I'd have visited Weymouth just to see that. No reason to go there now. Madness getting rid of something so fascinating and such an attraction. Love the VW Beetle at the beginning, sees the huge train, turns around and scuttles away.
So short sighted by the council to condem this historical asset, correctly managed it could have been a attraction to not only rail enthusiasts, but a boost to tourism in general.
To be fair I kind of disagree. The line didn't really have much going for it and wasn't long enough to make a remotely worthwhile journey, enthusiast or not. Also add the cost of an engine or two, stock, maintenance etc and it just becomes non viable.
@@pajotero4219 On the contrary, with the potential of running excursions from far afield through to the quay, the operating of an environmental tram in the tourist season, and the recent interest in operating commercial passenger vessels, the line would have been an asset for the town.
Afraid you are letting misty-eyed reminisces to get in the way. The line was incredibly cramped and caused major problems traffic-wise when used... far too high-a price for a jolly for the tourists. Even a bubble car shuttling back and forth on summer saturdays would be intolerable with any regularity. For enthusiasts it was an interesting curio but as an asset? in truth the town is generally glad to see it gone - not everyone is a sentimental gricer
@@amazoniaamazonia7225 so I am boring and narrow minded, but you seem ready to bring someone else's town to a standstill (yes it did, I have seen it) for the sake of your pastime... But I'm the narrow-minded one. Bell end
Suggest you also have a look at this one as well if you haven't seen it, which RUclips kindly led me to yesterday. ruclips.net/video/x6XEVvVRB_4/видео.html
I used that service in 1977 but Im not sure which stopped first the Ferry to Jersey or the train to the quayside. A bit like Dover when they abandoned the boat trains too
marvellous. :) my dad took me on this line at least once, but i think it was earlier than this - i've a vague recollection of a Rail Blue liveried 33 running round at Weymouth Quay. also, great photobomb (filmbomb?) by a Bristol RE around 15:46 as the train passes the series of pubs. :)
When I was a kid I used to visit my gran in Whitefield, North Manchester. I'd get the old 1990's metrolink tram into the city and my grandad told me for the first time that this train goes through the streets. To my amazement it did. With cars and people inches from the track. It was very surreal. Now having seen this going on in Weymouth I'd go crackers as a kid. Gutted it's gone. All the tourists getting pictures and the locals causally driving around a freaking mainline train crawling through the streets!
Fascinating to see actual footage of the train creeping down the street and the impact it had on the traffic. Probably worth having the link in its heyday but it was scrapped because it was no longer used and the track on a public highway was knackered. If you want to connect a railway station to a port you run a bus service like they do in Southampton to the departure point for the Cowes ferry though I appreciate it isn’t so romantic. I couldn’t see NR spending the money on maintenance for something had become a folly. It’s quicker to walk.
Not it wasn't, it was the right decision to get rid of it. Who would pay to keep it in place? How often would you use it, if it was left in place? There are far better rail lines that either need to be brought back into use or need investment, not this pointless line.
@@gwpee1727 It didn't need funding to keep it in place, it was solid steel rail deeply embedded in the road. It wasn't taking any looking after or maintenance, and could have been left alone. it sat there since the 1930s in the form it was last seen in, without needing "kept in place" or paid for. It was a piece of the towns industrial and transportation heritage, and one ripped up at enormous expense, it could never be put back. So it was very much the wrong decision.
A long time ago a friend of mine and myself went from Weymouth to The Channel Islands is was very wet and the train couldn’t do journey to the quayside. So they laid on taxis from the station. l have never seen taxis go so fast.
I'm becoming utterly fascinated by this. I'm not especially into trains and I have next to no knowledge. But I do occasionally become interested in some aspects of rail history, particularly odd cases such as these. What I'm wondering, did this service ever run at a decent speed through the streets? Because all the clips I've seen so far, even from the days of proper service, are at slower than walking pace, with a couple of guys walking ahead to maintain a clear path. It's a mad, yet compelling line which I'm going to look into.
It didn't have to go any faster because it's only about one mile from the station to the quay. I've never seen any trains go faster either, and I've seen pictures of a class 03 shunter hauling these "boat trains", and they aren't exactly known for their high speed😂
Locomotion Act - preceeded by a guy with a red flag. With car growth more traffic and obstructed parking was a problem. I took the service in the 1970s with my student railcard for a sealink ferry to Jersey. At most it was a couple of boat trains a day for passengers with their steamer trunks accessing the cross-platform interchange at the quay. Fairly standard for any harbour service to have a platform at the quay/harbour/maritime.
