

1 coach from Westbury going to Weymouth via Bruton and Castle Cary

2 coaches from Yeovil

8 coaches will also replace the return 17.00 Weymouth to Bristol Temple Meads service.

We apologise for the delays that this will add to your journeys.

ENDS

You have been warned. Shame because its looking like it might be one of the best Saturdays of the summer weatherwise. This extra service really hasnt had much success what with poor publicity and weather and now non availability of stock.

I am glad - VERY glad - that I didn't accept Andrew Griffith's advice to run our Melksham to Weymouth day out using the loco-hauled train today.  Would have been a disappointment before it even started!

We're going tomorrow - 08:15 from Melksham (coach to Westbury) then 09:00 train onwards, and back at 18:00 from Weymouth by train all the way to Melksham arriving 19:50.

Adults - 14.50, Children 5.00, including coach.  Please email me (graham@wellho.net) if per chance you want to grab a last minute ticket.   Closing at 15:00 today!

The Weymouth loco hauled train will NOT run again this year due to various disputes :<

Also loco hauled additionals for Dawlish carnival next week cancelled.

Goodness ....

"The 08:34 Bristol Temple Meads to Weymouth due 11:03 and 17:47 Weymouth to Bristol Temple Meads due 20:04 are cancelled on Saturday 11 and 18 August due to contractual issues." (link below.)
http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Content.aspx?id=1589

There are many unreapeatable things I could say about this but I think TOTAL SHAM from start to finish sums it up nicely.

More info on the withdrawal of these services from Railwaycentre.com:

http://www.therailwaycentre.com/UK%20News%20August%2007/100807_FGW.html

Although FGW were very keen to announce support with extra trains between Bristol and Weymouth on Summer Saturdays and a shuttle service for this years Dawlish Carnival air show on 16 August, no official announcement has been made that these services have been withdrawn due to safety case issues.

Information from a senior member of the FGW team told TRC that the loco hauled extra services scheduled to operate on 4, 11, 18 and 25 August between Bristol and Weymouth and return have all been withdrawn, a service will either be provided by some DMU stock or buses.

On 16 August FGW were to operate a 'top and tail' loco hauled shuttle between Exeter and Newton Abbot for the Dawlish Carnival air display, but this too has been withdrawn, although at 17.00 today (Friday 10 August) the FGW website still shows these trains as running.

ENDS

I have the sneaky feeling that FGW DID NOT WANT THIS TO HAPPEN in the first place.

1. No advertising of the service until 48 hours before it was due to start.

2. Using and depositing a 3 car 158 at Weymouth to lanquish all day there from the 0804 service from Bristol on the first day of operation of the T&T 67's service and thus provide a 5-car unit combo on the 1721 ex Weymouth to Bristol up service.

3. On the first day of operation directing all passengers arriving at Weymouth for a service to Bristol to the 1721 service for which the inbound unit to mate up with the 158 which had enjoyed a lazy day sat in the sunshine in Weymouth's platform 1 was known to be 20 minutes late. When the unit did arrive, the T&T 67's left first, on time and thus picked up the passengers en route who were waiting for the delayed 1721 service. This, the 1721 service, was then declared, so I was informed by the TM on the T&T 67s the last time it ran, a failure at Weymouth.

The cause of the abrupt halting of this service has been reported as a safety case issue, FGW has no safety case for operating 67's.

FGW ARE NOT operating this service, EWS are operating the service under contract to FGW and surely THEY have a safety case for the 67's, after all they move HMQ and all and sundry around the nation in her personal rolling stock.

If the safety case issue involves the use of 6 coaches on this service which is too long for some of the platforms served, surely all stations served can command grandfather rights as none of the stations served are of recent build. If this happened to be the reason then why not simply reduce the length of the train to 4 carriages, but that is probably a tad too simple for FGW.

And what about the passengers who have booked tickets on this service and have or are now affected by this fiasco.

If I were a passenger with a booked ticket on this service and was shunted onto a coach, I would certainly be looking for a full refund. If I WANTED to travel by coach I would have booked on National Express and would probably have paid much less for a family to travel than by this Farcical Company.

