Weymouth - station, facilities, improvements, events and incidents - merged posts

[whole diary]

[martyjon]

Yesterday, 01 September 2007, I decide that with nothing else planned I would take a trip to Weymouth.

First snag my train from Yate arrives at BTM^▸ (Bristol Temple Meads (strictly, it should be BRI)) at 0804, the same time as the 0804 leaves for Weymouth.

Saw it leave, a 150 and a 153.

A TPE^▸ (Trans Pennine Express) liveried 3 car 158 (158798) draws into platform 5 and awaits the incoming service from Cardiff, couples and forms the 0904 to Weymouth, now a 5 car 158.

Uneventful journey running a few minutes late by journeys end but every seat on the train was needed as passengers from Yeovil were hard pressed to find 2 seats together.

At Maiden Newton a load of hikers bailed out.

At Weymouth (arrived Platform 1) 3-car 158 uncoupled and shunted to platform 2 to join, but not couple to, 153 from previous 0804 service from Bristol.

Whilst on forward journey I also pointed out to a number of passengers brandishing all three timetable types, Heart of Wessex line pamplet, FGW^▸ (First Great Western) pocket timetable and credit card sixe line timetable that they were all wrong and showed a return service at 1749 when in fact it was at 1721. Arrival at Weymouth and perusal of the line timetable posted in the foyer at the station confirmed this to them.

Arriving back at the station for the 1721 back to Bristol, I walked down the platform and noticed rubbish over the tables of the 3-car 158, some neatly bagged and tied in supermarket bags for ease of cleaning by thoughful passengers from the forward journey, but other visible rubbish was empty beer cans and coke bottles. At least the six females travelling to Weymouth for a 'Hen Night Weekend' and who were sat in the vacinity of myself did put their empty Carling cans in the rubbish bin behind one of their seats.

A SWT^▸ (South West Trains) service from Waterloo arrived and within seconds of the last passenger disembarking from the end door of the last carriage a cleaner, female and smartly dressed in standard SWT issue uniform and carrying an empty see thru plastic bin liner boarded and started a sweep through the train for rubbish. A male colleague had started at the other end and both met up in the last but one carriage of the 5-car train.

I would say that within 5 minutes of that train arriving the interior was as spotless as one could get it at a terminal station.

On the other hand the FGW unit which had sat in platform 2 since its arrival there at about noon was still in the untidy state that it had arrived and been left by the inbound passengers.

In an even worse state was the inbound service due to arrive at 1709. This service was a Wessex branded 158, One rubbish bin in the train was jammed full of John Smiths Bitter cans, there were about 6 ermpty Sainsburys carrier bags aroung the carriage and I did notice a Sainburys till receipt which I looked at and it was for 10 4-packs of John Smiths bitter and was from the Frome store. Judging by the number of empty cans strewn about I can well imagine all were drunk en route. Also stewn about were newspapers clearly indicating where the train had come from, South Wales with the South Wales Argos, and Bristol with the Bristol Evening Post, The Sun, The Mirror and The times were other titles I noticed.

The inbound 158 coupled up with the 3-car 158 and I'll call it 'the rubbish pit' set off to Bristol a minute or two down but this was recovered by Catle Cary.

A smartly dressed female who boarded at Westbury refused to sit with, I presume, her boyfriend in one pair of seats, to use her words, 'I'm not sitting there amongst that lot of trash', and walked on through the carriage to seats towards the centre of the coach.

Not very impressed with FGW 'after sales service' today.

[Timmer]

Your report Marty on the state of cleanliness of FGW^▸ (First Great Western) stock at Weymouth doesnt surprise me. I doubt SWT^▸ (South West Trains) staff go anywhere near FGW stock when it arrives at Weymouth if they can help it. Its a shame the National Rail slogan 'Britain's Rail companies working together' in many cases doesnt really apply as all the companies involved in running the railways are fierce competitors both on the bus and rail networks.

[moonraker]

I think you will find that FGW^▸ (First Great Western) pay SWT^▸ (South West Trains) to clean their trains for them, so it sounds like they are wasting their money, and ought to ask for a refund

[Timmer]

I think you will find that FGW^▸ (First Great Western) pay SWT^▸ (South West Trains) to clean their trains for them, so it sounds like they are wasting their money, and ought to ask for a refund

Probably pay back for having to put up with the hassle of FGW passengers in the summer who cant get on a two car 150 on a hot sunday afternoon and take it out on the SWT staff as they wouldnt know the difference. Most people probably still think that because the British Rail logo is on all the stations that it is still one company running the trains.

[Super Guard]

Not usually one to frequent the Weymouth area, out of interest, does anyone know what rolling stock FGW^▸ (First Great Western) uses here?

[TheLastMinute]

Plus the 67s & mk 2s on the Saturday High Summer service.

I seem to recall reading somewhere that 153s don't get to Weymouth very often as they try to avoid sending lone 153s up the 1 in 50 climb at Evershot Bank. Of course Pacer's never get to Weymouth as they can't run over the juice rail!

TLM

[smithy]

it could be anything except a 143,if a 153 is down there it is normally coupled to something else.

[Kingfisherdart]

At approx 1750, a full FGW^▸ (First Great Western) HST^▸ (High Speed Train) passed through Upwey, heading in the Dorchester direction.

Is this an additional non-timetabled service, or was it the 'loco-hauled' train running an hour late?

Unless Virgin used HSTs through to Weymouth (which I don't think they did), would I be correct in suggesting it is the first visit since the late 1980s, when Intercity ran a special through from Bournemouth?

Regards

Luke

[Kingfisherdart]

Just had a look at the live journey information, and I believe that the HST^▸ (High Speed Train) was operating the 1730 Weymouth - Bristol Temple Meads rather than the loco hauled diagram. Was running 22 down when I last looked.

Regards

[devon_metro]

43124 + OC49 + 43041
2O90 1449 BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains)-WEY
2V93 1730 WEY-BRI

67016 + CP02 + 67017
2O79 0909 BRI-WEY
2V67 1655 WEY-BRI

Quite an impressive line up for Weymouth 

[John R]

So does anyone know why the HST^▸ (High Speed Train) ran?   

[devon_metro]

Presume the unit was short-formed after the farce at Bradford On Avon earlier.

[Kingfisherdart]

Does anybody know if an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) will be working this service regularly on this year's summer saturdays?

[cereal_basher]

Extremely unlikely, it didn't keep to timings at all well.

[Timmer]

Could be a bit of squeeze on the 0915 BTM^▸ (Bristol Temple Meads (strictly, it should be BRI))-Weymouth today:

09:15 Bristol Temple Meads to Weymouth due 11:27
This train will be formed of 3 coaches instead of 5.This is due to an earlier train fault.

This may affect the 1800 return journey this evening as the same stock that forms 0915 down service forms this train unless some re-gigging can be done to strengthen this train before this evening.

UPDATE: the 1800 managed to find an extra carriage!

18:00 Weymouth to Bristol Temple Meads due 20:20
This train will be formed of 4 coaches instead of 5.This is due to an earlier train fault.