Isle of Wight Steam Railway

Looking at Google Earth, there appears to be enough room to install a run-round loop outside the station limits at the South end of St Johns station, though it would involve shifting some troughing routes for the signalling. You could then slew the line from P2 to the Up (?) line towards Esplanade, and reconnect P3 to the Down (?) at the North End of the station. That way you still keep a 2 platform station at one end of the double track section between Esplanade and St John's on the NR side, and IoWSR can have P1 to itself.

It would require propelling empty stock to the loop for a run-round move, or a shunt release engine to be stabled at St John's, neither of which is ideal, but it would allow segregation of the lines. Doodle attached - new track in red, recovered track in green, existing retained trackwork in black.

John

 

I think we are making this difficult...

The proposal a few years ago was for Islandline to become two long single line sections with Brading loop in the middle. A train formed of two coupled units would leave the shed in the morning, run to the loop and split with the units going separate ways. They would then rejoin at the end and go to depot. This would allow a drastic simplification of the signalling, and for our purposes it would allow the up line from Smallbrook to Ryde to be handed to the IWSR in its entirety with Islandline using today's down line. This would then allow the track in Ryde platforms 1+2 to be split off and handed to the steam line, with Islandline running through platform 3 in both directions. Keeping the two lines separate avoids all inter-running, TPWS and all of that business, assuming concerns about side by side running could be assuaged!

As stated earlier, this has all been put to bed for the foreseeable as the upgrade has focussed on rolling stock, but has included the loop that may unlock the proposal above in the future.

Please do visit the IWSR which is a very good recreation of the Island railways in the steam era and a charming heritage line with plenty to see and do.

 

There is also a requirement for all doors on the side facing NR to be locked.

 

How difficult would it be to make room behind St. John's box for a separate terminal for IOWSR?
It would then be possible to plain-line Smallbrook Jn, maintain a connection next to St. John's box, and stop at Smallbrook to allow the guard to lock the offside doors. If the terminal platform was on the nearside (up direction) then the doors stay locked until return to Smallbrook.
Doable?
Pat

 

Originally there was a plan to build its own terminus where the former coal road was behind the signal box on the site of where the loco shed once was, but then where would the parking move to? is there any spare land elsewhere?

 

Building a new station for the steam railway was the other option - very expensive though and no obvious place to put it!

I think you'd start to question the point of it at this stage though?

 

My glass is half empty on this one

What ever solution is costed it is part of a not inconsiderable Capex cost, and one assumes moving any juice rail to the eastern side of the singled NR track as far as Smallbrook would be another I have not seen mentioned as yet.
As regards Opex cost a gamble would have to be made that any increased fare box take will cover off the increased fuel and maintenance cost. What would be the attraction to Mrs and Mrs Family to go to St Johns ( Ryde suburbia is creeping all the way towards Smallbrook as it is) or would an increased journey time and fare put some people off.
Who compensates SWT for loosing fares to/from Smallbrook, will they want a share of the cake.

At present the Steam Railway seems to be an exemplar of sound business management of a railway with preservation at its heart that does what it says on the box. It will take a brave board to go down the expansion route just to trundle past the back end of Ryde and put all the preservation achievements at risk.

 

I think specials on the mainline are the ways forwards for this railway. They ruined it when they chopped it of at the ventnors

 

I was rather assuming that, when the new service pattern settles down, Island Line will discover that they only need 1 line between Brading and Ryde. No juice rail involved if IOWSR takes over the current Up line. (Thereby reinstating the status quo ante 1928.)
Pat

 

With Ryde expanding, how long will it be before Smallbrook is part of Ryde, and passenger demand builds up on Island line so that Smallbrook becomes a station in its own right, rather than just an interchange ,as housing creeps further out, so people who may need a reliable connection with the mainland eventually there may need to be an improved Station on the Island line side, and public access , The IOWSR might find more people, may start their journeys from there, especially if the station is only a short walk from any new housing developments that may go up.

 

Far more people board at Havenstreet than at the termini despite there being no public transport service to the village.

 

That speaks volumes. Never having boarded or decamped there, is there any parking (not involving roadside verges) at Wootton?

 

But not everyone has the luxury of having their car with them, and what percentage of that number are on short stay vacation, and left the car at home, or parked up on the other side of the solent? there will always be a percentage that will need to use public transport to access the Steam railway, For example, when i visited this year, it would have cost more to have brought the car over, and driven to Havenstreet, than what the entire day cost me including parking at Fratton, the train fare the prebooked fast cat and the island line train, then the pre booked ticket on the IOWSR.

 

Yes, plenty in the station car park

 

I think that at some point the third rail equipment will be pronounced life expired, something that was talked about even in this upgrade. At that point it will be worth looking at onboard batteries rather than new juice rail, so that may not always be a problem.

But yes, you are right the steam railway would (in this scenario) be taking over new liabilities in the infrastructure and the station and these wouldn't give an obvious reward after the first year or two. The extension doesn't, for example, get you to the ferry or to a rail link to London that is not already established. For what it is worth I think it will be done anyway but when the time is right, I'm sure the business aspect could be made to work.

I think all talk of mainline specials is nonsense at present....

 

There will always be a number who need to use public transport, but returning to St John’s doesn’t actually make that any easier than now: one stop less for anyone boarding Island Line off the ferry.

Emotionally I can see the pull of going to St. John’s - but pragmatically it adds some cost and complexity without seeming to add much passenger utility, certainly not in terms of ease of access for those without cars. Now, in actual fact I am generally quite supportive of heritage organisations doing things for emotional rather than practical reasons - provided when they do do, the recognise that is why it is being done.

Tom

 

Bus. This has had a more sensible timetable than the train and a higher reliability. It is envisaged the train will improve in both respects.

 

are you being sponsored by Southern Vectis ? because if your using the Fast cat, you still have to get to the wet end of Ryde pier.

 

Hovercraft.

 

If you're travelling by train as far as Portsmouth, which I presume most people coming in via public transport would be, then the FastCat is more convenient surely, especially with through ticketing etc.? If I were making the trip, the a ride on the hovercraft would be a WIBN to far, much as it's the more preferable mode of transport for my inner gricer!