The Weymouth line was visited by a rail tour on Wednesday 19th April 2023 when Statesman Rail’s Dorset Coast Statesman, hauled by double-headed Brush Type 4 Class 47 diesel-electric locomotives No.’s 47593 ‘Galloway Princess’ and 47828 ran from Crewe to the Dorset seaside town for an afternoon layover. We saw the train on its outward leg passing over Holes Bay at Poole. If you look very closely in the following video you might be able to work out the train as it crosses the causeway. Thankfully my brother was at Dorchester South and managed to capture a much better clip. On the return journey, I elected to pop up to Hamworthy railway station to see the train passing through, which I only just managed as it was running nine minutes early and I was only just able to grab my phone to video the pass, my stills camera remaining firmly in its bag!
Wednesday also saw the regular monthly New Measurement Test Train working to Weymouth. This month it ran with two former High Speed train power cars and arrived 75 minutes late because of incidents on its journey south from Derby. Thinking the train would be capped enroute, I elected not to go and see this working, so I’m very grateful for the great video kindly provided by both my brother, and Scott our North Dorset correspondent!
The following day saw another out of the norm working as Direct Rail Services (DRS) Class 68’s No.’s 68001 ‘Evolution’ and 68018 ‘Vigilant’ top and tailed ten FNA wagons on their mission to collect low level nuclear waste from Magnox Winfrith. The previous working left empty because of operational difficulties preventing the loading of the train so it was good to see all went smoothly this time around. We were able to have another wander around the perimeter fence at Winfrith to see the train up close. As always, security staff were on hand to politely request that photographs and video refrained from showing buildings or the faces of staff. I was happy to oblige. Although leaving Winfrith more or less right-time, the return working was delayed by some 86 minutes further up the line following an incident at Basingstoke.
On Saturday, to tie in with a passing steam hauled excursion train, Yoshi, his Mama and I had a walk along the Test Valley nature reserve. Or that was the plan at least. We encountered a fair bit of flood water so our walk was curtailed and instead, while we waited for the Winchester to Salisbury circular tour to pass by we grabbed a take away tea from a burger van outside of B&Q Nursling and sat awhile at a convenient picnic table located on Franconia Drive, named, we assume, after the Cunard ship of the same name. Or perhaps the road name is inspired by English Electric Class 40 Diesel loco No. D220 (40020) ‘Franconia’ which was of course definitely named after the liner. This is an excuse to share the following two images from 1982:
Class 40 locomotives in the number range D210–D235 were mostly named after ships operated by the Cunard Line, Elder Dempster Lines and Canadian Pacific Steamships as the diesel locos hauled express trains to and from Liverpool, the home port of these companies. In the early 1970’s, with Class 40’s no longer working these trains, the nameplates were gradually removed, although enthusiasts still remembered the names and as in the images above, replacement versions were often applied.
Suitably refreshed following our cuppa (Yoshi had water and some snacks), we headed back to the footpath which runs alongside the railway line, only to discover the location had suddenly become very popular with other enthusiasts and observers of steam trains. The two locations I had thought about photographing the train from had ‘been taken’ so I settled for another view which was slightly obscured by lineside vegetation, but turned out to be a reasonable shot after all. Afterwards, we drove the short distance to Romsey to see the train head back to Winchester prior to its onward journey to London.
The following day, Yoshi and I went in search of a pair of Class 47 locomotive cabs which I have seen photographs of, but never quite managed to work out where they are located. Tipped off by our pal Nick, we headed out to Longham near Bournemouth and were able to get the following snaps. Our North Dorset correspondent, Scott, was able to confirm that the cabs came from Brush Type 4 No. 47236 which was retired from service and put into store in February 1999 lasting until November 2017 when it was cut up by Morecambe Metals at Carnforth.