How wonderful it would be to see this return, but sadly deeply impractical. Can you imagine the public and their precious vehicles just for starters...? I've seen other film in the 80s of BR staff bouncing a badly parked car out of the way (ruclips.net/video/x6XEVvVRB_4/видео.html) - imagine (attempting) that now. The world is so entitled, I can just imagine some Porsche 4WD driver would probably face down a Class 33 🤣 H&S would require a 12ft wall around the track anyway so it wouldn't be much of a sight. No-one allows for human common sense - you know - huge train, you move out of the way. The driver and 2nd must've really heaved a sigh of relief once they got to the platform. That final view from across the Quay must've been some sight when it was steam (was it ever?) Love the sound of the 33. Also, you forget just how popular the Sierra was!!! 0:25 - 2:20
i can kinda see why they did remove the line from the video, as there was lots of traffic, but why couldnt they have made the line into a Tramway and extended it towards the suburbs a little bit?
Some of the snowflakes should visit Chur in Switzerland where the Arosa trains leave the main station and set off up the main streets!! No police or railway officials nor a van in front. I'm bigger than you so keep out of my way. Videos on youtube show this well!!! Having said that this was a great piece of our heritage, now sadly lost forever.
As nice as it would be to have that tram way still exist I get why it got taken up because look how much traffic the train was holding up. It wasn’t a problem back in the age of steam because cars were not as prevalent as they are now.
trains. it was built to link the main line with the quay. harbour branches used to be pretty common in the UK, but they generally had their own right of way rather than running through the streets. :)
Enjoy! because its now a thing of the past, in 2020 they are ripping up the tracks and it will be no more, a sad ending to the many attempts to save the line.
@@joeking5310 obviosly you are not a railway enthusiast , I was a member of Weymouth Tramway save the line group. Weymouth town council and Network Rail had been offered a big grant from the lottery fund to relay the tracks and make it into a tourist attraction in the summer using low emission diesel or electric battery power traction, what a wasted opportunity , of course the car wins again with people complaining about parking etc, and short sighted cyclists that can't see the tracks etc. So one of Britains oldest street tramway system has gone forever.
@@48firefox I think he was saying it was stupid to take away the tracks as it wasn't improving anything to do so, just spending money to remove something. Especially if boat trains come back the stupidity of ripping up the line. I think 🤣
@@batman51 When was that changed? Suburban stock on Southern Region was originally all blue but changed to white over blue around the mid 80's as I recall. Central and South East divisions anyway.
@@pajotero4219 This is what I found on Wikipedia: "Non-corridor coaching stock and other multiple units received all-over Rail Blue until about 1980, when most received the same blue/grey livery as corridor coaching stock.. "The 4REP and 3/4TC EMUs were a notable oddity, initially receiving all-over Rail Blue despite being express corridor stock. They were repainted into blue/grey in the early 1970s. " Sounds about right!
if memory serves, Network SouthEast refurbished those 4TC sets and repainted them in an approximation of their original livery for use on charters and the like, presumably after the Weymouth electrification rendered them mostly redundant in the late 80s.
From what I've found out elsewhere about this, in the 90s several 'specials' were run and this looks like one of them. Think the last one was in about 1995. Regular running ceased in 1987. Tragic loss of something unique. 😪
The train went from a Mainline station to a ferry terminal, the men and the police car in front are to ensure the track is clear of cars and the public. People are following it as it was the last remaining place in Britain I believe, where a main line train ran down a main road in a town, so quite rare! It has all been taken up now. Hope this answers your question?
In the 80s I thought they'd have allowed say 40 mph operation on this line, just blast the horn, not walkers ahead! Nowadays no hope, but surprised it was so cautious back then.
I used to sign Weymouth, I know it’s a reasonably long platform...but the speed they were approaching buffer stops at 00:13 blows my mind.
I'd have visited Weymouth just to see that. No reason to go there now. Madness getting rid of something so fascinating and such an attraction. Love the VW Beetle at the beginning, sees the huge train, turns around and scuttles away.
So short sighted by the council to condem this historical asset, correctly managed it could have been a attraction to not only rail enthusiasts, but a boost to tourism in general.
To be fair I kind of disagree. The line didn't really have much going for it and wasn't long enough to make a remotely worthwhile journey, enthusiast or not. Also add the cost of an engine or two, stock, maintenance etc and it just becomes non viable.
@@pajotero4219 On the contrary, with the potential of running excursions from far afield through to the quay, the operating of an environmental tram in the tourist season, and the recent interest in operating commercial passenger vessels, the line would have been an asset for the town.
Afraid you are letting misty-eyed reminisces to get in the way. The line was incredibly cramped and caused major problems traffic-wise when used... far too high-a price for a jolly for the tourists. Even a bubble car shuttling back and forth on summer saturdays would be intolerable with any regularity. For enthusiasts it was an interesting curio but as an asset? in truth the town is generally glad to see it gone - not everyone is a sentimental gricer
@@captainboing Well you’re entitled to your opinion captain Boring, as narrow as it is, but I stand by what I say.