I travelled on this service on the first day of operation, I also travelled on the service the last and as it now transpires the final occasion it operated. I reported my observations on coffee shop on the first day of operation, now for the last occasion.

The service ran pretty well much to time down to Weymouth and I did a rough count of passengers disgorged at Weymouth, about 180, about half full.

On the return service, if I recall, we were a few minutes late off of Weymouth but pretty well kept to the point to point running times. We had to wait at Yeovil Pen Mill for the down service, and consequently were a few more minutes down from there with an arrival at BTM about 10 minutes behind schedule, It didn't really matter to me as it was such a pleasant journey.

A rough count of passengers on the train between Weymouth and Dorchester West was 130.

As FGW 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 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. The EWS 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.

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.

I have since 28/07/2007 obtained a copy of the credit card size line timetable (E8) which also DOES NOT include the 1721 Saturdays Weymouth - Bristol service but a 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.  

An amusing incident happened on the morning journey to Weymouth. A middle aged couple from Gloucester, the flooded city decided they would get away from it for the day and decide to have an awayday to Weymouth. Well about two minutes before the train left the man of this couple decide he wanted a morning newspaper and left the train. As we started moving his wife exclaimed where is he as we passed him just coming back through the barriers at BTM. Mobile phone contact was established between the two and I told her to stay on the train to Weymouth and tell her husband she would wait on the platform there for him as the next train to Weymouth left BTM at 0904. FGW front line staff at BTM had another idea however, get the next fast train to Taunton and connect there for a train to Castle Cary which would arrive there, Castle Cary, nine minutes before the Weymouth service, and wonders of wonders it so transpired and a romantic reunion took place. However the wifes travails were not over, at Westbury a RPI boarded and when asked for her ticket the woman had to explain the situation and that the ladies husband HAD the tickets in HIS pocket. With a look of, well I've heard some stories of why passengers havent got a ticket but this one takes the biscuit, on the face of the female RPI I interceeded and said I would vouch for the ladies story as did another passenger and the RPI retreated. It later transpired that the man relied upon his mobile phones clock for the time and therefore he decided he had time to get off the train at BTM and get a newspaper, the trouble was his mobile phone was 10 minutes slow, he-he.

AS an aside to this aborted service operation, I was informed at least two months before this operation commenced that IT WOULD HAPPEN. The original intention, from the information given to me, was that it would operate Mondays - Saturdays. This would release resources, FGW crew and rolling stock, to be used elsewhere in the peak summer holiday period. The operation would use crews from St. Blazey in Cornwall who already signed the route from Bristol to Castle Cary but would require to learn the road from Castle Cary to Weymouth and also attend and pass a short safety course on working on third rail electfied lines. As it was eventually decided not to run Mondays to Fridays but Saturdays only this arrangement would have proved not cost effective so Bristol/Westbury crews were used for what has now transired to be such a short period of operation although 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.

Thanks Marty for a good and informative report on what has been a very fustrating situation which, with a bit of planning, could have been a big success both for passengers who use this line and for FGW who should have replaced some of their original scheduled services with the loco and coaches and run it Mon-Sat.

I hope that FGW have learned lessons from running this service this
year and can make improvements for next summer by starting to make
plans now. It can be done if they really want to, just needs proper planning.

The improvment planned for next year will probably be not to bother, to rely on coaches again and if the coaches fail blame it on the coach operator.

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?

I did email them when they announced this extra service just before it started suggesting it run on scheduled Monday to Saturday services but heard nothing back sadly Grahame.

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

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.

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.

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 didnt put posters up announcing the service was cancelled from this station. I bet the 9.04 ex Bristol was heaving.

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 Customer Panel Member
Highbridge and Burnham - Tiverton Parkway   

This was not FGWs fault and was due to EWS 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.

In response to the Dawlish situation I would like to praise FGW 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.

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

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. 

Surprise surprise on what was to be the final weekend of the extra service to/from Weymouth that there will be no DMU 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

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.

Now that the problems that surfaced over the operation of the loco hauled services has been resolved it is time for FGW 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.

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.