Yeovil Pen Mill to Taunton (via Martock)

[70014IronDuke]

Split off from this thread

https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/last-day-line-farewells-by-normal-service-train.179870/page-2

I thought the information on this line in the above thread was valuable for future research, and decided to create a dedicated thread.

A couple of follow up questions: would this line be useful today as a strategic route, either directly or as a diversionary route if Westbury-Taunton via Somerton were closed? Or was it lightly laid and/or too slow

Yeovil Pen Mill - Taunton (as far as Montacute). Baptist Chapel annual day out to Weymouth dated to coincide with the last day, we even had a through coach back from Weymouth hauled by a DMU to Pen Mill, then attached to the last train to Taunton. Seemed like the whole village was on that red non-corridor coach, we climbed the hill to Bincliffe at walking speed

That's a fascinating one. When was this, 62? 63? Was that normal practice, to run through coaches I mean, from Weymouth that way?

Closed June 1964
I've read references to through excursion coaches being run on Sundays, but that one was a special due to the level of bookings. Later I rode on other DMU hauled coaches out of Weymouth but by then they stayed with the train. We must have rode to Weymouth that day on the same carriage, but I can't remember it. Too young!
Somewhere I have photos of the last steam loco and wreath

Ah, the days when the railway ran trains to suit customer rquirements, rather than the railway's shift times.
That means I missed it by about 16 months (first visit to Yeovil Sept 65). Even today, Yeovil is an intriguing railway centre, certainly vis-a-vis the size of the town. It must have been so much more then, with the complicated, if infrequent, services like Taunton - Pen Mill. Would the passenger trains have been 41xx or 51xx 2-6-2T hauled?

According to BR Steam Motive Power Depots by Paul Bolger, in 1950:
Yeovil Pen Mill depot (82E) had an allocation of just 8 x 57xx 0-6-0PT and 2 x 55xx 2-6-2T
Taunton (83B) had a bigger allocation, including 4 x 41xx/51xx 2-6-2T, 9 x 55xx 2-6-2T, 8 x 57xx 0-6-0PT, 9 x 2251 Cl. 0-6-0s,
11 x 43xx 2-6-0s, plus 2 Castles, 5 Halls, 3 Granges, 1 x 28xx 2-8-0 and a few other assorted small tank locos.

Something tells me the Castles and other 4-6-0s were not normally diagrammed for the Pen Mill Line

last loco to Taunton was 4131
this should give an overview of the line

http://www.cornwallrailwaysociety.org.uk/taunton-to-yeovil.html

Something to remember is that when it closed the line had been transferred to the Southern, as had the Pen Mill shed, which was amalgamated with the Southern Yeovil Town shed. That resulted in N class locos sometimes being used (Taunton has posted about that in the past)
Other stock could be pressed into service - for instance a late running DMU from Weymouth resulting in a class 22 diesel hauled emergency service Pen Mill - Taunton. The 22 would have been the Yeovil Town based banker, used for climbing Evershot Hill on the Weymouth line. Thinking about it, I can't be certain but I've a feeling that was a single through coach dropped off the back of the DMU

Transferring a line to another region seems to have been common practice prior to closure in 'borderlands' routes. I suspect it allowed management to announce the bad news and wind down services with less heartache.

I don't recall the closure event on Taunton-Yeovil, only heard about it afterwards. It was one of those lines where each of the half-dozen services in a day might have a different class of loco. 45xx, 4575 (different shape, bigger tanks), 41xx, 61xx (Taunton got several of these in the 1960s displaced from Paddington, wonderful locos), 82xxx (the opposite), and 57xx Panniers. Yeovil would send out some of the same, and also 412xx tanks and N class 2-6-0s - 31840 for some reason seemed to be used more than any other. Like most of the sheds west of Salisbury, a lot of what was sent out each day was actually Exmouth Junction allocated locos. Yeovil shed, alongside Town station, quite commonly had three or four Bulleid Pacifics on hand, though they never came to this line. Prove me wrong somebody. Never saw a D63xx diesel on it but have seen pictures, nor a dmu, but apparently it had previously had a GWR diesel railcar turn, one of the original ones without buffers, which broke down at somewhere like Martock with a jammed transmission and was a nightmare for the Taunton breakdown crew to recover.

