SWR Salisbury to Corfe Castle Saturday Summer Service

[tgrb]

Parking is generally ok at soton central on the downside ,but the corfe train is running via Salisbury/Yeovil/Weymouth unless you're just planning to take a regular service train from soton to Wareham via Poole.

Sorry meant Salisbury

 

[theironroad]

Sorry meant Salisbury

Ah ok, not so familiar with sal but there is certainly a decent size car park outside the station.

 

[stu]

It does seem More/Wilts and Dorset/Purbeck breezer (or whatever they are called at the moment) have a monopoloy on the routes to Purbeck...

Purbeck Breezer is just a marketing brand of the route, it's all the one and same as More Bus (or Wilts and Dorset for my old fashioned side!).

 

[MikeWh]

It was only made public knowledge at the last minute through local media and the social media account of the brains behind all of this. There is now a SWR page dedicated to promoting the service, and I reckon in the weeks to come it will fill up particularly closer to July.

Can you link to the SWR page because I can't find it.

 

[gazthomas]

Can you link to the SWR page because I can't find it.

https://www.southwesternrailway.com/destinations-and-offers/offers/summer-saturdays

 

[MikeWh]

https://www.southwesternrailway.com/destinations-and-offers/offers/summer-saturdays

Thanks. Shame it doesn't seem to be linked from the home page, or even the offers page.

 

[Chris999999]

Thanks. Shame it doesn't seem to be linked from the home page, or even the offers page.

Even more a shame when you try to buy tickets, you can't!

 

[DynamicSpirit]

https://www.southwesternrailway.com/destinations-and-offers/offers/summer-saturdays

Hmmm... Salisbury 08:08, Gillingham 09:03.... Yeovil Junction 09:40

How on Earth does that train manage to take almost an hour to get from Salisbury to Gillingham, and then almost another 40 minutes to get to Yeovil Junction? Usually trains only take about 50 minutes for that entire stretch.

 

[gazthomas]

Thanks. Shame it doesn't seem to be linked from the home page, or even the offers page.

It is - you have to go Burger Menu - Destinations and offers - Offers

Quite a palava though!

 

[MikeWh]

It is - you have to go Burger Menu - Destinations and offers - Offers

Quite a palava though!

Indeed! On a laptop the initial burger menu is spread out, then if you click on links without waiting for the fancy next menu to slowly display, you end up on the offers page without a link to summer saturdays. Someone needs to road test their UI.

 

[Domh245]

Hmmm... Salisbury 08:08, Gillingham 09:03.... Yeovil Junction 09:40

How on Earth does that train manage to take almost an hour to get from Salisbury to Gillingham, and then almost another 40 minutes to get to Yeovil Junction? Usually trains only take about 50 minutes for that entire stretch.

Generous dwell times! 26.5 minutes at Gillingham, and another 17 minutes at Yeovil. Those are the departure times from those stations after all. Does raise the question as to why the dwell times are so long.

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/W10661/2018/05/26/advanced

 

[Kite159]

Generous dwell times! 26.5 minutes at Gillingham, and another 17 minutes at Yeovil. Those are the departure times from those stations after all. Does raise the question as to why the dwell times are so long.

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/W10661/2018/05/26/advanced

This morning it waited for the 0725 Exeter St Davids to London Waterloo to clear the line after Gillingham to run "wrong line" towards Yeovil Junction, using platform 1 at Sherbourne & Yeovil Junction (with the next Exeter - Waterloo service using platform 2 at Yeovil Junction). Add into the fact that it is a non-standard departure

I would say looking at the timetables, the biggest pathing issue is most likely with the 0853 Weymouth to Gloucester GWR service which departs Yeovil Pen Mill a few minutes before the Basingstoke - Weymouth service arrives from Yeovil Junction, even with the dwells removed and the lowest possible allowances for the double reversals it will be highly unlikely the SWR could meet the GWR service at Maiden Newton for around 09:15.

