End of the Line for Weymouth Quay branch - March 2020

[Dave P]

Apparently the long disused Weymouth Quay branch is to be lifted starting with a trial section near the former station platform.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-51677959

Weymouth tramway: Disused rail line removal plans win £1m

A disused train line at a Dorset seaside resort will be removed after plans won more than £1m in funding, council and rail bosses have said.

The tracks of Weymouth Harbour tramway, which was last used in 1999, will begin to be removed next month, Dorset Council and Network Rail said. They cannot be reused due to their "deteriorated condition", they added.

Heritage campaigners had wanted the 1.25-mile (2km) line to be reopened to boost tourism.

A petition by Weymouth Quay Heritage Campaign to save and preserve the line, linking the station and the quayside, had gained almost 4,000 signatures.

Dorset Council and Network Rail said proposals to remove it had won £1.1m of funding from the Department for Transport.

They added they would contribute an additional £200,000 to the scheme, which is expected to cost about £1.5m.

Up to 50m of track in the Pavilion car park, next to the old station platform on the harbourside, will be removed between 2 and 20 March, "to learn how best to complete any future removal", they continued.

"These rail lines are fully decommissioned and cannot be repurposed for other uses due to their deteriorated condition," they said.

Weymouth tramway first opened in 1865 to link the railway station with Channel Island ferries.

One of the more recent attempts to reopen the line was made by enthusiasts who were hoping it could bring spectators to the sailing events during the 2012 Olympic Games.

IMHO, although this is hardly a surprise, and the ferry traffic is long gone, it still seems a shame as it could have been a unique tourist attraction for Weymouth.

 

[yorksrob]

I still count it as terrible news.

 

[The_Train]

Probably showing my stupidity here but is there an actual need to remove the rails?

 

[Dave P]

Probably showing my stupidity here but is there an actual need to remove the rails?

I understand there have been complaints about the rails being a hazard to cyclists and bikers. I am not sure how valid that is as most cyclists seem able to cope with tramlines in places like Manchester and Croydon

 

[swt_passenger]

I understand there have been complaints about the rails being a hazard to cyclists and bikers. I am not sure how valid that is as most cyclists seem able to cope with tramlines in places like Manchester and Croydon

They aren’t tramlines here though. Despite the name it’s normal rail track like over a level crossing...

 

[Ashley Hill]

Trouble is,once it's lifted it'll never return.
Perhaps a clandestine midnight run with a Whickam Trolley is needed for those who still require the line

 

[swt_passenger]

Trouble is,once it's lifted it'll never return.
Perhaps a clandestine midnight run with a Whickam Trolley is needed for those who still require the line

There’s absolutely no point in its return. We’ve had a few earlier discussions about it and no-one has ever come up with a sensible use for it. It’s effectively been unused for over 30 years.

 

[Ashley Hill]

Putting my realist hat on I know youre right. It's a shame though all the same. It should be left as a curio even only in part.

 

[Grecian 1998]

It was only ever possible to proceed at walking pace anyway for obvious reasons - cars and trains don't play nicely together. If you were in a hurry it was faster to jog!

(Admittedly if you were weighed down with luggage for the Channel Island ferry, you probably wouldn't be jogging.)

 

[The_Train]

I understand there have been complaints about the rails being a hazard to cyclists and bikers. I am not sure how valid that is as most cyclists seem able to cope with tramlines in places like Manchester and Croydon

Makes sense I guess. Still a shame that we as a country seem happy to rip up relics of the past. I know that time moves on and things change but it would still be nice if we could keep a bit of our heritage so future generations can actually see how things were in the past instead of just reading about it

 

[Bletchleyite]

It will never return, of course (even if you were building a new-generation tramway for Weymouth you wouldn't build it there). However, I do consider this rather sad and would say it should stay as a rather nice little quirk of the place.

I would also consider it a waste of money, when that £1m could be spent on something more useful. It's about the cost of a DMU vehicle, isn't it?

 

[The_Train]

I would also consider it a waste of money, when that £1m could be spent on something more useful. It's about the cost of a DMU vehicle, isn't it?

That's why I asked whether it was a necessary removal. Does seem an excessive amount to spend on the removal of tracks that people seem to have coped with for many years when the network is crying out for new tracks to be laid all over the country

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Apparently the long disused Weymouth Quay branch is to be lifted starting with a trial section near the former station platform.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-51677959




IMHO, although this is hardly a surprise, and the ferry traffic is long gone, it still seems a shame as it could have been a unique tourist attraction for Weymouth.

I'm not sure how it would work as a tourist attraction, given the difficulties in keeping the track clear (the last few runs required a small team of burly blokes to bounce parked cars out of the way) and having to crawl at walking pace. A Douglas-style horse-drawn tram maybe, but you'd still have folk parking on it constantly.

I still count it as terrible news.

It's a shame, but it isn't "terrible news"... it'd be far worse if a load of taxpayer's money was going into keeping the harbour branch preserved in aspic ready for boat trains that will never return. I can see the argument for simply leaving it as is rather than digging it up, but in the long run it's probably better to get rid rather than leaving the local authority with an unusual road feature to maintain.

 

[The_Train]

How often did trains work the line during it's 'heyday'?

 

[MotCO]

Why do the lines need to be lifted? Can they not be tarmacked over (probably a bit more than that, but you get my drift)? Surely that would be cheaper than £1.1m?

