Trains to Weymouth Quay? (probably not)

[181]

The Wikipedia page about the Weymouth Quay tramway is currently claiming that there are due to be engineer's trains to Weymouth Quay this coming week. It cites as evidence some pages on Realtime Trains:
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/B16967/2013/10/21/advanced
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/B23782/2013/10/22/advanced
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/B23786/2013/10/23/advanced
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/B23790/2013/10/24/advanced

I'm no expert on the tramway, but I understand that it hasn't been used for years, so it would seem very surprising if there were to be trains this week; is it still physically useable? I'm not familiar with Realtime Trains either, but it's rather suspicious that the page for the working on Monday 21st already has realtime information in it the evening before, and there don't appear to be any return workings.

Can anyone shed any light on this? Is it perhaps some test data or something of that kind that someone has put into the system, or is there some other explanation? Are entries like this common in Realtime Trains? And assuming that the Wikipedia page is incorrect, are there any Wikipedia editors here who would like to correct it?

 

[shedman]

6N60... Shown as a DBS civil engineers train.

 

[causton]

The realtime information on RTT will be activated just before the train runs (it is shown at the top of the page) and if the times listed are estimates. I believe these are affected by previous trains running along common sections of the route which is why the real time estimates (they are in italics because they are estimates, bold if they are actual times) are different

 

[richw]

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=x6XEVvVRB_4&desktop_uri=/watch?v=x6XEVvVRB_4 found this video of apparently the last train to use the line. A couple of years ago the council put in local papers they were filling the line in and getting rid of it, I'm assuming this has never happened?

 

[Techniquest]

The line still exists all the way along, although not 100% about the bit just before the mainline connection. I've been in my Mum's car over the line, apart from the last 1/4 mile or so. To take it up would be very, very disruptive to the local road traffic and at least one small car park it goes through.

Just seems bizarre that they leave the signal protecting the mainline still on, despite no traffic, and another one before a level crossing that doesn't exactly exist now

 

[BestWestern]

The line still exists all the way along, although not 100% about the bit just before the mainline connection. I've been in my Mum's car over the line, apart from the last 1/4 mile or so. To take it up would be very, very disruptive to the local road traffic and at least one small car park it goes through.

Just seems bizarre that they leave the signal protecting the mainline still on, despite no traffic, and another one before a level crossing that doesn't exactly exist now

The signal being lit will be down to the wider signalling in the area - it's a case of either modifying the whole system to remove that signal from it, or just leave it in the system and permanently at danger; just 'switching it off' isn't an option as the computers will need to know it's red before allowing another route to be set. It's quite a common, if bizarre, scenario to have a redundant signal at red.

 

[Techniquest]

Ahhh, makes sense then, cheers for the explanation

 

[The Planner]

Thought it was officially OOU so I am surprised they are trying to put anything down it.

 

[Freightmaster]

Thought it was officially OOU so I am surprised they are trying to put anything down it.

They're not!

In this case, 'Weymouth Quay' simply refers to the section at the start
of the branch near the station, which is being used to stable engineers
trains this week.


MARK

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=x6XEVvVRB_4&desktop_uri=/watch?v=x6XEVvVRB_4 found this video of apparently the last train to use the line. A couple of years ago the council put in local papers they were filling the line in and getting rid of it, I'm assuming this has never happened?

Thanks for posting this link. Quite an intruiging passage through the streets, with some cars having to be manually moved to a safer position to allow the passage of the train.

 

[NSEFAN]

In this case, 'Weymouth Quay' simply refers to the section at the start
of the branch near the station, which is being used to stable engineers
trains this week.

For a brief, shining moment, I had visions of GBRF 73s traversing the route to Weymouth Quay!

 

[DarloRich]

The section at the very top near the main line will be used to stable engineering trains i would suspect - i doubt you would get anythoing further down anymore!

 

[yorksrob]

I am suddenly overwhelmed with dissappointment

 

[90sWereBetter]

[youtube]hJbv5me0pRQ[/youtube]

I believe this is the final train to have run over the branch. The track itself still looks in good condition from when I was in Weymouth last month.

