Weymouth Tramway

[caliwag]

That's interesting, Castlecary. Is 'perpots' local slang or was it stencilled onto the vans, as GW telegraphic practice...such as 'fruit D', 'Locowag', and 'Syphon G' etc. I know it's a digression from the subject, but always fascinated by GW telegraphic acronyms and shorthand...

Here's one. 'Lough...shunting horse ill, send relief' Who thought of that?

OK back to Weymouth tramway!

 

[JoeGJ1984]

I think as Weymouth is a seaside tourist destination that the Weymouth Tramway has tourist potential. I think that a lot of families might enjoy a quick ride on the Weymouth Tramway on a first gen DMU as part of their seaside trip.

 

[Feathers44]

I only remember using the tramway once as a child (grandparents lived in Guernsey so that was our holiday every year). Taking the train onto the roads was one of the most exciting things I can recall and we always tried to make Dad drive that way round when coming on or off the boat in later years.

 

[CromptonLad]

I think as Weymouth is a seaside tourist destination that the Weymouth Tramway has tourist potential. I think that a lot of families might enjoy a quick ride on the Weymouth Tramway on a first gen DMU as part of their seaside trip.

Maybe horsedrawn, a la Isle of Man's Douglas Tramway?

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Basically a low volume and seasonal used line - even in BR days it cost a fortune to run - there were around 18 staff associated with moving the trains down there even in the 1970's - more when there was originating perishable traffics off the boats (spuds and tomato traffic)

 

[Taunton]

Notable is that a generation ago, although in the summer season two ships operated by day both ways, in the winter the sole ship left Weymouth late at night for an overnight crossing, and therefore the train down the Quay ran during hours of darkness, having left Paddington just at the end of the rush hour. I don't know when the boat train transferred from Paddington (via Castle Cary) to Waterloo, it was probably in the 1960s. I've never seen any pictures of it going along the Quay in the winter dark, but it must have been an interesting sight.

but always fascinated by GW telegraphic acronyms and shorthand...

Perhaps we should explain for current generation readers that telegrams were paid for by the word, so all sorts of oddball words got used as informal or formal code in various organisations in the past. Nevertheless, I wonder who decided to name the various different types of GW civil engineer's ballast wagons after obscure sea creatures, such as Seacow, Mermaid, Dogfish, etc! These were the official types and painted on the vehicles.

 

[30907]

Notable is that a generation ago, although in the summer season two ships operated by day both ways, in the winter the sole ship left Weymouth late at night for an overnight crossing, and therefore the train down the Quay ran during hours of darkness, having left Paddington just at the end of the rush hour. I don't know when the boat train transferred from Paddington (via Castle Cary) to Waterloo, it was probably in the 1960s. I've never seen any pictures of it going along the Quay in the winter dark, but it must have been an interesting sight.

Fairly certain the change to Waterloo for all services was 1959/60, definitely by Summer 1961. The Southampton route was abandoned at the same time.

Prior to that the core service via Southampton was always night out, day back. The WR switched to the same pattern in winter as both boats were only thrice weekly, though there were night boats in the summer peak too.

 

[theageofthetra]

I must admit as previously suggested some sort of horse tram or battery tram would have a lot of tourist appeal.

 

[simonw]

I must admit as previously suggested some sort of horse tram or battery tram would have a lot of tourist appeal.

It would have to be pretty light weight gives the poor state of the track, and I'm not sure how you would deal with the card and vans that have always parked on the track even when it is working.

 

[Ash Bridge]

It would have to be pretty light weight gives the poor state of the track, and I'm not sure how you would deal with the card and vans that have always parked on the track even when it is working.

Class 139 or similar perhaps?

 

[30907]

Class 139 or similar perhaps?

Wasn't that the first proposed use for the PPM?

 

[Ash Bridge]

Wasn't that the first proposed use for the PPM?

Ah right, I never knew of that proposal, for what reason did it not come about?