Only use of the line I made was a summer excursion (maybe two) to Weymouth, reversing at Pen Mill. The stock was equally diverse, old GWR B-sets, BR standard non-corridors, and green Southern coaches, these being the only corridor ones. That Sunday excursion was in a B-set.

 

[30907]

A couple of follow up questions: would this line be useful today as a strategic route, either directly or as a diversionary route if Westbury-Taunton via Somerton were closed? Or was it lightly laid and/or too slow

Something tells me the Castles and other 4-6-0s were not normally diagrammed for the Pen Mill Line

Transferring a line to another region seems to have been common practice prior to closure in 'borderlands' routes. I suspect it allowed management to announce the bad news and wind down services with less heartache.

Correct - lightly laid and indirect; via Bristol would have been much more practicable ever when the line was open. There are photos of 41xx (and N class) so it would have been a Blue route, 43xx and Manors would have been OK but nothing heavier; normally a 4575 or 57xx seems to have done the job.

Part of the line became SR in 1958, so 6 years before closure and it reverted to WR in 1963 anyway, so your connection between regional transfer and rundown doesn't work in this case (the SR sensibly closed Pen Mill shed but otherwise it was only green paint and a few U/Q signals....).

 

[randyrippley]

The line really came into its own as a diversionary route during the two world wars. It was also important for traffic to Westland Aircraft and the Royal Ordnance factories at Bridgwater. As a diversionary route in bad weather it would be pretty much useless: north of Martock the line runs across reclaimed marshland and its all very prone to flooding. There are some spectacular photos on the 'net of trains braving floods at Langport and even a video somewhere.
When it was open the main traffic was freight: Westlands, milk to the creamery at Bunford, agricultural engineering equipment from Sparrows at Martock, quarry stone from Ham Hill. From a passenger point of view it was useless with badly placed stations and a timetable which made commuting untenable, and anyway there were regular buses between Yeovil and South Petherton via Martock and via Montacute which were better timed and actually passed through the villages.
The route was laid out as single track broad gauge with a passing loop at Martock station. Another loop could have been put in at Montacute and possibly one near the airfield. The road overbridges near Houndstone would have been restrictive - when part of the route was used for the A3088 these required major underpinning to allow the road through.
Nowadays, as the only rail link between the two major industrial towns in Somerset I'm sure it would never get closed, but the economics would be dicey.
An interesting aside, from speaking to my father it would appear that anyone from the villages west of Yeovil if travelling to Bristol would be more likely to change at Taunton (or Durston?) than Yeovil, and even from Yeovil it could be quicker via Taunton than Westbury

 

[randyrippley]

According to BR Steam Motive Power Depots by Paul Bolger, in 1950:
Yeovil Pen Mill depot (82E) had an allocation of just 8 x 57xx 0-6-0PT and 2 x 55xx 2-6-2T
Taunton (83B) had a bigger allocation, including 4 x 41xx/51xx 2-6-2T, 9 x 55xx 2-6-2T, 8 x 57xx 0-6-0PT, 9 x 2251 Cl. 0-6-0s,
11 x 43xx 2-6-0s, plus 2 Castles, 5 Halls, 3 Granges, 1 x 28xx 2-8-0 and a few other assorted small tank locos.

The Pen Mill shed can be explained by the need for the 0-6-0PT for banking up Evershot, and also general shunting of freight to/from Westlands and to the transfer sheds at Yeovil Town. Also some auto-fitted ones were used on the Town-Junction shuttle, taking over from Southern auto-fitted locos - presumably M7??? Though I've read somewhere that a Southen 0-4-2T class was used
The 2-6-2T would have been used on the Taunton line

 

[Taunton]

The line really came into its own as a diversionary route during the two world wars. It was also important for traffic to Westland Aircraft and the Royal Ordnance factories at Bridgwater.

