Dorset Coast Express - 2014

Sorry to go OT, but I couldn't resist the temptation to show how fit I was 30 years ago!

6 May 84, P4725, at Gleisberg; it should have been a Nossen 50.35 (2-10-0).

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This turntable plan has been put forward at least three times before. It will be interesting to see if it gets any further this time.

Another alternative is to put one on the Swanage Railway. There was a plan for this a couple of years ago, using land from the old oil terminal, IIRC. Not quite as handy as having one right beside Weymouth station, but easier to get to and from than Yeovil Junction and with potentially more use all year round by trains visiting the SR, and by their own locomotives. Probably not practical while the old manual signalling applies at Worgret Junction (with a limited number of movements each year), but should be feasible once the re-signalling is complete. When is that due to happen?

 

Signalling complete. Multiple Aspect colour light signals all replaced with odd looking single aspect LED versions and Wareham, Wool, Poole, Hamworthy and Dorch South boxes closed at end of business on 14 May.

 

The question is, will Weymouth be as well as, or instead of, Scarborough as the summer 2015 destination?

 

Not if the price is too expensive. The Weymouth Seaside Express from Bristol
to Weymouth on Sunday was cancelled due to insuffcient bookings. <BJ>

 

If the Scarborough operation was continuing to run with steam and pull in the crowds then I would agree with you, but given what has happened this year, and to a lesser extent last year, I think West Coast will be seriously questioning whether it is worth another gamble next year. Hence my comment.

 

West Coast's speciality is the relatively short, several days a week operation. Both London and Bristol are, I suspect, too distant for this type of operation, and the market from those places is probably already near saturation point. If they are looking at Weymouth with a view to setting up a Jacobite/SSE type operation, I think it more likely to involve south coast towns and resorts. Bournemouth and Poole alone would offer a good population catchment in the summer months.

 

How would WCRC do a Scotland Based Program outside of the Jacobite? I think it would be difficult. Not that this relates to Dorset Coast operations.

 

New Forest fire index is a minus figure this morning which means the ground is wet and fire risk is minimal. No reason for the DL to give any assistance but I am sure it will.

Don

 

I'd like to see the Weymouth turntable installed. From other people's observations, it appears that this summer's DCEs are not loading terribly well. The product needs tweaking, as at the moment, it looks like it isn't sufficiently appealing. The original steam banker idea was great, but it seems to have become too expensive to run these trains with two locos. Consequentially, what ought to be the highlights of the trip, the limbs of Upwey and Parkstone Banks, are diesel-hauled. Much as I'd like to go to Weymouth by steam again, I'm afraid I'm just not interested as things stand.

Admittedly, there have been other adverse factors this year - the non-availability of Tangmere and Britannia hasn't helped, so there isn't a sufficient pool of locos to guarantee steam both ways even if that had been the plan. This should at least be rectified in time for next year, by which time 35018 ought to be available and who knows, maybe even 46100 too.

The other gripe I have with the DCE is the pathing out of London. Is there no way of getting a path via Wimbledon and Weybridge outward bound if the train were to start from Waterloo? This would save about an hour on the journey and avoid the crawl along the Windsor lines, which seems to go on for ever.

However, even if these issues are addressed, there is still the fire risk issue. The New Forest and the heathlands between Wareham and Moreton do seem particularly sensitive areas in the event of a warm, dry summer. While the summer holiday period is the most obvious time to run a series of repeat-itinerary trains, is it really the only suitable time of year? The Bournemouth line may not be able to rival the S&C for dramatic secnery, but you do get some good climbs and opportunities for fast running, so if a series of winter CMEs seem to be viable, why not a try of Dorset Coast Expresses in the springtime when it's a bit cooler?

I'm also disappointed that there has been no attempt to run regular steam FROM the Weymouth/Poole/Bournemouth area in the last two years. I gather that the "Bath Spa Expresses" run by TBEL were selling well but were plagued by crewing issues wtth DBS and (once again) loco availability problems and ended up being cancelled rather too often.

In summary, there is definitely the potential for steam both from and to the Weymouth and Poole areas. I do hope that the greater ease of operation offered by the proposed installation of turntables at Weymouth and on the Swanage Branch will encourage operators to develoop this potential.

 

More like "why would you" I would guess the day trip market is not there.

 

Back to today - Ollie through BFH 3 down. Ollie working well 37 on the tail idling

 

All of which would be good reasons for Weymouth being a replacement for Scarborough rather than additional to.

 

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If they did the Laverstock loop first and reversed at Southampton on the Down leg, you'd get a steam run up through Bincome and Parkstone on the return (assuming the diesel wasn't pushing too much).
On a recent Christmas Express from Weymouth, the highlight should have been Tangmere tackling Bincome on a cold late November morning, but the 47 on the back did all the work and we went up at near full speed