Dorchester West railway station

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Dorchester West
National Rail
2009 at Dorchester West station - down side.jpg
LocationDorchester, Dorset
England
Coordinates50°42′40″N 2°26′35″W / 50.711°N 2.443°W / 50.711; -2.443Coordinates: 50°42′40″N 2°26′35″W / 50.711°N 2.443°W / 50.711; -2.443
Grid referenceSY688902
Managed byGreat Western Railway
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeDCW
ClassificationDfT category F1
History
Original companyGreat Western Railway
Key dates
1857Opened
Passengers
2016/17Increase 0.165 million
2017/18Decrease 0.158 million
2018/19Decrease 0.151 million
 Interchange Decrease 48
2019/20Decrease 93,662
 Interchange Steady 48
2020/21Decrease 22,134
 Interchange Decrease 3
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Dorchester West railway station is one of two railway stations serving the town of Dorchester in Dorset, England. The station is managed by Great Western Railway, who provide most services at this station. South Western Railway operate some Summer Saturday only services from London Waterloo and Yeovil Junction.

The station is located on the Heart of Wessex Line between Castle Cary and Weymouth and is at the southern end of a single track section from Maiden Newton. The line becomes double at the station and remains so to nearby Dorchester Junction where it joins the main line from London Waterloo to Weymouth.

History[]

The station was opened by the Great Western Railway on 20 January 1857, when it completed the former Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth line from Castle Cary and Yeovil through to Weymouth.

An accident occurred at this station in 1974 when an excursion train from Hereford to Weymouth, on its return journey, did not stop at the signal controlling the entry to the single line section, and ran into the sand drag. The locomotive (a Class 47) ran right through the sand drag and out the other side, followed by a couple of coaches. Eighteen passengers suffered minor injuries in the derailment, but no one was seriously hurt.[1] The passengers were taken home by train via Southampton later that evening, and the loco was subsequently re-railed and recovered during the night several weeks later.

In October 2021, a new ramp was opened allowing step-free access to platform 1.[2]

Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Bradford Peverell & Stratton Halt   Great Western Railway
Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway 		  Monkton and Came Halt

Stationmasters[]

  • Peter Leach 1859 - 1860[3] - 1862 (afterwards station master at Castle Cary)
  • Edwin Wall from 1860[4] (formerly station master at Castle Cary)
  • George Prowse 1864 - 1870[5]
  • Henry Maggs 1870[6] - 1872 (formerly station master at Shepton Mallett, afterwards station master at Didcot)
  • Henry Yeo 1876 - ca. 1894 (formerly station master at Maiden Newton)
  • Alfred Reeve 1897 - 1901[7] (afterwards station master at Warminster)
  • Jesse Higgs 1901 - 1907 (formerly station master at Warminster, afterwards station master at Trowbridge)
  • John Charles Neville 1907[8] - 1910 (formerly station master at Weston-super-Mare)
  • William Best 1910[9] - 1917 (formerly station master at Shepton Mallet, afterwards station master at Salisbury)
  • Thomas Frederick Edwin Jakeman 1917 - 1926[10] (formerly station master at Didcot, afterwards station master at Westbury)
  • C.A. Drew 1926 - 1932[11] (formerly station master at Droitwich)
  • H.M. Wood 1932 - 1942[12] (from 1930 also station master of Dorchester South)
  • John Charles Leach 1942 - 1945 (also in charge of Dorchester South)
  • S.A. Smith from 1945 (formerly station master at Winchester and Shawford, also in charge of Dorchester South)

Services[]

A train leaving for Weymouth

Great Western Railway operate services between Bristol Temple Meads and Weymouth (eight trains per day Mon-Sat, five on Sundays - some extended to/from Gloucester).[13] South Western Railway runs additional services between Weymouth and Yeovil Junction on Summer Saturdays.[14]

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Maiden Newton   Great Western Railway
Heart of Wessex Line 		  Upwey
  South Western Railway
Yeovil Junction to Weymouth
(Summer only) 		 
Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Bradford Peverell & Stratton Halt   Great Western Railway
Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway 		  Monkton and Came Halt

See also[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Dept of the Environment Railway Accidents - Report into the Derailment that occurred on 25 August 1974 at Dorchester West StationThe Railways Archive; Retrieved 2009-06-23
  2. ^ Smith, Roger (28 October 2021). "New access ramp at Dorchester West station provides easier access for passengers and new direct route to Dorset hospital". RailAdvent. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  3. ^ "1835-1910 Clerks Vol.3". Great Western Railway Operating, Miscellaneous Depts: 155. 1899. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  4. ^ "1835-1910 Clerks Vol.3". Great Western Railway Operating, Miscellaneous Depts: 40. 1835. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  5. ^ "1835-1910 Clerks Vol.3". Great Western Railway Operating, Miscellaneous Depts: 161. 1835. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  6. ^ "Dorchester". Southern Times and Dorset County Herald. England. 14 January 1871. Retrieved 19 June 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. ^ "Presentation at Dorchester. Acknowledging the services of the late Stationmaster". Weymouth Telegram. England. 2 April 1901. Retrieved 19 June 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. ^ "Cawings from the Weston Rookery". Weston-super-Mare Gazette, and General Advertiser. England. 19 October 1907. Retrieved 19 June 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  9. ^ "Shepton Mallet News". Wells Journal. England. 3 March 1910. Retrieved 19 June 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. ^ "Westbury". Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser. England. 17 July 1926. Retrieved 19 June 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. ^ "Dorchester G.W.R. Stationmaster". Western Gazette. England. 2 September 1932. Retrieved 19 June 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  12. ^ "Stationmaster Retiring". Western Gazette. England. 9 October 1942. Retrieved 19 June 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  13. ^ Table 123 National Rail timetable, May 2016
  14. ^ https://www.southwesternrailway.com/~/media/files/plan-my-journey/timetables/ptt20b-may-2019.pdf?la=en
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