The reference to Bridgwater may seem unusual, but the local freight on the Yeovil line was indeed run from there, reversing at Durston, and not from Taunton. This odd arrangement dated from pre-Somerton line days, and was just kept. As the vast majority of general freight was to/from Bristol and east/north thereof, it was probably felt wasteful to haul it to Taunton and then back again, although someone once told me it was done deliberately from the start to prevent the LSWR getting running powers for freight into Taunton after the broad gauge was given up - they already accessed Bridgwater over the S&D branch.

As a diversionary route in bad weather it would be pretty much useless: north of Martock the line runs across reclaimed marshland and its all very prone to flooding.

Less expected may be that it was used as a diversion route for our friends from Waterloo, when the principal trouble point in Devon, Cowley Bridge Junction, was flooded yet again. The Southern would run the Atlantic Coast Express, from Ilfracombe and Barnstaple, turning left there and going via Taunton and Yeovil Town up to the Junction, reverse and join to a portion starting at Exeter Central. This was certainly done as late as the big 1962 floods, but had been done before. The Southern had to provide an N, which worked through with Taunton crews, who of course knew the lot. I never saw it, but heard about it afterwards.

But it's true that a common first flooding point would be Langport West station, next to the River Parratt bridge. Curry Rivel Junction to Castle Cary is not very far at all, probably 10 minutes at line speed, and not much of an avoidance. It's going to be faster via Bristol, and the crews all know it.

One of the little realised changes is that the line from Yeovil Junction only ran to Town, where it faced westwards towards Taunton. It ran alongside the Weymouth line into Pen Mill, but there was no established connection. One was put in around 1942 as a wartime emergency, I believe never used, and removed afterwards. When the Yeovil Town shuttle was finally closed, some years after the Taunton line, this was slewed using the wartime alignment so the current Junction-Pen Mill direct connection came available for the first time.

rail link between the two major industrial towns in Somerset

Taunton? An 'industrial' town? Guard your language, Sir. That's what Bridgwater is for

 

[randyrippley]

............One of the little realised changes is that the line from Yeovil Junction only ran to Town, where it faced westwards towards Taunton. It ran alongside the Weymouth line into Pen Mill, but there was no established connection. One was put in around 1942 as a wartime emergency, I believe never used, and removed afterwards. When the Yeovil Town shuttle was finally closed, some years after the Taunton line, this was slewed using the wartime alignment so the current Junction-Pen Mill direct connection came available for the first time.

That always seemed a strange thing, even stranger was the removal of the original Sherborne - Yeovil town curve which bypassed the Junction and would have made through running so much easier. Like the Pen Mill - Junction link I believe it was temporarily reinstated during WW2, removing it seemed to have made no sense

 

[dgl]

Although if you want to go from Yeovil to Taunton then a reversal at Castle Cary is, of course, possible for a direct train, but the direct line would probably have been quicker, assuming the line had comparable speed limits.

Of course a lot of silly decisions were made when the railways were declining, though, hopefully that will be corrected at some point, a link to Yeovil Junction from the South would create a useful link connecting Dorset to the South West.

 

[randyrippley]

Although if you want to go from Yeovil to Taunton then a reversal at Castle Cary is, of course, possible for a direct train, but the direct line would probably have been quicker, assuming the line had comparable speed limits.

Of course a lot of silly decisions were made when the railways were declining, though, hopefully that will be corrected at some point, a link to Yeovil Junction from the South would create a useful link connecting Dorset to the South West.

And the embankment for that southern curve was built, but never had track laid. Unfortunately if used now I think it would bring you onto platforms 3/4 - now used by the Yeovil Railway Centre, and would sever their running track along the old Clifton Maybank spur

 

[30907]

The Pen Mill shed can be explained by the need for the 0-6-0PT for banking up Evershot, and also general shunting of freight to/from Westlands and to the transfer sheds at Yeovil Town. Also some auto-fitted ones were used on the Town-Junction shuttle, taking over from Southern auto-fitted locos - presumably M7??? Though I've read somewhere that a Southen 0-4-2T class was used
The 2-6-2T would have been used on the Taunton line

Yes, but Town-Junction only went over to auto trains after the WR takeover west of Salisbury, and Pen Mill shed had gone by then. The SR motor engine would have been an M7 (O2 earlier) to the end.

