Weymouth Harbour Tramway

[FourWheelDrift]

This doesn't happen any more sadly, wonderfully anti-health & safety. Been over 20 years since I've been down that way but I certainly remember seeing a train running along the harbour.

Do you think it would work today?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Vssr2Uf1DM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6XEVvVRB_4

[Eric Mc]

Still had two blokes in vest walking out front though.

[thatone1967]

My aunt and uncle used to take me on an annual trip to Weymouth, and I remember seeing this, the trains apparently used to run down to the ferry's and across to Jersey.

Fast forward to the late 90's and I was back in Weymouth in a musuem and I commented to a lady who worked in there asking if they still ran this, she remarked that they finished in the mid 70's.... god I felt old! I subsequently found out it finished in the 80's



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weymouth_Harbour_Tram...

Edited by thatone1967 on Thursday 16th December 12:33

Edited by thatone1967 on Thursday 16th December 14:48

[Tyre Smoke]

Those blokes are off down the chippy for their lunch! Back then it was a case of 'if you can't see/hear a f-off big train, you deserve to get run over'

[BeeRoad]

thatone1967 said:

Fast forward to the late 90's and I was back in Weymouth in a musuem and I commented to a lady who worked in there asking if they still ran this, she remarked that they finished in the mid 70's.... god I felt old!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weymouth_Harbour_Tram...

Edited by thatone1967 on Thursday 16th December 12:33

Yet oddly, your link shows it ran right up to 1987 and the OP's pics clearly show cars from the eighties. . . . .

Edited by BeeRoad on Thursday 16th December 14:29

[FourWheelDrift]

The second video is from 1994 as well.

Maybe she was a bit senile

[Simes205]

I remember going there in 1982 and always remember the train going down the street. It was stuck in my mind so much that on a recent visit was disappointed to find it no longer existed.

[Tootles the Taxi]

This was taken in the 1990s when I went on an excursion train to Weymouth and down the tramway. I think it was 1992, and don't be fooled by the G-reg Austin Cambridge!

[FourWheelDrift]

33109 again, I just read that it's been preserved and runs heritage railway tours for the East Lancashire Railway.

[Tyre Smoke]

FourWheelDrift said:

33109 again, I just read that it's been preserved and runs heritage railway tours for the East Lancashire Railway.

You are a spotty kid with a Parka, aren't you?

[FourWheelDrift]

No I just used my eyes and wikipedia.

It's nice to see things not being scrapped for a change. It's most likely the same one in all the photos and if you'd like to see it happening again it'd be nice if it was the same train as well. As it's still around it could be

[Pigeon]

It is one of my great regrets that I never managed to bash this particular piece of track.

[scubadude]

As a Weymouth resident I can say that for now, the track remains, all bet it full of crap and hemmed in by a fresh layer of tarmac fitted this summer, a small part of it at the passing point before the town bridge is missing but thats hardly a concern.

Every few months it makes the local rag after a drunk tourist/cyclist/motorcyclist/old person fall over because of it, in the rain its particularly slipperly and can even cause cars to skid.

For years there has been talk of using it for a tourist train but its on an very busy road through town and unlikely ever to see more than one train per decade, hence lots of calls for it to be torn up.

Its existance was again flagged now we have the Olympic sailing and suggestions it be used for Olympic trains or a tram came up, the fact it only goes another 1/4mile from Weymouth station seems to have been missed!

We also have a 3.5km walking/cycle path through Weymouth (the Rodwell trail) made of the old spur line that ran out to Portland (closed by Beeching in his wisdom) that woudl have run within 50yards of the olympic venue but the council won't even stump up to repave the last section to make a continuous cycle path so no hope of any trains using that either!

[Truckosaurus]

scubadude said:

Every few months it makes the local rag after a drunk tourist/cyclist/motorcyclist/old person fall over because of it, in the rain its particularly slipperly and can even cause cars to skid.

In my youth a poorly executed bit of steering saw my bicycle wheel drop into the tracks and several metres worth of comedy riding until I could extricate myself.

The other 'feature' of the tracks these days is that for a lot of the route the road has moved position due to widening and building work so the track aren't in the middle any more and weave across the lanes.

[davepoth]

-cough-

Trams?

-cough-

[SeeFive]

scubadude said:

Its existance was again flagged now we have the Olympic sailing and suggestions it be used for Olympic trains or a tram came up, the fact it only goes another 1/4mile from Weymouth station seems to have been missed!

Should they plan to extend it, they should look at this rather old public information film on the recent trams work in Edinburgh.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxcpbeU4bKs

[43034]

scubadude said:

We also have a 3.5km walking/cycle path through Weymouth (the Rodwell trail) made of the old spur line that ran out to Portland (closed by Beeching in his wisdom) that woudl have run within 50yards of the olympic venue but the council won't even stump up to repave the last section to make a continuous cycle path so no hope of any trains using that either!

Rodwail trail is a nice walk to do. Did it a few times in the summer (can't go to Brewer's Quay every Saturday after doing the summer Adex train down there).

Walked the quay line many times too. Just shove a PPM on there for the Olympics

[hidetheelephants]

Tyre Smoke said:

Those blokes are off down the chippy for their lunch! Back then it was a case of 'if you can't see/hear a f-off big train, you deserve to get run over'

Definitely; if you can't hear an idling Sulzer 6 clattering it's way toward you like a thousand galvanised dustbins rolling down stone steps not quite in synchrony, Darwin should insist on your speedy exit.

[43034]

hidetheelephants said:

Tyre Smoke said:

Those blokes are off down the chippy for their lunch! Back then it was a case of 'if you can't see/hear a f-off big train, you deserve to get run over'

Definitely; if you can't hear an idling Sulzer 6 clattering it's way toward you like a thousand galvanised dustbins rolling down stone steps not quite in synchrony, Darwin should insist on your speedy exit.

Sulzer 8

[fourwheelsteer]

That looks so cool, I'd love to see a train running on the line.