Isle of Wight Steam Railway

It won't ever happen, but assuming some hair brained scheme does somehow get approved that means the IOWSR Losing access to their line, then I would say Sandown to Merstone then possibly down to Ventnor West, after running round at Merstone. along with wtt paths from Havenstreet engineering works, to Ryde, and thence to Sandown, for stock and engine transfers

 

As part of the deal for giving up their line the IOWSR would surely get money for a new engineering works?

 

Sandown - Merstone? Very soggy, very doubtful. For that matter, Yarmouth to Freshwater was always a tad on the damp side too and just for the record, there's zero chance of approval for the sort of new formation to Totland or Alum Bay which might've given the FYN a few receiver-free years, back when motor cars were in their infancy, over a century ago.

There's more chance of getting approval and funding for a cable car to serve The Needles.

I honestly dunno why these old chestnuts keep getting trotted out ... they never stand up to scrutiny and aren't going to happen. FYI, I've not even bothered to sort out a decent recipe for my hat!

 

Are you actually suggesting that the IWSR stays based at Havenstreet but has a line elsewhere on the island, and runs empties from the shed to somewhere else entirely? Wow.

 

Kind of defeats the object of having a separate running line in the first place.

Another option once suggested was to create a separate running line alongside the IOWSR, effectively making it double track.

No easy answers and massive costs whichever way you do it, so unlikely anything will ever happen.

 

I think the more implausible the idea the better at the moment. It is if you like the Streisand Effect in full effect. (Or the Hitch-Streisand Effect to give the name for the IoW varient - where drawing attention to implausible ideas creates more implausible ideas)

 

In which case why not have the public transport service operated by the steam trains and be done with it!

Back to slightly more conceivable ideas, should the steam railway ever get a "mainline" connection, what are the barriers for the occasional foray of a steam train either down to Shanklin or onto the pier? Well aware of all the practical concerns regarding staffing, salt corrosion etc. but are there regulatory barriers - what if any electrical gubbins, CDL or whatever would need to be fitted, could those be waived for a once a year jolly?

 

It'll need some new carriages. Maybe some Mk3s from the mainland? New build locos

Or alternatively you could turn the whole island into a 1930-50s theme park. Much like the Isle of Man already is.

 

Yet more money to serve exactly how many potential users? Ryde to Shanklin was lucky to get it's money and there is a holiday potential there even if, in true lOW fashion, the stations tend to be badly located. At least there is a population unlike the rail route between Ryde and Newport where d*** all people live even in 2021

 

I thought that I was being so implausible that you would recognise that I was joking. I must try harder to make it obvious.

 

I was working on the pretence that the IOWSR only lost their running line, or access to it, except for stock movements at least early on, it might have had to operate in such a way, because any operator would only want running access over the line ,and would not take the workshops, What would likily happen though is that if an operator, other than the owner, wanted to operate any services between Small brook and Newport that they would only want paths, not to purchase the line, most likily Island line would hire in a DMU, or buy another 484 in diesel, or battery mode, and that would operate peak hour services, from Ryde, with the steam railway operating off peak

 

Any chance we could have a discussion about the Isle of Wight Steam Railway? You know, that place overseas running between Wootton and Smallbrook Junction that is gearing up for its 50th birthday celebrations (the young whippersnapper ...)


Tom

 

"Only Joking" is about as creaking an excuse as there is!

 

You can always just admit that you were wrong and missed the joke. There is no shame in it.

 

If this was so it needed to be a touch funnier.

Now let's follow the thoughts in Post 1292

 

Yes, you are right, you missing the joke was even funnier.

Looking forward to you launching a discussion about the line. The floor is yours

 

Last time we started talking about the proposed guest loco for the gala that's actually happening, we got told off, even though the one we all thought it would be had already been publicly announced!

 

Yes as much as I find it interesting to talk about the remote (if downright impossible) possibilities of what ifs such as 'what if the railway was/had to be relocated, that really would call for a separate thread in itself.

So back to the celebrations at hand, I do hope the nation's situation improves to the point this planned gala can go ahead without a hitch, as I am aware the Bluebell essentially had to delay it's planned celebrations to this year. Am I right in saying that Tom?

Calling 60+1 I believe.

 

One question I have been meaning to ask for sometime now, the IoWSR has a push-pull carriage set from what I understand, is it actually operable to work in push-pull mode as it were and which Terriers are equipped to use them? Having seen them only briefly in use on videos before my presumption would be that 'Newport' is the only one equipped to use them?

 

Yes, essentially this year we are planning our 60+1 anniversary.

Tom