 

[randyrippley]

Yes, but Town-Junction only went over to auto trains after the WR takeover west of Salisbury, and Pen Mill shed had gone by then. The SR motor engine would have been an M7 (O2 earlier) to the end.

Thanks, I wasn't sure when the M7 > pannier switch happened, I had the impression it was earlier.
FWIW, according to an article in Railway Modeller back in the 1970s (by a village local) prior to the M7, the LSWR had used C14 push pull sets there. Unfortunately I've long since lost the magazine. My comment above about an 0-4-2T should have read 0-2-2T

 

[DerekC]

And the embankment for that southern curve was built, but never had track laid. Unfortunately if used now I think it would bring you onto platforms 3/4 - now used by the Yeovil Railway Centre, and would sever their running track along the old Clifton Maybank spur

Any idea when the embankment was built? It is there on the 1889 OS map.

 

[randyrippley]

Any idea when the embankment was built? It is there on the 1889 OS map.

The Clifton Maybank link was built in 1864, and I suspect it was part of the same works. My guess is the intention was to allow a south facing link to the GWR goods transfer shed, but it was never completed
See the map at http://www.yeovilhistory.info/railways.htm

 

[randyrippley]

While talking about the railways around Yeovil, its worth putting on record the strange arrangements for taxis at Yeovil Junction in the 1970s and early 1980s.
Because the station was quite literally just across the county boundary in Dorset, none of the Yeovil (Somerset) taxis were allowed to pick up from there. To make things worse, BR only licenced ONE Dorset taxi to use the taxi rank outside the station. By coincidence this happened to be the man who had the lease of the station tea shop - which often had to close if a taxi was needed.
On top of that the fares were a scandal: as virtually all trips would cross the county boundary the mileage rules didn't apply and he could pretty much charge whatever he liked.
In the absence of any buses (the Newton Road bridge was too weak)there was effectively a one-taxi monopoly with unregulated fares.

 

[DerekC]

The Clifton Maybank link was built in 1864, and I suspect it was part of the same works. My guess is the intention was to allow a south facing link to the GWR goods transfer shed, but it was never completed
See the map at http://www.yeovilhistory.info/railways.htm

That seems to make sense. The 1889 map shows a turnout with a short stub of track on the Clifton Maybank line exactly where the south to west curve would have joined it, which reinforces the theory. I wonder if someone at the Yeovil Railway Centre knows more. I am planning to go there this year (it never seems to be open when I am in the area) so will see what I can find out.

 

[30907]

Thanks, I wasn't sure when the M7 > pannier switch happened, I had the impression it was earlier.
FWIW, according to an article in Railway Modeller back in the 1970s (by a village local) prior to the M7, the LSWR had used C14 push pull sets there. Unfortunately I've long since lost the magazine. My comment above about an 0-4-2T should have read 0-2-2T

Although the Steam Rail Motor/C14 working didn't last long, the "gate" stock coach portions survived as a conventional push-pull at Yeovil until 1959 IIRC.

 

[70014IronDuke]

While talking about the railways around Yeovil, its worth putting on record the strange arrangements for taxis at Yeovil Junction in the 1970s and early 1980s.
Because the station was quite literally just across the county boundary in Dorset, none of the Yeovil (Somerset) taxis were allowed to pick up from there. To make things worse, BR only licenced ONE Dorset taxi to use the taxi rank outside the station. By coincidence this happened to be the man who had the lease of the station tea shop - which often had to close if a taxi was needed.
On top of that the fares were a scandal: as virtually all trips would cross the county boundary the mileage rules didn't apply and he could pretty much charge whatever he liked.
In the absence of any buses (the Newton Road bridge was too weak)there was effectively a one-taxi monopoly with unregulated fares.

