Isle of Wight Steam Railway

Will the Drewry be coming out to play?

 

The Pier Tram (AKA Drewry Railcar) will be running between Havenstreet and Wootton on the Saturday evening, first trip from Havenstreet at 17.50, last trip 20.20. It's already been out in public service a few times now and has proved very popular with our visitors. If you can stay on into the evening it's a fantastic opportunity to sample a unique slice of the Island's railway history.

More details on the IWSR website Spring Gala page.

 

If I can make it work with the ferry times I'll definitely stick around for that, though getting on the railcar for a ride isn't something you can pre-book on it's own right? Can only hope they'll be room for me to get on at some point.

 

Made my first ever visit to the tailway (and the island in fact) for the heritage train day on Sunday. Must say I was very impressed by the whole operation, hope to return again in future. Some pictures of Calbourne and W11:

 

@JMJR1000

You may already be on site, but just in case W11 has been shunted into the display siding at Havenstreet so is readily accessible for photos etc.

Andy

 

Why don’t they just join it to the main run and have steam run on the main run in the summer as it would be so much popular people would go there to just see a bigger length of nothing else.

 

I think it would be long enough for ‘Kilmersdon’ …

Tom

 

As I understood this I thought it was referring more to running IWSR trains on the Island Line, rather than dragging a dead W11 around as a curiosity?

I think there are several reasons, foremost amongst which is that when it was last approached it appears that South Western Railways (The operator of the Island Line) are not as keen to see it happen as their predecessors. They don't really need it to, as it stands they gain out of transporting people to Smallbrook who want to access the IWSR via the Island Line. Added to that there is need to make multiple locomotives suitable for use on the mainline, and pass out their wide variety of coach types. There would be a requirement to run around trains at Ryde so a solution would be needed for that which doesn't disrupt the normal passenger service or the IWSR would need sufficient power to top and tail trains. This is assuming that the additional number of people who will flock to the line to ride the extra 1 mile into Ryde will cover the costs of all of that.

Unless you meant just hand over the whole mainline to the steam railway in the summer, in which case all you need to do is convince SWR that they don't want to make any money from their commuter line in the busiest season of the year for them.

 

Indeed so. There are ''little'' things such as mixing wooden carriages with third rail electrics which are of no consequence to WIBNites..
Incidentally, last year was the most lucrative the IOWSR has ever had despite Island Line being closed.

 

Well done Swanage, they kept that quiet....

 

Has the Swanage Railway actually seen a benefit in running to Wareham (sic)? The first trial ran at a substantial loss; since then, while everyone is apparently too polite to say so, it appears that no-one is in a hurry to repeat the experience.

Of course, a mainline connection - on the mainland, not on the Isle of Wight where the logistics is very different - has a few tangential benefits like easier access for mainline plant such as tampers, ballast trains; incoming stock for galas; the occasional charter. Those aren't to be sniffed at, but aren't what most people would call "running to Wareham". I'd question how much benefit the Swanage Railway has seen from the latter: one loss making summer trial, followed by nothing since.

Tom

 

Weren't TOC charges cited as the principal reason for the loss-making pre-covid trial service? The most valid question seems to revolve around uptake, where after the last couple of years, caution is understandable.

 

Yes, to a point, since they were effectively paying hire for locos and stock; and wages for the staff operating the service, i.e. a distinct difference from the normal heritage railway business model of primarily volunteer operating staff.

But the alternative to contracting a TOC to run the service would be for the Swanage Railway to become a TOC in its own right (as the NYMR are); and that has its own costs (certification, compliance etc, for both crews and rolling stock). The point is, that last mile on the mainline is very costly.

I suspect we are arguing in violent agreement, but I would take issue with @Big Al's comment "that the Swanage Railway has seen the benefit in running to (W)areham" - I struggle to see any evidence of that benefit. If you can't make a summer-only mainline connection to a seaside holiday resort that suffers from clogged roads profitable, I struggle to think where else such a service might be remunerative!

Tom

 

WIBN has infected preserved railways since they were devised. The visitor attraction function and the ''public service'' one simply get in one another's way. Both local politicians and gricers can be prone to WIBN.

 

There's a reasonable case to be made that our entire movement is the consequence of a WIBN question arising in the summer of 1950.