 

[furnessvale]

Why do the lines need to be lifted? Can they not be tarmacked over (probably a bit more than that, but you get my drift)? Surely that would be cheaper than £1.1m?

Even now, there are many places where digging up tarmac will reveal buried tramlines from long ago so IMO there is no need for complete removal.

No doubt the £1.1m from DfT will be counted as rail investment.

 

[MotorcycleAlan]

I know that time moves on and things change but it would still be nice if we could keep a bit of our heritage so future generations can actually see how things were in the past instead of just reading about it

This country is awash with museums and heritage attractions, you are never far from one, sometimes you have to move on.

Why do the lines need to be lifted? Can they not be tarmacked over (probably a bit more than that, but you get my drift)? Surely that would be cheaper than £1.1m?

Exactly. There are many places where roadworks uncover old tracks, so in times of money being short, that sounds like a cheaper and less disruptive solution.

 

[yorksrob]

I'm not sure how it would work as a tourist attraction, given the difficulties in keeping the track clear (the last few runs required a small team of burly blokes to bounce parked cars out of the way) and having to crawl at walking pace. A Douglas-style horse-drawn tram maybe, but you'd still have folk parking on it constantly.



It's a shame, but it isn't "terrible news"... it'd be far worse if a load of taxpayer's money was going into keeping the harbour branch preserved in aspic ready for boat trains that will never return. I can see the argument for simply leaving it as is rather than digging it up, but in the long run it's probably better to get rid rather than leaving the local authority with an unusual road feature to maintain.

Why not just send the odd train to meet up with the channel island boat.

They could market it as The Bergerac Line.

 

[Bletchleyite]

It's a shame, but it isn't "terrible news"... it'd be far worse if a load of taxpayer's money was going into keeping the harbour branch preserved in aspic ready for boat trains that will never return. I can see the argument for simply leaving it as is rather than digging it up, but in the long run it's probably better to get rid rather than leaving the local authority with an unusual road feature to maintain.

TBH I'd just remove their requirement to maintain it, then it can be removed (or just tarmacced over) as and when the LA decide they want to resurface the road. Doing it en masse just seems a waste of a million quid, almost as if they're doing it to shut people up.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Why not just send the odd train to meet up with the channel island boat.

They could market it as The Bergerac Line.

Hmmm... spending taxpayer's money to run occasional tax-haven expresses... there's a Private Eye cartoon in there somewhere I'm sure!

 

[paul1609]

Probably showing my stupidity here but is there an actual need to remove the rails?

From my experience of maintaining level crossings on heritage railways if the rail is bullhead what will happen is that the fittings mostly keys will corrode away. The rails will become loose in the roadway and will move under the weight of road vehicles. This will break up the surrounding tarmac. It also becomes a water trap that when it freezes expands again damaging the road surface.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

TBH I'd just remove their requirement to maintain it, then it can be removed (or just tarmacced over) as and when the LA decide they want to resurface the road. Doing it en masse just seems a waste of a million quid, almost as if they're doing it to shut people up.

AIUI buried 1st-generation tram tracks have caused loads of issues and continue to do so, so I imagine it would be discouraged by any civil engineers.

 

[The_Train]

From my experience of maintaining level crossings on heritage railways if the rail is bullhead what will happen is that the fittings mostly keys will corrode away. The rails will become loose in the roadway and will move under the weight of road vehicles. This will break up the surrounding tarmac. It also becomes a water trap that when it freezes expands again damaging the road surface.

In that case, there is probably justification to spend the money on the removal to reduce long term costs of road repairs. Thanks for the informative response

 

[yorksrob]

Hmmm... spending taxpayer's money to run occasional tax-haven expresses... there's a Private Eye cartoon in there somewhere I'm sure!

I'm sure there would be plenty of legitimate tourists as well.

Such as us Bergerac fans

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Even now, there are many places where digging up tarmac will reveal buried tramlines from long ago so IMO there is no need for complete removal.

No doubt the £1.1m from DfT will be counted as rail investment.

When roadworks reveal old tramlines (which often aren't documented, so come as a surprise to the workers) it causes huge issues for the work that's supposed to be being carried out. I can't believe so many usually sensible posters are advocating such a laissez-faire solution.

 

[duffield]

Glad I managed to bag this line on my return from the channel isles in 1982. I can still remember hanging out the droplight as we sailed sedately through the streets. I didn't get to travel on this section on my way to the channel isles because - big surprise - cars were parked on the track, so they put us on a bus from Weymouth Town.
Shame to see it finally go though. Maybe I'll pop down and walk the route before they rip it up.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

I managed to do it three times.

 

[djpontrack]

I managed to do it three times.

I only managed to do it once and that was on a railtour on the 10th of December 1988 with 33113.

 

[furnessvale]

When roadworks reveal old tramlines (which often aren't documented, so come as a surprise to the workers) it causes huge issues for the work that's supposed to be being carried out. I can't believe so many usually sensible posters are advocating such a laissez-faire solution.

It is costing £1.5m to lift the line.

IF the old line gets in the way in the future I can say with some certainty it will not be the whole of the line, and lifting whatever portion needs lifting, say for a new water pipe, will cost no more than £1.5m and probably considerably less.

 

[jopsuk]

Why not just send the odd train to meet up with the channel island boat.

In March it will be five years since the last ferry sailed from Weymouth. Condor run from Portsmouth & Poole.

The lack of boats for boat trains to connect to has been brought up in the various Weymouth threads.