Not sure if Weymouth -> Castle Cary services can go into platform 3 at Pen Mill when heading northbound, as that might be another factor.

In theory you could probably connect with the Weymouth 159 at Yeovil Junction from the 0710 London Waterloo to Exeter St Davids service as that gives a completely unoffical cross platform connection of around a couple minutes

 

[theironroad]

What's the reasoning behind this service?

Is it just adding on the Weymouth to Wareham to corfe onto the summer Saturday special instead of the unit sitting in Weymouth sidings for the day or is there another reason.

I think a direct Basingstoke to Corfe via Poole would attract more people.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

The service actually features in the timetable PDF - available at https://www.southwesternrailway.com/plan-my-journey/timetables - it's table 20. The PDF however shows slightly different timings at intermediate stations, and shows the train as running from Basingstoke to Weymouth via Yeovil, returning all the way to London in the evening. It also shows an extra return journey from Weymouth to Yeovil junction leaving Weymouth at 12:10pm - presumably the portion of the train that isn't going to Corfe Castle.

Have to say I'm not convinced that a 2-and-a-half hour journey from Salisbury to Weymouth is going to tempt that many people, although it's only 2 hours on the way back. Perhaps it'd be more attractive to Yeovil residents.

 

[700007]

What's the reasoning behind this service?

Is it just adding on the Weymouth to Wareham to corfe onto the summer Saturday special instead of the unit sitting in Weymouth sidings for the day or is there another reason.

Rail optimisation essentially - the summer train at a cheap price has been a success for 3 years in the running, and the extra trains along the Heart of Wessex line have been highly welcomed this time of year. Last year, the service had to be increased from 3 to 5 carriages so there does seem to be good demand for it, one that will continue!

 

[theironroad]

Rail optimisation essentially - the summer train at a cheap price has been a success for 3 years in the running, and the extra trains along the Heart of Wessex line have been highly welcomed this time of year. Last year, the service had to be increased from 3 to 5 carriages so there does seem to be good demand for it, one that will continue!

Glad to hear it, though strange that gwr have decided not to run their Bristol to Weymouth Saturday specials this year, though that was a supplemental service rather than new flow.

 

[greaterwest]

Glad to hear it, though strange that gwr have decided not to run their Bristol to Weymouth Saturday specials this year, though that was a supplemental service rather than new flow.

GWR are running their summer specials to Weymouth, just not as a HST this year.

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C48086/2018/06/02/advanced
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C49331/2018/06/02/advanced

 

[Kite159]

Glad to hear it, though strange that gwr have decided not to run their Bristol to Weymouth Saturday specials this year, though that was a supplemental service rather than new flow.

GWR are running an additional service, the 09:08 Bristol Temple Meads - Weymouth, although it is no longer a HST.

@DynamicSpirit, A quick glance at NRE at timings and the 2 hours 23 minutes on the direct train is only a few minutes longer than the shortest journey NRE is suggesting of 2 hours 17 minutes (changing at Southampton). Plus the benefit of some dirt cheap (£5 day return) fares on the "SWR Via Yeovil" route will probably encourage travellers to use the diesels.

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

Technically the extra service in the evening is 2V98 1830 Weymouth-Bristol TM. In previous years the HST ran at 1730 but this essentially covered a booked service (minus smaller stops enroute) and the Sprinters ran the additional service an hour later (calling everywhere.)

The same occurs this year just with different stock, and the 1730 retains its usual non-summer stopping pattern.

 

[theironroad]

GWR are running their summer specials to Weymouth, just not as a HST this year.

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C48086/2018/06/02/advanced
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C49331/2018/06/02/advanced

GWR are running an additional service, the 09:08 Bristol Temple Meads - Weymouth, although it is no longer a HST.

@DynamicSpirit, A quick glance at NRE at timings and the 2 hours 23 minutes on the direct train is only a few minutes longer than the shortest journey NRE is suggesting of 2 hours 17 minutes (changing at Southampton). Plus the benefit of some dirt cheap (£5 day return) fares on the "SWR Via Yeovil" route will probably encourage travellers to use the diesels.

