Isle of Wight Steam Railway

Yea, I wrote to Havenstreet Parish Council a few months ago, and asked if they were campaigning for a pavement through the village, and sadly received a very non-commital reply. If I lived there I’d take it up more strongly.

 

A cynic writes:

Timing is everything and contacting a councillor directly, preferably when there's an upcoming council election (which tends to concentrate minds wonderfully) may prove more fruitful. Better still if sproggits and/or OAPs have to walk the road.



[Image stolen by Clara Someone-or-other & posted on Twitter. It's courtesy Gracie Films]

 

Isle of Wight on the Railway Magazine cover two month in a row? We’re taking over the world!

 

...Although the RM has the new train landing at Yarmouth.

 

This might be of interest - a 1966 film of Ryde Pier Head to Cowes from the carriage window, including today's IWSR. Worth reducing the playing speed to 0.5 or 0.25 to get a great view of how it once looked, and what we've lost...

 

Some fantastic news. Though it's been clear for some time that 007 would be heading to Havenstreet, this looks like the first official confirmation of the IWSR preserving one of the electric units:

https://onthewight.com/heres-where-...-going-next-after-3-million-miles-of-service/

by Richard Anscombe, on Flickr

 

Good news indeed. I heard this on the grapevine some time ago, but yes this is the first official announcement. There were those who dismissed the idea of a complete 483 coming to Havenstreet as ‘WIBN’, I’m glad they have been proved wrong.

Who knows, if the LTTG people can get their unit successfully running on battery power, the same technology could be applied to 007 at the IOWSR.

 

I’ll await our Hayling Island correspondent’s response on this! But I agree WIBN to see it boldly go where no tube passenger carrying stock has gone before on the Isle of Wight!

 

+1

 

Indeed it would be nice, but also quite likely to happen. 007 is freshly overhauled and in good condition. If the LTTG do develop a system that works and at reasonable cost, then why would the IOWSR not want to copy it for use on 007?

 

There is a preserved Paris metro set that runs with it’s own on board generator, although something like that set up may possibly be too heavy for this unit.

 

Well - we already have two London Underground ballast hoppers which came to Havenstreet in August 1985 when they were only 20 years old. Built to "tube" gauge, they are fitted with LU Ward couplers and through cabling for working with LU battery locos as well as conventional buffers and drawgear. They are in regular use and were chosen due to being fitted with air brakes.
http://www.ws.rhrp.org.uk/ws/WagonInfo.asp?Ref=8335
http://www.ws.rhrp.org.uk/ws/WagonInfo.asp?Ref=8336

 

I should have said passenger carrying stock!

 

The track record of EMU preservation makes me sceptical unfortunately, but it seems possible at least - recent comments on another forum suggest 007 will be kept in operational condition and they are keeping some of the spares recently delivered to Havenstreet.

 

Useful as barrier wagons when 007 needs shunting around perhaps?

 

Unfortunately tube stock previously preserved at Epping has not had a happy ending.

However I’m confident that 007 has a secure future in the care of the IOWSR.

 

What tube stock went to EOR?

 

2 x 4 car units of 1962 stock in the late 1990s I seem to remember. They were then vandalised and subsequently scrapped.

 

Ahh, under the old management then?