Isle of Wight Steam Railway

See, @gwalkeriow and @paulhitch ..... I told you the IWSR could use all those grounded Met 8 wheelers restoring!!

OK ... so that still leaves the ever-so-slight issue of a lack of passing loops for all those trains .......

Seriously though, it's a fantastic lineup which speaks volumes about the incredible amount of work (not forgetting the fundraising effort) over many years which has brought the line to the point it's at now. Developing a good working relationship between railway and ferry companies has been no small part of things either.

Damn .... I wish I could be there!

 

I agree, that that's an impressive number of locos to be able to call from,, Especially when you recall, in the early days of the railway, all they had was invincible and two coaches, everything else was not fit to run, 24 was on sleepers across from the foot crossing , what though when you look at is interesting is the large number of non island engines that have made Havenstreet their home, E1, Invincible, Ajax, the 2 austeries and now the ivatts, 7 vs the 3 actual island engines, i'm not including the ivatt tender engine, because its nominal home is not on the island, nor the other Austerity on loan to NRM ,
But whilst many, would have preferred it if there was more 02,s, we have to be thankful to those who in 1967 ensured 24 would not follow 31's fate, because lets not forget, if that money had not been raised 24 would have been cut up, and the likelihood is that nothing would have survived, no genuine island coaches, no 02 no IOWSR.

 

I expect Paul Hitch will be along soon to berate them for poor planning, with such an excessive amount of available motive power that could never hope to be fully utilised and that effort should instead be going into sustainable and proportionate rolling stock, not the current enthusiast driven abundance. It’s all WIBN I tell you.



Simon

 

Just one caveat. The carriage works, regarded as so innovative in 2002 as to warrant its opening by H.M. The Queen, is now on the small side. Every vehicle restored with great expense and labour is another one to be painted, lined out, lettered (some in gold) and varnished periodically. No lavatory floors to present certain problems though.

Paul H

 

The size of the workshop is indeed a problem, on occasion more work is going on outside (weather permitting)

A couple of weeks ago I went up to the Gloucester & Warwickshire to pick up some air brake parts from their C&W, I was given a tour around their works, very impressive. Well laid out for a long narrow site and very well equipped (a tad jealous if I’m honest)

 

Absolutely not. Last year W8 and W11 had to do rather a lot of work for products of the 1870s. This year, those who wish to ride in a completely Victorian train can do so by reference to the roster sheet as updated each month on the website. W8 comes out for boiler overhaul at the end of the year anyway, leaving W11 of 1878 and W24 of 1891 available.

Of the six locomotives available for service in 2018, only one was not operated on branch lines by British Railways. All the passenger stock dates from no later than 1924 and only one did not see use in the I.O.W. pre preservation.

PH

 

I have a question, one a member of the footplate would be best placed to answer, when using one of the terriers, once you have filled the tanks up at Havenstreet, done a trip to Smallbrook, back up to Wootton, back down to Havenstreet how much is left in the tanks? do you have any leaveway for instance, if for some reason you could not take water, would you be able to do one more trip, or would you have to take the loco off ?

 

From experience of working under coaches with rain, at least I hope it was rain, running down my back, I fully concure, if you could extend cover over the pit and wheel drop it would make your lives so much easier

 

Ironically, a fringe benefit (for the railways, if not always for their passengers down the years!) courtesy of the same high water table, which causes the 'interesting' local geological conditions that have been the bane of civil engineering installations right across the island from the year dot.

 

Well if you're jealous of our facilities, I'm jealous of your subjects! Looking forward to my visit in the summer.

 

A terrier needs to take water at Havenstreet (in the Up direction usually) every round trip. There are lots of factors affecting the quantity of water used each time, if I arrived back at the water tower with anything close to half a tank left I would be quite surprised. We do have two emergency water points along the line, these are rarely used.

 

Alex let me know when you are coming so that you can get a proper tour round.

 

Will PM you closer to the time, that would be great thanks!

 

You will accidently on purpose ensure theres a coach that needs painting in the workshops at the time " Alex, you've got 3 hours till your train back " start on that compartment.

 

Do they do gold leaf and varnish at Toddington?

PH

 

Quite capable of varnishing and signwriting, never done gold leaf though. That and scumbling are a couple of things I'd like to have a go at one day though!

 

if you ask Gary nicely, he might demonstrate it whilst your there, gold leaf is very interesting though, its very fragile stuff, not at all forgiving, I watched someone doing it at an craft fair, and whilst it looks easy its not.

 

I have never applied any gold leaf, I have varnished over plenty of it over the years though. I have handed the painting and varnishing reins over to a new team, they are becoming capable of producing very fine work. These days you are more likely to find me driving a computer, lathe or milling machine. My main task at moment after I have updated the C&W computer records is making the new handbrake linkage for LBSCR 4115. Now that vehicle has got plenty of scumbling and gold leaf on it.

 

I must try to get over sometime also, the last time, back in October, I chose the wrong day, you were not running best day for me would be a Sunday, I can drive to pompy early, get an early fastcat have breakfast in ryde, and catch the first train from Smallbrook,

 

Again Martin let me know when you are coming over and you have the same tour as Alex.