Isle of Wight Steam Railway

I had never even heard of Ashey station until this discussion, but I've had a quick look on Google Maps and see that their camera managed to get down the road as far as the level crossing, leaving just the few yards of the currently private drive to the house.

 

Have you ever been down the 'road' to Ashey Station?

It is unadopted, and a private road.

The BRB conveyance for Ashey Station failed to include any rights of access via the 'road'.

The only rights of vehicular access to Ashey Station would be prescriptive, and this would only apply to the owner of Ashey Station. There is no public vehicular right of access to Ashey Station!

Cheers,
Julian

 

I suppose admittedly in retrospect I have been gun-ho in my remarks of what can be done and indeed oversimplifying matters of planning.

Still as Tom (aka jamesguard) has pointed out himself, just because you can't park your car at the station, be it for legal or just practical reason due to lack of space, that doesn't mean the station can be restored and put to use again. If Kingscote can continue to be open and used despite having no parking and access only via the train or other means, then I can't see why Ashey can't serve and exist in much the same way.

 

Ah well thank you for the clarification on the matter Tom, appreciate that. Interesting and indeed a most pleasant surprise to know Kingscote is growing popular with people wishing to stop there for a while, allowing the station to still have a purpose to the railway at least in some meaningful way. You'd be right too in assessing Kingscote's situation as it stands now would be most relevant to Ashey's possible eventual revival, as seeing as Kingscote can still be used without any parking aloud and despite being in the middle of nowhere, then I can honestly see no reason Ashey couldn't exist in much the same way.

 

I suppose then this is a crucial difference between how you see things compared to how I do, for you see by my nature I am somewhat a perfectionist by nature, so by extension I can't help but wish to view prospects for a railway's future in a more positive outlook (if admittedly sometimes overly ambitious with some ideas). I wish to see these railways be as close as possible to being perfect, and though perfection is impossible to achieve for anything (certainly least of all railway preservation) I would like to believe virtually everyone would desire to push as close to such perfection as possible.

A key example being what you say about the railway's motive power. You say for example if folks are lucky they can ride behind Calbourne and/or a terrier. I say a railway that is all about striving to preserve and present this branch line from it's heydays of year gone past should and could strive for better then that! It shouldn't be down to luck, there should be a day even if it's years and years away, that folks are guaranteed to ride in beautifully restored carriages from various eras of the railway's existence always being pulled by a engine historically appropriate to the line.

You say an extension wouldn't add much, and perhaps with extending to Newport I could in part agree, but extending to Ryde St Johns Station on the other hand I believe to be a necessity for the railway to truly prosper. For fact is as often said by either I have heard from, the IOWSR is somewhat out the way and hidden to a certain extent, making it hard for certain tourists to be able to know of and reach the railway. Ryde St Johns Station would finally give the IOWSR the level of presence and recognition it deserves, no longer just a little quaint railway out in the wilderness of the Isle of Wight, but one that is seen and recognised more widely.

Such a prospect would be no bad thing for the IOWSR, I'd say it would enhance it, and perhaps make much more a 'neat' package as you put it. Just the idea of Calbourne or a Terrier in Ryde St Johns Station, waiting to leave with a well filled train of vintage carriages, with a modern set of rolling stock parked alongside showing such a strong contrast between new and old...

Who wouldn't find that a great tantalising image? Indeed a great image to promote all the more tourist to come to the Isle of Wight I'd imagine!

Extending to Newport I will concede would most likely bare little fruit of good benefit to the railway, extending Ryde St Johns Station though I believe can.

'As is' might be good enough for you, but I believe the railway should and can be so much more, and all the better for it. And I'd like to think those running the railway believe that too, just understandably in a careful and well thought out manner. In time and with the right ideas, good mindset, patience and support they can achieve this. I'd like to believe they will.

 

This is some of the most concentrated W.I.B.N. I have ever come across. A guarantee of financial borrasca.

 

The village of Upper Arley on the opposite side of the river is much easier to access and has car parking. Many people walk across the footbridge to the station. Both Highley and Hampton Loade have caravan/camping parks close by.

 

A few years ago I parked the car at Portsmouth and got the Hovercraft and 2 buses to
Carisbrooke castle for an enjoyable daytrip under a ticket deal, except for the bus change at Newport.

Thinking of doing it again but going to Osborne house like Micheal Portello did on TV last week. Looks good to go by 2 trains, but finding a bus from Wootton station to Osborne, the number 4?, does not seem straightforward as it does no stop near the station and may have to prebook a taxi?
Getting to Newport from Wootton seems easier, but ideally there should be through buses to Carisbrooke Castle for day trippers?

