- There are several request stops (Chetnole, Yetminster, Thornford) which a lot of the time no one will get on or off adding on several minutes.
Interestingly, these three halts were reprieved from closure in the 1960s as the narrow local lanes would make a replacement bus service impractical. The current procedure is if the guard has confirmed there are no passengers to alight, they will give 2 on the buzzer to the driver before the train gets to that halt. The driver then only needs to stop at the halt if there is someone wishing to board. On busy trains where it is not possible for the guard to ascertain if there are no passengers for a halt, the guard will not send the buzzer signal to the driver and the train must stop. On such trains it is better to stop and have nobody requiring the halt as opposed to sailing through and later discovering passengers have been overcarried. In the northbound direction, most of the trains have a minute or two slack in the timings between Thornford and Yeovil to allow for stopping at the halts. Stopping at Chetnole in the down direction is a pain as the platform is on the 1 in 50ish climb all the way up to Evershot Tunnel.
- Several other stations (e.g Avoncliff, Freshford) no one will get on or off.
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A few years ago, both of these were request stops. However, it was decided to make these full stops. These are reflected in the schedule so calling there does not delay the train. Some days every train will have custom at these stations, other days not. Heading towards Bath you usually follow an HST from Bathampton Junction. Removing both of those calls would invariably lead to waiting time at B302 signal at Bathampton or at Bath Spa station.
- About 75% of trains are late, often frequently 20+ minutes.
The joys of a largely single track route. Originally a GWR main double track route, economy measures of the 1960s have left us with what we have today. Many of the Weymouth services come from north of Bristol, mainly Gloucester. There is plenty of potential for delay throughout the route. This can have a snowball effect when services are booked to cross at Dorchester West, Maiden Newton, Yeovil Pen Mill or Castle Cary. A delayed train will then affect the service it is booked to cross, which can then cause a delay on the route later on depending on how much turn around time the train has at its destination.
- The stock used is awful and varies each day, GWR do not seem to understand stock allocation, sometimes there will be a 4 car service for a 11:00 service, and yet there will be only 2 cars (without adding at Westbury) for the morning peak.
The unit availability on the West side can currently be described as dire, with some days recently struggling
with 7 units short to cover all the diagrams! It is a constant juggling act to keep the timetable covered, regrettably often meaning short formed services.As I understand it, SPM depot in Bristol is currently understaffed as many have jumped ship to join Hitachi at Stoke Gifford. The Weymouth route sees a mix of 150/1, 150/2, 153 and 158 units. Although the 158 units are nicer for the customer with better saloon interiors and luggage racks, the 150 units keep to time better as the line speed between Castle Cary and Dorchester Junction doesn't go above 75 mph. The 150s accelerate faster and have reduced dwell time with their faster door operation cycles.
From a personal point of view, I like the Weymouth route. Yes, the timetable is far from perfect with large gaps throughout the day. However the line does have some very interesting features as well. The wooden station and train shed at Frome, a country junction station at Castle Cary, semaphores at Yeovil Pen Mill, the signalbox with Tom the resident cat patrolling his patch, the No Signaller token operation between Yeovil and Maiden Newton, rural halts that dodged the bullet in the 1960s and some lovely countryside.