Weymouth railway station

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Weymouth
National Rail
2009 at Weymouth station - forecourt.jpg
LocationWeymouth, Dorset
England
Coordinates50°36′58″N 2°27′18″W / 50.616°N 2.455°W / 50.616; -2.455Coordinates: 50°36′58″N 2°27′18″W / 50.616°N 2.455°W / 50.616; -2.455
Grid referenceSY679797
Managed bySouth Western Railway
Platforms3
Other information
Station codeWEY
ClassificationDfT category C1
History
Original companyWilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway
Pre-groupingGreat Western Railway
Post-groupingGreat Western Railway
Key dates
20 January 1857 (1857-01-20)Opened
Passengers
2015/16Decrease 0.746 million
2016/17Increase 0.780 million
2017/18Decrease 0.735 million
2018/19Decrease 0.710 million
 Interchange  6,117
2019/20Decrease 0.672 million
 Interchange Decrease 4,655
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail & Road
Express to Waterloo in 1960

Weymouth railway station is the main railway station serving the town of Weymouth, Dorset, England (the other being Upwey station which is located north of the town centre). The station is the southern terminus of both the South West Main Line, 142 miles 64 chains (229.8 km) down the line from London Waterloo, and the Heart of Wessex Line from Bristol Temple Meads and Gloucester.

History[]

The Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway, which was authorised in 1845, was built in stages (during which the company was absorbed in 1850 by the Great Western Railway).[1][2] Two of the last sections, from Yeovil Pen Mill to Weymouth and a connecting curve from that line to the Dorchester station of the London and South Western Railway (LSWR), were opened on 20 January 1857.[3] The LSWR was granted running powers from Dorchester to Weymouth,[4] where some of the platforms were dedicated for LSWR use; these powers were exercised from the opening day.[3][5] The station was named Weymouth, although some timetables showed it as Weymouth Town.[6] Branches to Portland and Weymouth Quay (both opened in 1865) ran from Weymouth Junction, just north of the station.[7]

The original station buildings were designed by T. H. Bertram and constructed in timber with a glazed overall roof across the tracks; this was removed after WW2. By the turn of the century the station area comprised five platforms, a large goods yard, and a small LSWR engine shed; the GWR had a larger shed situated north of the station. Nearby, Melcombe Regis served Portland passenger trains until 1952 and provided an overflow platform for excursion trains on busy summer weekends until 1959.

After the Second World War, the station saw rapid growth in holiday and Channel Islands traffic. As a result, the station underwent a major expansion in the late 1950s, gaining two lengthy excursion platforms (which now serve today's station), additional sidings adjacent to Jubilee Gardens, and a new signal box to replace two older boxes. However traffic soon declined and the station was progressively rationalised after the end of steam-hauled operations in 1967 with the goods yard closing in 1972 and the signal box and most of the remaining sidings being taken out of use in 1987. Although the current station is a mere shadow of its former self, the extension of third-rail electrification from Bournemouth in 1988 has given the station much improved services to London.

The current station building was formally opened on 3 July 1986; in its final years, the old Weymouth station was far too big for the traffic it was handling.

LSWR stationmasters[]

  • Thomas Smith ca. 1861
  • Edwin Thomas Targett 1870 - 1904[8]
  • John Alexander Richardson 1904 - 1913[9] (formerly station master at Esher)

GWR stationmasters[]

  • George Starr from 1857[10]
  • Samuel Martin 1864 - 1865[11] (afterwards station master at Bridgnorth)
  • William John Reynolds ca. 1867 - 1875[12]
  • George Pinkerton 1875 (died within one month of appointment)[13]
  • John Pearson Collett 1875[14] - ca. 1885 (formerly station master at Market Drayton (1866) then Salisbury (1875))
  • F.G. Davies 1899 - 1909[15] (afterwards station master at Swindon)
  • H.G. Cotterall 1909 - 1915[16] (afterwards station master at Swindon)
  • A.J. Humphrey 1915 - 1926[17] (formerly station master at Plymouth North Road, afterwards station master at Exeter St David’s)
  • W. Best 1926[18] - 1930 (formerly station master at Westbury)
  • John Roberts 1930 - 1932[19] (formerly station master at Trowbridge)
  • T.F.E. Jakeman 1932 -1946 (formerly station master at Westbury)

Accidents and incidents[]

  • On 4 August 1868, a passenger train collided with the buffer stops at Weymouth due to poor rail conditions and driver error. Six people were injured.[20]

Services[]

A train to London Waterloo waits for departure

South Western Railway operates a twice-hourly service to London Waterloo via Basingstoke.[21] Great Western Railway operate services every two hours via Westbury to Bristol Temple Meads and points north (e.g. Bristol Parkway and Gloucester).[22] There is an additional service running once or twice on a Saturday to London Waterloo via Salisbury operating from late May to early September each year.