Wonderful tale! How long did this absurd rip off last?

Going to the other end of the (Taunton) line, I confess that I didn't understand this site's talk about the 'shorter' and longer routes out of said town.
http://www.cornwallrailwaysociety.org.uk/taunton-to-yeovil.html

I was going to ask in here, but decided to google "Curry Rivel Junction" and then found the Taunton - Yeovil branch has its own wikipedia page, which explains the extra complication of lines around Cogload and Durston (Jnc?), which can only really be understood by seeing a diagram.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yeovil–Taunton_line

All this means that closing the "Taunton - Yeovil" branch - total length 26 miles according to the timetable - actually only saved BR about 13 1/2 route miles of track, plus a mile or so if you went via Durston, I suppose.

It might not have been very busy, but not much of a saving, except in terms of investment investment to modernise and maintain the 13.5 miles from Yeovil to Curry Rivel Jcn.

I presume what was called Curry Rivel Jcn was in reality rather closer to Langport than Curry Rivel?

 

[Taunton]

I believe the retention of the Durston loop in 1906 was part of what is referred to above, keeping the goods service run from Bridgwater rather than from Taunton, which it would have to do if only the main line was retained, whereupon the LSWR might have applied for running powers. Certainly there was no practical reason for it; Durston is a few houses, inevitably nowhere near the station and actually nearer to Cogload Junction.

In the 1940s the freight left Bridgwater at 5.30 in the morning, got to Yeovil at 11am, left at 1pm, and was back to Bridgwater at 7.30pm. It was probably quicker to walk. A second goods came out from Yeovil at 9.30am and also spent all day just getting to Langport West and back, passing the other freight both ways, and seemingly principally to pick up the afternoon milk traffic from Thorney.

Goods trains at Durston were reversed on the outside of the down platform where there were a couple of run-round sidings, and the connections to the Bristol line included a couple of diamond crossings. When in place these always caused a considerable bang, crash and roll when taken by down expresses at high speed (which they always did), it was the worst point for this on the line, far more so than the right-angled flat crossing by the S&D at Highbridge.

 

[randyrippley]

The taxi insanity lasted for at least ten years, possibly longer.

As for Curry Rivel Junction, even though it was closer to Langport village it was on the west bank of the River Parrett, which I think would have put it over the parish boundary into Curry.
To be honest the whole discussion of boundaries gets very confused around there as part of Langport is actually in Curry Rivel, with an even larger part in Huish Episcopi. The green part on this map shows the area of Huish Episcopi, and you could justifiably claim that one, if not both, Langport stations were actually in Huish
https://www.huishepiscopi.org.uk/parish-council/boundary-map-of-huish-episcopi
Langport village is pretty much encircled to the south and east, with a narrow spit of land to the north (on the east side of the river)linking it to its grazing meadows

 

[randyrippley]

I believe the retention of the Durston loop in 1906 was part of what is referred to above, keeping the goods service run from Bridgwater rather than from Taunton, which it would have to do if only the main line was retained, whereupon the LSWR might have applied for running powers. Certainly there was no practical reason for it; Durston is a few houses, inevitably nowhere near the station and actually nearer to Cogload Junction.

In the 1940s the freight left Bridgwater at 5.30 in the morning, got to Yeovil at 11am, left at 1pm, and was back to Bridgwater at 7.30pm. It was probably quicker to walk. A second goods came out from Yeovil at 9.30am and also spent all day just getting to Langport West and back, passing the other freight both ways, and seemingly principally to pick up the afternoon milk traffic from Thorney.

Goods trains at Durston were reversed on the outside of the down platform where there were a couple of run-round sidings, and the connections to the Bristol line included a couple of diamond crossings. When in place these always caused a considerable bang, crash and roll when taken by down expresses at high speed (which they always did), it was the worst point for this on the line, far more so than the right-angled flat crossing by the S&D at Highbridge.

