trains in the road - uk style

(All Weymouth Quay 14.8.1986)

In Switzerland, Germany, Austria and many other European countries, as well as the USA, street running is not that rare. But it was never commonplace in the UK. The most famous piece of street track here was the Weymouth Tramway, which saw regular trains connecting with the Channel Island ferries. Although this line still exists it no longer sees trains, and it hasn't for years. But there are always plans to run 'trams' on the route, though I suspect to be viable the route would need to be extended along the prom - the run through the back streets, apart from a short section near the terminus, is not particularly attractive.

But all this was a long way off in 1986. The spectacle of a class 33 pulling long trains through crowds of holidaymakers is not easily forgotten!

My first attempt at travelling on this route ended in failure when the jobsworth guard threw me off at Dorchester because my Southern Rover didn't cover this route. I did finally travel on the line on a special, and I think I did it one more time before the line closed. But this was one line which was better watched from the lineside rather than from the train ...