Weymouth Wizard via TransWilts

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Given the numbers joining from Swindon and Chippenham, this would appear to prove that there is demand for a high quality service in future years. Is there any thought being given as to how this demand could be met, when presumably the Wizard reverts to its normal route?

There have been early discussions around the partnership (rail and community elements) on this topic, and care's being taken on both sides to gain data as to the market, reaching the market, and the flows observed.

[grahame]

Headed for a day out in Weymouth today!   Say "hi" if you see me on the train.

My thoughts are with those who aren't feeling well enough to travel themselves, or who are being with / looking  after family and friends who cannot come.   I'll be having a cup of tea and scone at the "Old Rooms" at the harbourside and thinking of you.

So
08:16 Temple Meads
08:59 Swindon
09:14 Chippenham

... hear we go!

[grahame]

[JayMac]

Headed for a day out in Weymouth today!   Say "hi" if you see me on the train.

My thoughts are with those who aren't feeling well enough to travel themselves, or who are being with / looking  after family and friends who cannot come.   I'll be having a cup of tea and scone at the "Old Rooms" at the harbourside and thinking of you.

So
08:16 Temple Meads
08:59 Swindon
09:14 Chippenham

... hear we go!

Also think of those of us stuck in mid Somerset looking after a dog who would gladly join you if they had a station at Langport/Somerton from where they could catch a connecting train to Castle Cary.

One day perhaps...

[grahame]

Also think of those of us stuck in mid Somerset looking after a dog who would gladly join you if they had a station at Langport/Somerton from where they could catch a connecting train to Castle Cary.

One day perhaps...

Indeed. 

Loading:
51 ex BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains)
158 ex SWI^» (Swindon - next trains)
200 ex CPM^» (Chippenham - next trains)
235 ex CCY
317 ex YPM

Analysis / comment to follow - stopping for a cuppa as I have been talking all the way from Westbury

[Timmer]

Surprised numbers are down on the previous two weeks especially with the great weather and no trains to Weymouth tomorrow due to strike action.

[bobm]

Think they were on my train from Westbury heading to Dawlish Air Show and Newton Abbot horse racing! 

[grahame]

Surprised numbers are down on the previous two weeks especially with the great weather and no trains to Weymouth tomorrow due to strike action.

I have a couple of thoughts to write up later.   Taking a break in Weymouth now; journey left me rather tired (or rather all that talking with customers!)

[ellendune]

Surprised numbers are down on the previous two weeks especially with the great weather and no trains to Weymouth tomorrow due to strike action.

Weather may be great, but the forecast yesterday was not so great and the weather further west bears this out. 

[Timmer]

Forecasts I saw yesterday for Dorset were for a pretty good day before rain arriving late afternoon which is about to cross the channel.

[grahame]

Surprised numbers are down on the previous two weeks especially with the great weather and no trains to Weymouth tomorrow due to strike action.

Weather may be great, but the forecast yesterday was not so great and the weather further west bears this out. 

Forecasts I saw yesterday for Dorset were for a pretty good day before rain arriving late afternoon which is about to cross the channel.

So - some thoughts as to numbers.  Lower - yes, but not all that much.

Firstly - reasons external to the Wizard / Rail service

The talk at the Cafe counter in Weymouth is "it's quiet today", and indeed our own business back in Melksham has a Saturday night hotel vacncy for the first time in months - we've been full by this time on a Saturday afternoon for months, and indeed are already fully booked for next weekend.  The beach looks fairly busy, but not rammed as it sometimes is; the girl behind the counter in the nature reserve shop is looking bored with a handful of people around.  I'm suspecting that there's a combination of a weather forecast that wasn't stunning, and this being a weekend immediately before / after a bank holiday.  Chat with local staff reveal the see it as quiet day here too.

Second - reasons relating to the train and its promotion - has it peaked?   I went around and spoke with a large number of passengers to see how they had found out about it.  There's a noticble drop in the number of rail staff / family groups - perhaps accounting for between 12 and 20 people (they're easy to identify - they're concentrated in declassified first ;-) ).  There seem to be somewhat less who found the services on the national rail site / ads at the station - perhaps not peaked, but in proportion to this being a quiet weekend (previous paragraph)?   There's an increase of passengers from Chippenham, more familliy groups, and one heck of a lot of people saying they found us through Facebook, some mentioning "TransWilts".  Very gratifying - although some saying they wish we'd advertised it earlier (and asking if it's running next year).  And that's very interesting because I've eased back on the advertising this week - just a "holding" ad/post to keep the campaign live.  It suggests to me that there's muh more market there.   What's interesting too - talking with these people - that they're very rare rail users (thus far) and were seriously unaware of the ability to get south from Chippenham by train in many cases.   It's no accident that the rear of my handout sheet that reminds people to be back at the Station for 17:28 just happens to be a September to December TransWilts timetable ...

[PhilWakely]

Loading:
235 ex CCY

I was at Castle Cary today to photograph the West Somerset Steam Express [which turned up with a WCR Class 47  ] and was there early enough to see the Wizard and the immediately previous Weymouth service. There were a significant number (60+ ??) that got on the already-packed 5-car (2x150+153) and none was prepared to wait the extra 30 minutes for the Wizard

[grahame]

There were a significant number (60+ ??) that got on the already-packed 5-car (2x150+153) and none was prepared to wait the extra 30 minutes for the Wizard

Standard behaviour 

But yet ... 80 joined the Wizard at YPM and net 35 at TRO^» (Trowbridge - next trains)+WSB^» (Westbury - next trains)+FRO^» (Frome - next trains)+CCY ... I would make an educated guess that 25 left and 60 joined.

267 off Dorchester on the return trip - lots of tired and happy day trippers.  I spend my time learning about their experience rather than counting at each stage.

[JayMac]

May I just pedantically point out that Castle Cary's official three letter code is CLC^▸ (Castle Cary), not CCY.

[ellendune]

May I just pedantically point out that Castle Cary's official three letter code is CLC^▸ (Castle Cary), not CCY.

Seems wrong - for me CLC means Cheshire Lines Committee - the wrong part of the country altogether!