I forgot there was a creamery at Thorney, that makes two on the line. The other was Aplin & Barrett (aka St Ivel) at the old flaxworks on Bunford Lane in Yeovil (next to the airfield).
I suspect that part of the reason freight was operated from Bridgwater is that in the 1950s it was still just about surviving as a coastal shipping port with coals, aggregates and farming goods to/from Wales and presumably up and down the Severn

 

[70014IronDuke]

I believe the retention of the Durston loop in 1906 was part of what is referred to above, keeping the goods service run from Bridgwater rather than from Taunton, which it would have to do if only the main line was retained, whereupon the LSWR might have applied for running powers. Certainly there was no practical reason for it; Durston is a few houses, inevitably nowhere near the station and actually nearer to Cogload Junction. ...

It helps to realise that this part of the branch line only LATER became used for the main Berks and Hants cut off. I should have known this, but it hadn't sunk into the grey matter, so I was really puzzled by this mention of the 'slightly longer route'.
Poor Langport - a village that could once boast two station and now with none, but with longish, high-spped units whizzing past every half hour or so. Looks an idyllic place (though I'm sure it has its problems). Wouldn't mind spending a hour one summer evening with a rod and a local on the banks of the Parrett.

 

[randyrippley]

It helps to realise that this part of the branch line only LATER became used for the main Berks and Hants cut off. I should have known this, but it hadn't sunk into the grey matter, so I was really puzzled by this mention of the 'slightly longer route'.
Poor Langport - a village that could once boast two station and now with none, but with longish, high-spped units whizzing past every half hour or so. Looks an idyllic place (though I'm sure it has its problems). Wouldn't mind spending a hour one summer evening with a rod and a local on the banks of the Parrett.

If you do go, have a pint or three in Eli's.
Been in the same family for four generations, still has the original 19th century décor and furniture.
No bar, to get served you walk into the taproom
Very unusual pub
https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1235466
https://www.huishepiscopi.org.uk/business-services/food-and-drink/107-rose-a-crown

 

[Cowley]

If you do go, have a pint or three in Eli's.
Been in the same family for four generations, still has the original 19th century décor and furniture.
No bar, to get served you walk into the taproom
Very unusual pub
https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1235466
https://www.huishepiscopi.org.uk/business-services/food-and-drink/107-rose-a-crown

That looks good. I’ve stuck it on my list of pubs to visit thanks for that.

 

[jamesr]

This is an interesting discussion. As a long time Yeovil resident in the 80s and 90s i often wondered whether from a purely local perspective it would have made more sense to keep Weymouth - Yeovil - Taunton - Bristol rather than the route via Westbury. Obviously, it wouldn’t have had the same diversionary use as the Pen Mill - Castle Cary route which was probably the main consideration, but I can’t help feeling that Yeovil and Taunton are far more “linked” than Yeovil and Frome or Westbury, and, particularly in recent years, the line would have been quite busy with local traffic.

The local village stations may not have been ideally located as noted above, but Yeovil has developed to the west, which would have been on the route of the railway, and it would have had a useful benefit of retaining a station right in Yeovil town centre. I could perceive that as the West of England line got busier after the doldrums of the 80s, it’s not inconceivable we’d have ended up with Waterloo to Exeter alternating with Waterloo to Taunton, hourly as far as Yeovil.

Weymouth to Bristol wouldn’t have taken much longer this way round either.

Obviously, it’s all rather irrelevant now, and the main criteria for keeping Castle Cary was obviously an alternative route to the GW main line (although this doesn’t seem to have been an important enough factor to retain other lines further west).

 

[70014IronDuke]

If you do go, have a pint or three in Eli's.
Been in the same family for four generations, still has the original 19th century décor and furniture.
No bar, to get served you walk into the taproom
Very unusual pub
https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1235466
https://www.huishepiscopi.org.uk/business-services/food-and-drink/107-rose-a-crown

Fascinating. I shall certainly keep it in mind: but alas, I rarely venture into that part of the world, but you never know - something may pop up.

