The five mile Steam Railway and an electrified eight mile main line from Ryde to Shanklin are now all that remain of a railway system which once extended its tentacles over 55 miles of mostly rural Wight. The first line opened in 1862 between Cowes and Newport but it was not until 1900 that Ventnor received its second railway and the Island rail complex was complete. The full island network back in steam is the Suggestion (pre 1955). set in the Southern Railway and the start of BR time. stations not including the station on Island line Freshwater Yarmouth & Newport Railway Newport (FYN) Carisbrooke Watchingwell Calbourne & Shalfleet Ningwood Yarmouth Freshwater Isle of Wight Central Railway Cowes Mill Hill Medina Wharf Halt Cement Mills Halt Newport Whippingham Wootton Haven Street Ashey Ashey Racecourse Newport Pan Lane Shide Blackwater Merstone Horringford Newchurch Alverstone Godshill Whitwell St. Lawrence Ventnor West Isle of Wight Railway St. Helens Bembridge Wroxall Ventnor Locos Adam o2, W24 Calbourne is the only one to Survive Terrier in A1X and A1, 3 island terriers survive to live on the iwsr LBSCR E1, 0 E1 s that ran on the island survive stations still open toady not on the steam railway Ryde per head Ryde Esplanade Ryde St Johns road Brading Sandown Shanklin no station was at Lake and Smallbrook in steam loco in pack Adams o2 dlc Terrier and E1
The Isle of wight steam railway could get done after this and have a small temporary discount on release like Glossop line did have and have w24 Calbourne laying on to the heritage line with the terriers W11 Newport and W8 Freshwater along side E1 W2 Yarmouth. The heritage based route could come with both ivatts 41298 and 41313 and a class 03 D2059
Great idea would also like to see it as an edition to the island line,but would it mean redoing the whole route for the third time? Which I don't see happening
The line between Ryde pier and Shanklin has changed a lot over the years like 4 platforms on Ryde pier back in steam both line on the pier in use Ryde depot being on both side to the line no station at smallbrook the line to Newport connected, double track between Brading and Sandown, Brading having the branch to Bembridge, Sandown have the line to Newport via merstone, Shanklin having 2 platforms the line continuing to venture. The island back in steam had 55 miles of track unlike today with 8 miles (Pre 1955) redoing is only a small part of the line but back dating it to steam even if the steam railway gets done smallbrook who'd be the only bit of island line getting redone