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Upwey   South Western Railway
London Waterloo to Weymouth via Southampton 		  Terminus
  South Western Railway
London Waterloo to Weymouth via Yeovil
(Summer Saturdays Only) 		 
  Great Western Railway
Heart of Wessex Line 		 
Dorchester West   Great Western Railway
Weymouth Wizard
(Summer Saturdays Only) 		  Terminus
Disused railways
Terminus   Great Western Railway
Weymouth Harbour Tramway 		  Weymouth Quay
Terminus   GWR and LSWR
Portland Branch Railway 		  Melcombe Regis
  Historical railways  
Radipole
Line open, station closed 		  Great Western Railway
Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway 		  Terminus

Weymouth Quay[]

Weymouth Quay railway station is a disused terminus in the town. Its passenger station was used solely for trains connecting with cross-channel ferries, which have not run since 1987. Its use had been suggested as part of the transport infrastructure for the 2012 Olympic sailing events to take place on the Isle of Portland, though since it is accessed via the Weymouth Harbour Tramway, which rans along public streets, this posed difficulties. Previously, the branch saw both freight and passenger traffic, most recently fuel-oil trains. [7] The tracks through the streets were removed October-December 2020, save for a couple of short sections to show the former track alignment.

Notes[]

  1. ^ James 1983, p. 55.
  2. ^ MacDermot 1927, pp. 278, 280, 285–7, 395.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b MacDermot 1927, p. 413.
  4. ^ MacDermot 1927, p. 396.
  5. ^ Williams 1968, p. 65.
  6. ^ Butt 1995, p. 247.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b Catford, Nick (30 July 2013). "Weymouth Quay". Disused Stations. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  8. ^ "1838-1919 Clerical Staff". London and South Western Railway: 611. 1838. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  9. ^ "Former Weymouth Stationmaster". Western Gazette. England. 31 December 1937. Retrieved 20 June 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. ^ "The Weymouth Station Master". Southern Times and Dorset County Herald. England. 13 December 1856. Retrieved 20 June 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. ^ "Testimonial to the late Station Master". Dorset County Chronicle. England. 30 March 1865. Retrieved 20 June 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  12. ^ "Deaths". Western Gazette. England. 15 January 1875. Retrieved 20 June 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  13. ^ "Local News". Southern Times and Dorset County Herald. England. 24 April 1875. Retrieved 20 June 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  14. ^ "1838-1876 Clerks Vol.3". Great Western Railway Operating, Miscellaneous Depts: 57. 1835. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  15. ^ "Presentation to Mr. F.G. Davies". Southern Times and Dorset County Herald. England. 9 October 1909. Retrieved 20 June 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  16. ^ "G.W.R. Staff Changes". Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette. England. 6 March 1915. Retrieved 20 June 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  17. ^ "Exeter". Western Times. England. 25 June 1926. Retrieved 20 June 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  18. ^ "Railway Appointments". Somerset Guardian and Radstock Observer. England. 10 September 1926. Retrieved 20 June 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  19. ^ "Weymouth Stationmaster Retiring". Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser. England. 16 July 1932. Retrieved 20 June 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  20. ^ "London and South Western Railway" (PDF). Board of Trade. 21 August 1868. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
  21. ^ GB eNRT 2015-16 Edition, Table 158
  22. ^ GB eNRT 2015-16 Edition, Table 123

References[]

  • Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
  • James, Leslie (November 1983). A Chronology of the Construction of Britain's Railways 1778-1855. Shepperton: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 0-7110-1277-6. BE/1183.
  • MacDermot, E.T. (1927). History of the Great Western Railway, vol. I: 1833-1863. Paddington: Great Western Railway.
  • Williams, R.A. (1968). The London & South Western Railway, volume 1: The Formative Years. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. ISBN 0-7153-4188-X.
This station offers access to the South West Coast Path
Distance to path ¼ mile (500 metres)
Next station anticlockwise Swanage 48 miles (77 km)
Next station clockwise Exmouth 76 miles (122 km)


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