 

[70014IronDuke]

... Obviously, it’s all rather irrelevant now, and the main criteria for keeping Castle Cary was obviously an alternative route to the GW main line (although this doesn’t seem to have been an important enough factor to retain other lines further west).

You mean Castle Cary to Yeovil PM and Weymouth, I assume.
Was it? Does anyone know the reasoning for keeping the Weymouth route? I mean, was it ever released to the public? Since it was built as a main line, I assume the formation was far better than the Taunton line for modern running.
Interesting post though. The idea of alternating Waterloo - Exeter/Taunton trains is intriguing, but I suspect that Exeter (and places like Axminster) would always trump Taunton and Martock when it comes to passenger flows.

 

[Taunton]

We could go on about the various changes here over time. The original GW Weymouth Main Line, the Wilts Somerset & Weymouth (WS&W) was from Chippenham, Thingley Jc, right down to Weymouth (and GW steamer to Jersey). Other GWR lines just tagged on to this afterwards.

If you wanted a direct line from Weymouth to Bristol this would have been most direct if the junction at Frome had faced the other way as the Bristol line via Radstock was significantly shorter than what we are left with now. However it is heavily graded. Up to the 1970s the line from Severn Tunnel, avoiding Bristol TM, to Bath, Westbury and Salisbury and a generally flat route, handled a considerable coal and heavy freight traffic to the south coast, and the passenger service just ran interleaved with that.

Also, if the LSWR had actually gone through the main traditional towns along its way like Shaftesbury, Yeovil or Chard, rather than taking the engineering-easy way and avoiding them, things would have been different again.

 

[randyrippley]

You mean Castle Cary to Yeovil PM and Weymouth, I assume.
Was it? Does anyone know the reasoning for keeping the Weymouth route? I mean, was it ever released to the public? Since it was built as a main line, I assume the formation was far better than the Taunton line for modern running.
Interesting post though. The idea of alternating Waterloo - Exeter/Taunton trains is intriguing, but I suspect that Exeter (and places like Axminster) would always trump Taunton and Martock when it comes to passenger flows.

To answer that I think you have to look at the sequence of events over the switching of regional responsibility for the line from Western to Southern and back again, and the decision to concentrate Weymouth-London services on Waterloo, and the Bournemouth electrification.
Which came first - the singling of Cary-Dorchester? The switch to Waterloo? The restoration of the line north of Dorchester to Western Region? I suspect it only survived because Western got it back and kept it in preference to the LSWR branches they'd acquired

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

One factor was the concentration of Channel Island ferry services on Weymouth in 1961, rather than a split-service with Southampton. There was still considerable rail-borne CI agricultural produce then; traffics for the Midlands and North were routed via Yeovil. It was also a sensible decision at that point to concentrate passenger traffic (including boat trains) for Weymouth on Waterloo rather than Paddington. Beeching recommended the line for retention; the WR rather than the SR singled the line after the closure of some of the intermediate stations in 1966

 

[HowardGWR]

There is was never a natural fast GWR route from Bristol to the Dorset Coast and it could be that Weymouth to Bristol via Martock could have been a goer, but such never occured to the GWR it would seem. It did run a C.I. mail service up through Clutton each day and there is a well-known railway model of that name which proudly displays it.

 

[Taunton]

There is was never a natural fast GWR route from Bristol to the Dorset Coast and it could be that Weymouth to Bristol via Martock could have been a goer, but such never occured to the GWR it would seem. It did run a C.I. mail service up through Clutton each day and there is a well-known railway model of that name which proudly displays it.

It is indeed a bit surprising for anyone who knows Weymouth is aware that the No 1 source of all the holiday traffic is Bristol, and a fair amount of the business/commercial links, like major lawyers etc, are likewise. Notably more so than Southampton.

Bristol to Frome via the old Radstock line is 17 miles, it's not far, but going round by Trowbridge is double that, 34 miles. What a shame the old line was abandoned so early.