Oops, my mistake....

 

[NorthernSpirit]

As others have pointed out on other forums, this train is particularly unusual for multiple reasons. One of them is that it has four reversals en route! (Yeovil Junction, Yeovil Pen Mill, Weymouth, Wareham). Is this a record? Has any passenger service, *ever*, had more reversals en route in this country?

The former "Grand Tour" which ran from Selby to Wakefield Westgate had three reversals - Bradford Interchange, Huddersfield and again at Wakefield Kirkgate. This Corfe Castle service must hold the record of four reversals - although that is a new thread in itself.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Just had a look at SWR's website advertising the service. It says

Simply catch the train to Weymouth from the destination below at the specified time and pay just £5 for an adult or £2.50 for a child day return:

Anyone unfamiliar with railways who reads that could easily assume you can just get on the train, without booking in advance, and pay £5 for an adult return on-board. I hope that is actually SWR's intention - or they could end up with some very angry passengers.

 

[James Wake]

Does anyone know if the old SWT free tickets are valid on the Corfe Castle special trains? Might be a way for me to use one of them up.

 

[dorsetdesiro]

The local paper says the service went well, here's the link if it is of any interest. It seems a bit strange seeing a modern train heading down a heritage track with semaphore signals though the level crossings were recently upgraded from manually operated gates to automatic with flashing lights.

It would be good if the SWR service one day gets extended to Swanage for the seaside instead of waiting around to change to a Swanage Railway train or get the bus from Corfe Castle.

http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/16...ain_service_from_Weymouth_to_Swanage_Railway/

 

[jopsuk]

The local paper says the service went well, here's the link if it is of any interest. It seems a bit strange seeing a modern train heading down a heritage track with semaphore signals though the level crossings were recently upgraded from manually operated gates to automatic with flashing lights.

Semaphores are still in place in various parts of the national network (I think even some lines that shiny new 800s run on?) and there's a few manual crossings still - eg this one on an 80mph electrified line with 4tph each way off-peak (1tph stopping at the station, 3tph passing)

 

[Stefano]

Hi guys sorry, but I can't any better topic ti ask this question. I'm an Italian railfan, this week I'll go to Corfe Castle and Swanage by the diesel train. My question is: do you know if there are freight trains around Dorchester/Poole/Bournemouth? I haven't ever taken a picture of British freight train!
Thank you in advance

 

[pompeyfan]

There are a handful of trains carrying stone or sand to small sidings at Wool and a small dock at Poole, but they’re very infrequent.

If you want a steady stream of freight trains you’ll need to go to Southampton, or the freight yard at Eastleigh. You can do Bournemouth to Southampton in around 30 minutes on the faster services, I think it’s about £15 return.

 

[theironroad]

The wool sand train finished a few years ago.

There is a once or twice weekly stone train that comes down the line to Hamworthy and goes off into the Hamworthy freight branch to Hamworthy quay, though not sure for how much longer.

 

[theironroad]

Hi guys sorry, but I can't any better topic ti ask this question. I'm an Italian railfan, this week I'll go to Corfe Castle and Swanage by the diesel train. My question is: do you know if there are freight trains around Dorchester/Poole/Bournemouth? I haven't ever taken a picture of British freight train!
Thank you in advance

As pompey says, Southampton then upto Eastleigh would the best places. Southampton maritime is one of the top 3 uk ports so lots of containers and 66s ..and a 08 shunter .... Eastleigh is a bit more varied as also a base for network rail.

 

[E759]

Last Salisbury-Corfe trains on SWR MixingDeck and RTT is 9/6/2018, thereafter until 8/9/2018 Swanage-Wareham West Coast Rly. shuttles are showing in RTT (as mentioned up-thread). So is the SWR service going to running after 9/6/2018?

Thanks!