 

[Eagle]

There is no way you'll get a train down the Quay Branch in its current condition. Although the track is still intact, it's in no fit state. For a start it's full of crap; you'd need to gouge out the twenty-five years' worth of seagull shi*e before a train wheel would be able to sit in it.

As has been said, where the train is going is the stub that connects the Quay Branch to the mainline (north of King Street). Which incidentally is also the stub of the Portland Branch which went over Swannery Bridge.

 

[yorksrob]

So presumably, the forever at danger signal will be put to use ?

 

[NSEFAN]

So presumably, the forever at danger signal will be put to use ?

Apparently the line to the quay has become overgrown since it was tidied up for the olympics. Today's trip down to Weymouth went into the carriage sidings, and not down the quay branch as a result.

 

[Dunc108]

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/w/weymouth_quay/index.shtml

More info here & pics of some of the last trains & its current state. Interesting stuff!

 

[zn1]

the quay branch - a line that is sadly unused, but when in use never caused too many problems - saw it once when i was a kid in use....was the highlight of my holiday back 1978...

 

[bluegoblin7]

I happened to be in Weymouth earlier this week, and took a walk along the tramway from the Quay up to the station. Although it looks in relatively good condition from a cursory glance I suspect there are problems below the surface (that's my tramway engineering hat on there!), and the grooves are very 'filled in'. The reserved track isn't too overgrown, but obviously unused.

I took quite a few photographs that I'll try and upload onto my Flickr later tonight.

Jack
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
As mentioned, here's the Flickr set of the tramway as it was last Friday.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluegoblin7/sets/72157636847624516/

 

[Muzer]

Today's trip was also cancelled.

 

[merlodlliw]

I traveled the line from Waterloo to Weymouth key many times in the late 60s,on a Saturday two trains one was a diner departed in the late morning to catch either the Sarnia or its sister ship the Ceserea, both new single class ferries.
The steam trains were switched to diesel at Weymouth and traveled through the town to the ferry at no speed per hour, white lines were painted on the roads,with signs warning of trains,do not park past the white lines.I forget now,but im sure someone in a vehicle with a flashing light preceded the trains through the town.
One point I do recall was a banking engine being used to assist the steam loco when it was attached to push up the incline to the main line.

Guernsey the first call was at that time called Guernsey Station.

 

[dorsetman]

There's a 6G27 showing from Eastleigh Yard to Weymouth Quay on Wednesday 30 October arriving at 15.50, hauled by class 73. Anyone know anything about it as I doubt the Weymouth Quay Tramway is passable?

 

[NSEFAN]

I believe so far only one trip has been made, and the train instead went into the carriage sidings rather than onto the Quay branch.

I'm not sure if there have been any trips since, or if they have actually used the quay line.

 

[Eagle]

The Quay line is currently unusable, as has been pointed out many times.

The trains are stabling in the sidings, which in the system are called the "Weymouth Quay Sidings".

 

[swt_passenger]

Indeed there is a regularly renewed 'Network Change Notice' which periodically declares the 'tramway' to be 'Out of Use'. Network Rail first declared the OOU status from 2007, and renewed this OOU status in 2009, 2011,and May 2013.

The junction with the quay branch is at 168m 31ch, and the OOU section starts at 168m 52ch according to the online sectional appendix. So that allows for about 460yds of 'siding' to remain available on the network, and that distance takes you to about half way along the B&Q store, as suggested earlier. So the idea that these moves signify some sort of potential for reopening remains as completely unrealistic as it's been for quite a number of years...

 

[Muzer]

The Quay line is currently unusable, as has been pointed out many times.

The trains are stabling in the sidings, which in the system are called the "Weymouth Quay Sidings".

None of these trains have run even a small distance past the junction onto the old branch. They've all been cancelled and trains to other Weymouth sidings have run instead - nothing has run into the top of the Weymouth Quay branch, and (I'm told) there is nothing called Weymouth Quay Sidings.