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

[whole diary]

[WSW Frome]

It is hard to see where such (negative) opinions can possibly originate. The Weymouth Tramway has not seen a (proper) train for over 20 years so its final demise is not relevant to current rail economics. Should the entire rail industry be placed under extreme financial pressure then such harsh cuts might occur - at high political cost.

Most unlikely either route into Weymouth is under any current (or near future) pressure. Both routes are considered sufficiently viable in normal times and Weymouth can still build further on its top listings as a leisure destination.

[grahame]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page)

A 155-year-old railway line in Dorset is being "wiped out without a goodbye", a campaigner has said.

Weymouth Harbour's tramway tracks, which have been disused since 1999, are being removed.

Train driver Andy Christie wanted to run a velocipede - pump bicycle - along the rails before they were pulled up but said his event was not supported by Dorset Council.

The authority said organising such an event would take 13 weeks.

Plans to remove the tracks won more than ?1m of Department for Transport funding in February after the council and Network Rail declared they could not be reused due to their "deteriorated condition".

Mr Christie, who works for CrossCountry in Birmingham, said he came up with the idea of a farewell event when he holidayed in Weymouth last month.

"Originally I wanted to run a steam train along it, but that would have been 700 tonnes so I settled on a velocipede which is about the same weight as a Mini Cooper car," he said.

He added: "I'm incredibly sad my plans were not supported by the council. It's a completely wasted opportunity.

"Now 155 years of history is being wiped out without a goodbye."

[infoman]

film footage on BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) spotlight 18:30pm local news on monday 5th october.

If you can record it,its available for TWENTY FOURS only 

[TonyK]

film footage on BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) spotlight 18:30pm local news on monday 5th october.

If you can record it,its available for TWENTY FOURS only 

I am downloading it from iPlayer. I don't know if it is shareable if I can edit the bit out. I saw it last night, sad but seemingly inevitable. You have a very short time left to watch:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000n91n/spotlight-evening-news-05102020 Just after 12 minutes.

[IndustryInsider]

It is hard to see where such (negative) opinions can possibly originate.

Well, sometimes it is people with specific agendas and narratives leads them to say things that the vast majority of people would think as strange to justify those belief...good old confirmation bias, and sometimes it's just because "There's nowt as queer as folk".

[grahame]

From the Dorset Echo

Commercial Road in Weymouth is now open from the King Street junction to Westham Road following the removal of the old rail tracks.

Access into Westham Road is now from the north and there's a temporary pedestrian crossing in place at the bowling green.

The area left by the tracks has a temporary surface for the moment as Commercial Road will be resurfaced from kerb to kerb at the end of November

[bradshaw]

Photo in Dorset Echo website

https://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/18812515.road-reopens-weymouth-rail-tracks-removed/

[TonyK]

Photo in Dorset Echo website

https://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/18812515.road-reopens-weymouth-rail-tracks-removed/

Not much of an epitaph, but there it is, gone.

[IndustryInsider]

Not much of an epitaph, but there it is, gone.

A great example of the keyboard warriors that every newspaper of every town has contributing comments to their articles.  They all seem to live in the place that has the most corrupt officials, least competent workmen, and lots of other views that were clearly deemed too controversial and had to be deleted.

[WSW Frome]

The photo shown in the Dorset Echo only shows the first phase of the work which has been recently completed. The remainder of the job towards Weymouth Quay will take several more weeks. The area along the quay may also prove more challenging (with some concreted sections) and "should" include the removal of various loops and sidings which have been part buried for some years and lie away from the main running line. 

[TonyK]

A great example of the keyboard warriors that every newspaper of every town has contributing comments to their articles.  They all seem to live in the place that has the most corrupt officials, least competent workmen, and lots of other views that were clearly deemed too controversial and had to be deleted.

I get the impression that a story about a broken electric toaster would elicit much the same comments from the same darkened box-rooms. Entertainment must be hard to come by in that neck of the woods, since the Olympics left.

[MVR S&T]

A great example of the keyboard warriors that every newspaper of every town has contributing comments to their articles.  They all seem to live in the place that has the most corrupt officials, least competent workmen, and lots of other views that were clearly deemed too controversial and had to be deleted.

I get the impression that a story about a broken electric toaster would elicit much the same comments from the same darkened box-rooms. Entertainment must be hard to come by in that neck of the woods, since the Olympics left.

They have had a bad recent history in Weymouth, after the navy base closed, the the ferry moved to poole, Winfrith nucler reserch was moved, as well as the demise of Eldridge Pope in nearby Dorchester, which was not only a brewery, but a major canning plant for all sorts of customers, been for a tour, was a large local employer, so I do have some sympathy for West Dorset. A great place to set up a white goods manufacturing plant, after we have to pay tarrifs for European imports next year.

[GBM]

As I was born in Weymouth, but raised in our quayside house, I'm wondering whether Dad has any slides of trains running in front of the house.  Never been through his slides, too many of them.
He always talked about the trains running past, with the added vibrations.
A major job for retirement perhaps..

[johnneyw]

I've heard no report or suggestion of the lifted rails being perhaps donated to a heritage railway somewhere.  It might sugar the pill a little for some of those most upset by what has happened.

On a personal note, I have walked along the line when I visited Weymouth a few years ago and like anywhere else with "road rails" I thought they added historic and architectural interest to the town..but that's just me.  It's unfortunate that they were perceived as a hazard. I did wonder if some simple filling of the gap could have been a cheaper remedy. It looks like the rotting sleeper fear was unfounded as from what I've seen they were made of concrete....oh well!

[ellendune]

I've heard no report or suggestion of the lifted rails being perhaps donated to a heritage railway somewhere.  It might sugar the pill a little for some of those most upset by what has happened.

In my limited experience of removing tram old lines from under roads removing them intact may well have been more expensive than removing them in small chunks.