Weymouth Harbour Tramway

 

(The Quay Branch) General introduction  (last update 9 Mar 2008)

The line is unique in Britain today. Once many towns and cities had street tramways on which normal standard gauge, main-line, stock ran. However as far as I know the Weymouth line (Plus possibly the Newcastle Quay lines) was unique in that over it ran regular, scheduled, passenger services. To the author's belief the line remains legally open for occasional excursion traffic but no longer carries regular services, either freight or passenger.  

Description of the line

It ran from the main line down to the Weymouth Quayside wharves and the Ferry Terminal. Not surprisingly therefore it was harbour traffic that created the need for the line and it carried both the predicatable freight traffic and also passenger services connecting with the Channel Islands packet steamers.

The branch was formally a branch from the Portland line and not, as it is now, directly off the main line. It leaves the electrified line just north of the main Weymouth station. For the first 800 metres, or so, is segregated between fences with one gated level crossing over the access to a retail area and car park. The new gates being added in 1999 as part of new development in this area.

Leaving the segregated section the line crosses the busy King Street on an ungated crossing and from this point on runs as a street tramway for approximately a mile to the Ferry Terminal. The overall length of the line is approximately 1 mile.

Brief history

The line was authorised as part of the Act of Parliament for the Weymouth & Portland Railway. It was constructed to mixed gauge and jointly available to the LSWR and the GWR. However the LSWR were not involved directly with the day to day operation of the quay line and to all intents and purposes it was a GWR line.

 

Goods traffic commenced on 16 Oct 1865 and ran until 1 Jul 1940 when it was terminated due to the war and the German occupation of the Channel Islands. It then resumed on 18 Sep 1945 until 14 Aug 1972, when regular goods ceased. NB Oil trains for fuelling the ferries continued until 16 Sep 1983. Very infrequent freight trains have subsequently run including cars for import/export in 1983.

Passenger traffic commenced on 4 Aug 1889 (Approx) to 9 Sep 1939 and then 15 Jun 1946 until 26 Sep 1987.

The current status of the line (as I understand it) is that it is operational as a siding available for specials, but the Quay Station is closed and therefore passengers cannot alight. All recent trains have been push/pull or top and tailed. However as at spring 2008 there have been no special services run for several years and the de-facto position is that the line is moribund.  Although not formally closed it is extremely unlikely now that we will ever see the running of another excursion.

Further information/photographs - to be added as time permits

Bibliography

Author & Title	Publisher	Date published	ISBN
Railways of Dorset. J H Lucking (A gold mine of information if you can get hold of a 2nd hand copy)	RCTS	1968	N/a
The Great Western at Weymouth. J H Lucking	David & Charles	1971	0 7153 5135 4
The Weymouth Harbour Tramway. J H Lucking	OPC	1986	0-86093-304-0
South Coast Railways- Bournemouth to Weymouth. V Mitchell & K Smith	Middleton Press	1988	0 906520 57 6
South Coast Railways- Branch lines around Weymouth. V Mitchell & K Smith	Middleton Press	1989	0-906520-65-7
South Coast Railways- Yeovil to Dorchester. V Mitchell & K Smith	Middleton Press	1990	0-906520-76-2
The Waterloo to Weymouth Line. Michael Baker	PSL	1987	0-85059-835-4
The Abbotsbury Branch. Brian L Jackson	Wild Swan	1989(?)	0 906867 80 0
The last days of steam in Dorset & Bournemouth. D Hasom & J Parker	Alan Sutton	1993	0-7509-0180-2
The Bridport Railway. B L Jackson & M J Tattershall	Oakwood Press	1998	N/a
Railways of Portland Vols 1 & 2 B L Jackson (Exact titles to follow - books lent out)	Oakwood Press	1999	?? TBA
Steam into Wessex. Mike Esau (Several photographs of area)	Ian Allen	1991	0-77110-1998-3