From the wikipedia
"However a stretch of trackbed from Wootton to the outskirts of Newport at Halberry Lane is still free from development and could in theory be used in the future"
After Ryde St John extending the line to Halberry Lane with a bus station, bike hire and "park and ride" does seem a logical step if any developments could be prevented?

 

Their are just five Locomotives in existence that were part of the Islands fleet, one 02 and four Terriers. If you add the E1 into the mix as a genuine Island type that is just six Locomotives to run an extended service from Wootton to Ryde St johns. Everyone of those Locos were built pre 1900, that is a very big ask in my opinion. I am not trying to pour scorn on your enthusiasm just trying to be realistic.

As far as St Johns is concerned if SWT were still in charge I am sure that the process to extend into Ryde St Johns would actually have started by now. The vast majority of volunteers and staff would have risen to the challenge,

 

Two very large, expensive problems with Extending Beyond Wotton, first is the infamous Wotton Clay and Land slip this will need major ground works to remedy, and of course the filled in bridge, this will need a lot of work also, and that's before you even get beyond Wotton, unless you want a level crossing on the main Newport - Ryde Rd and a very steed gradient then where the money coming from? people won't have the spare cash, and there won't be EU funding either, just extending over NR tracks to Ryde will be problematical, possibly not financial as the infrastructure is already in place, but its going to be a game changer, as it brings the railway very close to a large populated area, this will have benefits, but also will create its own problems, such as making black smoke and excessive whistling near to houses, it may also inhibit the IOWSR from operating specials out of normal operating times, such as Sundowner, or evening specials even though in the high season, these could be very profitable as ryde has a very large possible catchment

 

Surely the point is that the project is conceivable, and that preservation history suggests that the impossible has been done many times.

Whether it is wise, or the effort to do so would justify the outcome, is of course a different question.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Here we go again, the old, old confusion between a transport provider and a visitor attraction. If you want to visit Osborne House there is an hourly bus from Ryde Esplanade (No. 4} which drops you off outside. Similarly the No. 9 (via Staplers) service serves Wootton station directly but thrice hourly. Alternatively there is Island Line which, sadly, is ever rougher and noisier, if quicker.

Osborne and the IOWSR are in the same market i.e. as visitor attractions. An example of this is a French school trip organisation which diverts it's groups for a day trip to the Island solely to visit Osborne and the IOWSR but no-where else.

 

Thanks for the Wootton to Newport line update and costs which need serious fundraising.

According
http://www.rail.co.uk/rail-news/2015/steaming-to-ryde/
"So why didn’t this happen? Because Network Rail decided that the signaling equipment was still safe and serviceable until the end of the Stagecoach franchise. "
So if either SWT or SWR would have the new franchise they would be asking for DFT money to upgrade, include a new passing loop and new signalling.

 

The proposal from SWT would have explicitly added IOWSR involvement at St Johns as added value. I cannot see that the SWR proposal being quite so enthusiastic. It was a SWT proposal that the IOWSR work into St Johns which we were happy to work along with. We do not have to extend into St Johns we will exist quite happily without it, but if a realist proposal comes along well that is different.

 

Google Maps shows Station Road from the north and a track or footpath from Ashey itself. On
streetview there is no sign to say that either is private, though there is a green public footpath signpost
"Public Footpath R97
Station Road leading to Ashey"
Does a sign designating a public footpath imply that the way is public only for pedestrians and not for vehicles?

 

Shown as a bridleway (both sides of the line) on the OS Map

 

Playing "Devil's Advocate" for a mo. Has the overriding question ('does Island Line have any future?') yet been definitively answered by 'the powers that be'?

 

No it hasn't, it is delay after delay after delay.

 

My suspicion is that it will be delayed, and delayed, then suddenly, theres no money SWR will be told you will have to do this from your own finances, so in other words it won't be our fault

 

I was going to answer this, but Paul beat me to it, Any transport provider if they know their market will ensure they cover the main attractions, especially if your on an island that needs tourism to survive , what I can't get is this, Why serve Wotton, and not Havenstreet direct where there is more to do whilst waiting for your train, perhaps SV need to talk to the main attractions more and in the summer, have a dedicated service linking the main attractions using suitable transport, ( OPEN TOP) in high season, to make it an attraction in its self , for instance Osbourne house, Havenstreet Robin hill and across the downs, etc.