Weymouth & Bournemouth steam: July 2021

I worked for the Borough Council in a high enough managerial level to know what was being discussed at the time the suggestions were being aired and the idea was seen as conceptually good for the Borough. IIRC, and it was around 20 years ago if not more, the problem was always that the obvious site, what is the now unused station overflow carpark, was never made available (Network Rail/BRB?) and to put it on the Council owned land at the top of Jubilee Sidings was not cost effective due to the height differences. WPBC land could have been made available but the authority was cash-strapped so no monetary funding was possible as other cut-backs were having to be made.

With the truncation of the Quay branch a spur off the rump would still not be too difficult to build, as the car-park land is still undeveloped, but someone still has to grant the land access and find the money even if that access were to be granted.

As always desire is one thing funding something else entirely.

 

Where did the money for Ferryhill come from?

 

I assume this will have to go to Weymouth as well. The UK Railtour for Bournemouth and Poole on July 10 is now Weymouth bound as well so I guess that is the only reversal siding possible, there being none that are not in service train use at Bournemouth or Poole (at least that are still usable).
Not sure if any of these could have used the Swanage Branch extension for stabling mainly as I do not know if the signalling would allow a train to sit north of Norden Crossing all afternoon.

 

From ukrailtours.

NEWS UPDATE! ''This tour was originally planned to run on Saturday 10th July, but has been postponed following the 4-week pause at Step 3 of the Roadmap out of Lockdown.''

Now Saturday 24 July 2021. The Dorset Maiden – UK Railtours

<BJ>

 

Cant see anything on RTT yet?

 

The only STP working from Victoria on the 5th July so far is one to Northampton at 0801 - I've not been able to find this anywhere else either.

 

Belle timings
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U91435/2021-07-05/detailed
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U91436/2021-07-05/detailed
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U91437/2021-07-05/detailed
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U91438/2021-07-05/detailed


Seems to reverse at Millbrook rather than Southampton.

 

Don't forget there's BIL on the B'mth Express on Saturday . . . .

 

Sorry what should I not be forgetting. #9 mentions refers to my post with those timings timings and those for July 9, although my original post must still be on a different thread after this one was created from it. Has something else happened re Saturday's trip I have missed?

 

That was just a general reminder but that trip has changed considerably from what was originally shown (and still is on RH): it now goes from Victoria not Waterloo and goes to Weymouth not just to Bournemouth.
EDIT: I was a little premature here - I hadn't read your post #9 so, sorry.

 

Disappointing that the times have been added to Railway Herald for the 3rd but it's still shown as being from Waterloo and via Weybridge - surely not that hard to correct at the same time? The other run on the 9th is also still shown as via the same route. Both changed some time back.

 

Technically it could, I believe, but both loco and stock will need watering, etc.
Currently, it is scheduled to go past your front door, so-to-speak, so that 60163 can be serviced at the Coal Dock in Swanage.
I presume the stock will stable in Swanage Platform 2 for stock watering.
Fortunately two-train running doesn't start 'til 6th as this puts the kibosh on visiting rail tours until high season ends in September.

 

Accelerating from the West Byfleet 20mph platform restriction.

 

The train lost nearly 50 minutes by Winchester - does anyone know what happened after it was on time at Woking?

 

Wrong line working from Micheldever to Winchester is delaying everything it seems. Down line closed.

 

Broken rail apparently.

 

Badly broken, seemingly due to serious electrical arc. Pictures tweeted out by Network Rail at https://twitter.com/networkrailwssx/status/1409426945608200197?s=21


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

That one was on the Up line earlier in the week.

 

Yes, I'd heard about the arc from several days back but thought it had been repaired. Perhaps the adjacent rails were damaged too without being obvious at the time. I don't imagine they would have been given ultrasonic testing. Or it could be unrelated, of course. NRE has it until the end of the day so a knock-on delay on the return seems likely too, despite the train avoiding Micheldever on the return.