@@amazoniaamazonia7225 so I am boring and narrow minded, but you seem ready to bring someone else's town to a standstill (yes it did, I have seen it) for the sake of your pastime... But I'm the narrow-minded one. Bell end
Thanks for sharing this video. This is the only one I've seen what covered most of the route from multiple vantage points
Suggest you also have a look at this one as well if you haven't seen it, which RUclips kindly led me to yesterday. ruclips.net/video/x6XEVvVRB_4/видео.html
I used that service in 1977 but Im not sure which stopped first the Ferry to Jersey or the train to the quayside. A bit like Dover when they abandoned the boat trains too
marvellous. :) my dad took me on this line at least once, but i think it was earlier than this - i've a vague recollection of a Rail Blue liveried 33 running round at Weymouth Quay. also, great photobomb (filmbomb?) by a Bristol RE around 15:46 as the train passes the series of pubs. :)
When I was a kid I used to visit my gran in Whitefield, North Manchester. I'd get the old 1990's metrolink tram into the city and my grandad told me for the first time that this train goes through the streets. To my amazement it did. With cars and people inches from the track. It was very surreal. Now having seen this going on in Weymouth I'd go crackers as a kid. Gutted it's gone. All the tourists getting pictures and the locals causally driving around a freaking mainline train crawling through the streets!
Historical. That's the word. What a shame it can never be put back....
My home town. This video is a stark reminder of the regeneration needed in Weymouth at the time. Thanks for posting
Fascinating to see actual footage of the train creeping down the street and the impact it had on the traffic. Probably worth having the link in its heyday but it was scrapped because it was no longer used and the track on a public highway was knackered. If you want to connect a railway station to a port you run a bus service like they do in Southampton to the departure point for the Cowes ferry though I appreciate it isn’t so romantic. I couldn’t see NR spending the money on maintenance for something had become a folly. It’s quicker to walk.
Very interesting to see a train literally rolling down the high st. Rather remarkable actually 👌
Scary thing coming down the high street. It seems so alien, a huge diesel train next to cars and people walking by. 😂
Definitely a short sightness of both Weymouth and Dorset councils get rid of this line it indeed could have been an asset to boost tourism
Not it wasn't, it was the right decision to get rid of it. Who would pay to keep it in place? How often would you use it, if it was left in place? There are far better rail lines that either need to be brought back into use or need investment, not this pointless line.
@@gwpee1727 It didn't need funding to keep it in place, it was solid steel rail deeply embedded in the road. It wasn't taking any looking after or maintenance, and could have been left alone. it sat there since the 1930s in the form it was last seen in, without needing "kept in place" or paid for.
It was a piece of the towns industrial and transportation heritage, and one ripped up at enormous expense, it could never be put back. So it was very much the wrong decision.
I went to weymouth one time in search of whats remaining of the railway and so suprising to see rails on road for these kind of trains.
Ford Sierras were popular then.
Haha, early 90s, every other car on the road was a Sierra.
According to Wikipedia, 33109 is preserved and still running.
A long time ago a friend of mine and myself went from Weymouth to The Channel Islands is was very wet and the train couldn’t do journey to the quayside.
So they laid on taxis from the station. l have never seen taxis go so fast.
I'm becoming utterly fascinated by this. I'm not especially into trains and I have next to no knowledge. But I do occasionally become interested in some aspects of rail history, particularly odd cases such as these. What I'm wondering, did this service ever run at a decent speed through the streets? Because all the clips I've seen so far, even from the days of proper service, are at slower than walking pace, with a couple of guys walking ahead to maintain a clear path. It's a mad, yet compelling line which I'm going to look into.
It didn't have to go any faster because it's only about one mile from the station to the quay. I've never seen any trains go faster either, and I've seen pictures of a class 03 shunter hauling these "boat trains", and they aren't exactly known for their high speed😂
Locomotion Act - preceeded by a guy with a red flag. With car growth more traffic and obstructed parking was a problem. I took the service in the 1970s with my student railcard for a sealink ferry to Jersey. At most it was a couple of boat trains a day for passengers with their steamer trunks accessing the cross-platform interchange at the quay. Fairly standard for any harbour service to have a platform at the quay/harbour/maritime.
Saw the trains in the street on holiday there in 1979 as a 13 Yr old
How wonderful it would be to see this return, but sadly deeply impractical. Can you imagine the public and their precious vehicles just for starters...? I've seen other film in the 80s of BR staff bouncing a badly parked car out of the way (ruclips.net/video/x6XEVvVRB_4/видео.html) - imagine (attempting) that now. The world is so entitled, I can just imagine some Porsche 4WD driver would probably face down a Class 33 🤣 H&S would require a 12ft wall around the track anyway so it wouldn't be much of a sight. No-one allows for human common sense - you know - huge train, you move out of the way. The driver and 2nd must've really heaved a sigh of relief once they got to the platform.