No. 47236 was involved in an incident at Dorchester West on Sunday 25th August 1974 when she fell foul of trap points having passed a signal at danger in heavy rain whilst working 1Z61 Weymouth to Hereford excursion train. The main damage to the locomotive was at the trailing end where the leading coach had ridden up over the buffers, tearing them off in the process. The cab-end panelling was torn away from the bottom edge and stove in to just above the head code indicator; the side panelling between the corners and cab doors was torn and buckled. Both bogies suffered damage to their brake equipment. The leading coach, a brake second corridor, had its forward bogie displaced by about 7 feet and suffered minor damage to the end of the coach where it had struck the rear of the locomotive. The second coach, an open second, was also damaged. The track survived intact following the derailment and the only damage to the signalling equipment was the slight displacement of one lineside apparatus case. The accident report, published in 1976, was written by Major P. M. Olver who noted:
“The train was the 2000 Weymouth to Hereford return passenger excursion train, consisting of 12 coaches and hauled by a Class 47 diesel-electric locomotive. Travelling at about 15 mile/h, the head of the train passed Dorchester Junction Up Main Starting signal at Danger, the locomotive and first two coaches being diverted into a sand drag by trap points protecting the single line to Maiden Newton. The locomotive and leading coach ran off the end of the sand drag and were derailed before the train came to a stand.
I am glad to report that of the 600 passengers, who were railway staff and their families from the Hereford Staff Association and Social Club, only 6 were required to be taken to hospital for the treatment of their minor injuries and a further 12 were given first aid attention on site. A special train was formed from the rear 10 coaches of the train, after they had been examined and found fit to run, and the passengers finally departed for Hereford via Bournemouth and Southampton at 2346.”
It’s been a family story that my brother spent much of one night following the derailment watching recovery operations, much to the consternation of our mum who wondered where he’d got to!
For The Record
An informal event took place on 21st April 2023 to mark the opening of the new look forecourt at Weymouth railway station. Work began on the £1 million redevelopment in November 2021 with most of the work having been completed by September 2022.
Network Rail has started a two-year project to refurbish London Waterloo’s roof, which was built in 1922. Around 10,000 new glazed panels will be installed across 12,000 square metres of roof – an area nearly twice the size of the pitch at Wembley Stadium. The panels will be made from a polycarbonate material which is around 50% lighter than the existing panels in order to reduce stress on the structure. Other changes to the station will include the addition of more seating and improved toilet and baby changing facilities. London Waterloo, which celebrates its 175th Anniversary in 2023, was originally opened in 1848 and is now Britain’s busiest train station with 99.4 million journeys a year.
South Western Railway (SWR) severely reduced services in the Romsey area and west of Salisbury following reports biofuel was clogging the engine fuel filters of Class 158 and Class 159 diesel multiple units (DMU’s) which reduced their power and performance. The fault was discovered in much of the diesel fleet at depots in Exeter and Salisbury on Wednesday 19th April 2023. The fuel tanks will have to be flushed clean and the filters replaced which is not an insignificant task. SWR will run one train every two hours on routes connecting Salisbury to Exeter and Southampton. One train an hour will operate between Salisbury and Basingstoke, while services to Westbury and Yeovil Pen Mill will not run. Disruption is expected until the end of the day on 28/04/23.
Initial Class 444 Desiro Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) No. 444001 has been the latest vehicle to receive the corporate South Western Railway (SWR) livery having been repainted at Bournemouth T&RSMD and released back into traffic on 23rd April 2023. Formerly still carrying South West Trains livery, No. 444001 was the last unit in SWR’s fleet to carry a proper nameplate which it carried since being named ‘Naomi House’ at London Waterloo on 24th May 2007 to mark the 10th anniversary of the Winchester charity of the same name. The unit emerged without the nameplate or a replacement SWR style sticker name.
The Class 444’s were built by Siemens in Austria between 2002 and 2004, initially on Portsmouth services. They began replacing Class 442 “Wessex Electrics” on the Weymouth line from November 2006. They have five carriages and can operate in multiple, meaning two Class 444’s can run together as a ten-car service or they can work with a four car Class 450 to make a nine-car train.
That’s all we have time for this week. Thank you for reading and for your corrections and comments – all very much appreciated!
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