Steaming back into Ryde?

Allowing myself to become "ever-so gricer" for a moment; one cannot help wonder if the Bluebell's 84030 gents would fit the necessary air brake and loan their charge to the IoWSR when its finished.

 

They were both cut down but I'm not sure Ryde Tunnel was the principal reason - some interesting discussions on the SEMG yahoo group reveal that Rink Road/Park Road and Smallbrook Lane were actually the greatest restrictions on height (centre line and cant rail respectively).

Until the cab profile was modified this limited the use of 03079, the first to come over, to south of Smallbrook (referenced at 47:08 in this youtube video) though apparently work was done at the time to lower the up line under Smallbrook Lane - perhaps benefitting the IWSR one day?


Chris

 

Many thanks for replying. Just wondering how much of the closing paragraph of my new book needs rewriting...

 

Or even make a permanent exchange of 41313 to the Bluebell for 84030, or should we possibly start to call it W37 Smallbrook?

 

Why?

PH

 

Loco numbers W37 and W38 were, in the early days of the Wight Locomotive Society's tenure at Havenstreet, allocated to Invincible and Ajax and so are not currently available without renumbering the existing fleet. Although the numbers are allocated, I don't think either engine is actually carrying the number in their current livery.

Going back to the IWCP article that started the thread off, as has been stated earlier it didn't appear in the on line version of the press. When I read it I found it to be short on facts and long on speculation - a bit like a lot of this thread!

 

no real reason, there is very little difference between an Ivatt2, and the Standard version of it, so what would it achieve?
saying that, when 41313 is restored, if 84030 is done by then, and the ivatt hasnt returned to the island, i dare say that a visit to sheffield park by 41313 before it catches the ferry could be a possibility but to be cost effective, it would have to be part of something bigger, involving other ivatt 2MT's

 

Just one of the little snaggy-poos that may dampen some plans. The pier end of Ryde tunnel 24/12/2013

 

Seems like what the IoWSR needs is a U-Boat.

Taxi!

Tom

 

Marinised diesel anyone?


Chris

 

OOOHH I feel a Napier Deltic coming on, minesweepers and all that. Now there's a weird BRPS IOWSR link!!

 

looking at that head room, it would have to be very height reduced , so nothing new there

 

Maybe a tube for the tube trains...

 

ERE, who's nicked all the quotes then.
Edit Ah they're back

 

i have had an opportunity of reading all the recent Isle Of Wight County Press coverage.

i hope forum members might forgive me if i summarise this coverage.

the proposal to hand over the Island Line franchise to an Isle of Wight based social enterprise company has come from the IW conservative MP andrew turner.

replacement of the tube trains and running steam trains to Ryde Esplanade are part of andrew turner's proposal.

peter vial, IOWSR GM provided a cautious reply with the counter proposal that steam return only to Ryde St Johns Road.

3 weeks later on 9th Jan, jim loe, commercial director of the IOWSR provided a detailed reply setting out the IOWSR's position which is pretty much as per stated by peter vial.

in the meantime South West trains are carrying out £2m track repairs near St Johns Road station and depot.

there is a reference to a new franchise being awarded in 2017, though only for 2 years when a further franchise competition in 2019 will take place.

andrew turner MP, and leader of the IW council are due to have talks with the Department for Transport in february.

my personal view (having now read and considered all the press coverage) is that this whole subject is not unconnected with andrew turner having to fight his seat in the general election in may! in fact if you look at andrew turner's webpage, it would appear that most of his proposals concern the service offered by the ferry companies to the IW, Island Line being but a small part of his proposals. the ferry companies have come in for a great deal of criticism from Isle of Wight residents. the prospect of cheaper ferry fares and a better ferry service is of course quite a good electioneering campaign (but in my opinion totally ridiculous to transfer the ferries to an Island based social enterprise company due to the huge capital cost and debts of the existing ferry companies).

The Daily Telegraph reported on 8th jan that andrew turner was 'battling to save his seat' amid calls from 4 former local party chairman for him to be deselected as a candidate.

putting everything into context i cant see much changing on Island Line for quite some time!

it is somewhat ironic that the IOWSR's extension from Havenstreet to Smallbrook was made possible by singling the Island Line between Brading and Sandown as this is where the track material came from. steam would only return to Ryde St Johns Road if part of this double track is now reinstated!

cheers,
julian

 

To clarify the new franchise will take over in 2019, in the meantime South West Trains will get a 'direct award' to operate the extra two years from 2017.

Almost certainly, I can't recall Andrew Turner ever showing much interest in the Island's railways before but one could be unkind and say he doesn't show much interest in anything if it's not in the run up to an election! ;-)

Chris

 

sounds like if he loses his seat it would be no great loss, the island deserves better

 

thanks chris!

mark woodnutt, stephen ross, and barry field (former IW MP's) were firm supporters of the IOWSR and what became Island Line. it is a shame that the current debate is sparked off by electioneering from the current MP andrew turner who as you rightly state has shown previously little or no interest in Island Line or the IOWSR.

oh dear! so much for politics and railways!

cheers,
julian

 

Hear Hear.

 

With floods like that, how much power to the total length of line is lost when that amount of floodwater shorts everything out?