That final view from across the Quay must've been some sight when it was steam (was it ever?)
Love the sound of the 33. Also, you forget just how popular the Sierra was!!! 0:25 - 2:20
i can kinda see why they did remove the line from the video, as there was lots of traffic, but why couldnt they have made the line into a Tramway and extended it towards the suburbs a little bit?
We live in a nanny state in 2022. No way this would be allowed by those who want to wrap us in cotton wool and tell us what to think, say and do.
Some of the snowflakes should visit Chur in Switzerland where the Arosa trains leave the main station and set off up the main streets!! No police or railway officials nor a van in front. I'm bigger than you so keep out of my way. Videos on youtube show this well!!! Having said that this was a great piece of our heritage, now sadly lost forever.
On Google maps the track is still there
always rains in Weymouth. don't think I have ever been there or the surrounding area and not got bleedin' soaked :o(
Weymouth looks grubby in this video
Have a watch of 'Jawtooth' to see regular street running still happening in the US of A....
As nice as it would be to have that tram way still exist I get why it got taken up because look how much traffic the train was holding up. It wasn’t a problem back in the age of steam because cars were not as prevalent as they are now.
Did any battle of Britain's or merchant navy's ever do this?
Was the tracks originally for trams or trains?
trains. it was built to link the main line with the quay. harbour branches used to be pretty common in the UK, but they generally had their own right of way rather than running through the streets. :)
How many people were knocked over by speeding trainspotters that day?
Enjoy! because its now a thing of the past, in 2020 they are ripping up the tracks and it will be no more, a sad ending to the many attempts to save the line.
Well....a couple of wildly impractical attempts.....
And what was the point. Ridiculous expense for making no improvement whatsoever. And if boat trains ever come back, utter stupidity.
So sad. We was there in October and was so sad to see the track being lifted.The memory erased!!
@@joeking5310 obviosly you are not a railway enthusiast , I was a member of Weymouth Tramway save the line group. Weymouth town council and Network Rail had been offered a big grant from the lottery fund to relay the tracks and make it into a tourist attraction in the summer using low emission diesel or electric battery power traction, what a wasted opportunity , of course the car wins again with people complaining about parking etc, and short sighted cyclists that can't see the tracks etc. So one of Britains oldest street tramway system has gone forever.
@@48firefox I think he was saying it was stupid to take away the tracks as it wasn't improving anything to do so, just spending money to remove something. Especially if boat trains come back the stupidity of ripping up the line.
I think 🤣
I remember these from the mid 70's. Used to watch the ferries from Nothe Fort. How come the rolling stock is all blue? Is it heritage?
Only main line stock had the white part around the windows and these were originally seen as suburban stock. The policy changed quite quickly.
@@batman51 When was that changed? Suburban stock on Southern Region was originally all blue but changed to white over blue around the mid 80's as I recall. Central and South East divisions anyway.
@@pajotero4219 This is what I found on Wikipedia: "Non-corridor coaching stock and other multiple units received all-over Rail Blue until about 1980, when most received the same blue/grey livery as corridor coaching stock..
"The 4REP and 3/4TC EMUs were a notable oddity, initially receiving all-over Rail Blue despite being express corridor stock. They were repainted into blue/grey in the early 1970s. " Sounds about right!
if memory serves, Network SouthEast refurbished those 4TC sets and repainted them in an approximation of their original livery for use on charters and the like, presumably after the Weymouth electrification rendered them mostly redundant in the late 80s.
Sure that is 1993? The cars and clothes look 80s. Didn't the last train go through in '89?
There's what looks like a K-reg (1992) Metro @ 1:01 🤔
@@sam_potts correct! It is all a long time ago now...
Dorset still looked like that in the 90s....😉
@@ianmartin7731 ,l,
From what I've found out elsewhere about this, in the 90s several 'specials' were run and this looks like one of them. Think the last one was in about 1995. Regular running ceased in 1987. Tragic loss of something unique. 😪
Why were the trains running this route? All the men chasing it with cameras and the police car, this must have been an event but..Why?
The train went from a Mainline station to a ferry terminal, the men and the police car in front are to ensure the track is clear of cars and the public. People are following it as it was the last remaining place in Britain I believe, where a main line train ran down a main road in a town, so quite rare! It has all been taken up now. Hope this answers your question?
Exactly why the UK is Sht these days.. taking from the past
Shame on you.
Indians should have rode on the roofs.
Haha
The Health & Safety freaks wouldn't allow this today......Nandy Pandy UK.
In the 80s I thought they'd have allowed say 40 mph operation on this line, just blast the horn, not walkers ahead! Nowadays no hope, but surprised it was so cautious back then.