Isle of Wight Steam Railway

I was rather unhappy with the new terms and conditions that the new owners have imposed and a desire to cut my outgoings lead me to delete my account. I was paying the subscription but was finding it difficult to justify the outlay each month, the new limit of a 1,000 images for the free account with no say which ones you could keep was the final straw.

 

That's such a crying shame, Gary. Your photostream was the only real continuity link with the goings on at Havenstreet. I know it will be much missed.
Anywhere you can realistically move to?

 

If you are okay with Facebook they are on the C&W happenings page plus others from Derek Atkins who I jointly run the site with. I have not looked at other photo hosting sites as I only took the decision to pull out of Flickr last night.

 

Hey just wishing to enquire if there's been any new developments or such alike going on at the railway.

Just curious as I've grown quite a fondness for this little railway of late, and though I've yet to visit it would certainly love to at some point in the future.

In terms of future plans and developments, I know there's a serious discussions going on about extended to Ryde St Johns Road Station are there not?

 

Managed a very enjoyable visit yesterday to the railway for the Steam Show which, as ever, was well sorted, full of interest and more steam in the field than ever. Even had performing pigs!!!! diversity is alive and well.
A question though, in the train story shed there is a smallish loco (I assume) bogie, I meant to find out about it got side tracked. Is it the first part of a new build 02 or a spare, as I could see no locos with missing wheels?
Chris

 

A spare. See current "Steam Railway".

 

SWR made a proposal to the DFT last year for IoW funding.
The details have not been published but the current Modern Railway magazine seems to have got details and says it includes a new passing loop on the Island Line, which could free a line into Ryde for the steam railway.
But the DFT has not confirmed a date when the proposal will be approved or not.

 

I believe that it is off W31 Chale.

 

Thanks for the update, good to know stuff is progressing behind the scenes. Was going ask though how the Ivatt tank pair are doing, fitting in well to the railway?

You know one thing occurred to me recently, something I think might help the Ivatts to stick out more from one another as well as in general on the railway amongst it's other locomotives and such.

Since it is often said the Ivatts were once considered for bringing over to the Isle of Wight, even going so far as drawing basic blueprints for where they'd put the air brake equipment on the engines, why not take the what if scenario these two locos represent a step further? Just as the Adam O2s took the numbers and names from previous engines based on the island, why not give the Ivatt tanks names and number from scrapped O2 tanks in turn?

You could run a competition or vote, get as many enthusiasts and volunteers alike involved, all to pick the best choices for names and numbers for the Ivatt tanks to bear. It would allow them to stand better for sure I would have thought, not to mention just help to make them blend in better with the unique look and style the Isle of Wight Steam Railway has, especially with it's bigger engines.

Would anyone like that idea at all? And which two names from scrapped Terriers or O2s would you give each to the Ivatt pair?

 

As far as I know, there was never a plan, pre-preservation era, to take Ivatt tanks to the IoW - the plan, unrealised, was for the similar BR Standard 2MT tank engines to go.

Tom

 

Apologies, your correct, was a bit wrong with my info there. Though as the differences between the Ivatts and the Standards is very little, I'd say my idea still holds some merit.

So what say you Tom, like the idea at all? What names would you have them inherit so to speak.

 

New names might be more appropriate.

'Newtown' which once returned an MP. 'Mottistone', family home of the Seelys, from which the current IW MP comes from, plus 'Warhorse', and one of which was instrumental in the rebuilding of many London Churches after WW2. Or 'Springvale' where A B Macleod lived when in charge of the Isle of Wight Railways in SR days.

'The Chine', 'The Shute'. ('The Nammet').

'Arreton', and 'Newchurch'; both huge parishes before the 1800s. 'Appuldurcombe' once the largest mansion on the Isle of Wight near Godshill and the home of the Worsleys. 'Appley' the home of part of the Simeon family. 'Nunwell', the home of the Oglanders of Brading.

Arreton, Newchurch, and Mottistone and Newtown ought to have been on the original SR list. Brighstone is as important as Chale. Brook had a link with JB Priestley in the 1950s.

Arreton, Newchurch, and Niton and Brighstone all had rings of bells in their Churches, but were missed off the SR list.

Cheers,
Julian

 

If I am right (open to correction) the donors of these machines did not wish them to be named, so any nomenclature ideas are wimwam. It was the B.R. version which was proposed to be used, being somewhat reduced as to loading gauge but the condition of the specimens sent to Eastleigh on both occasions turned out to be too poor. Eastleigh's neat arrangement of the air brake (tidier than on the 02s) proved very useful decades afterwards.

Dare it be said in lococentric NP that condition and availability of carriage stock was at least as important a factor in the transfer not happening as the condition of the motive power.

 

Wimwam - like it - good name for a new-build loco perhaps? I don’t mind a few but think it would be a shame if too many historic locos received fictitious names. Locos without names are important to our heritage too No need to spoil them.

 

Appuldurcombe is in Wroxall not Godshill.

 

If the plan had gone ahead, and a small stable of BR standard 2 tanks been transferred, would they have been re numbered or kept their main line numbers, then, of course there is the question of liveries, I would have imagined if the idea was to have kept them in service for at least 5 years, they would have been repainted in Rail Blue, and probably once on the island, been lined out similar to the VoR engines, as regards coaching stock, almost certainly, kings cross suburban Mk 1's would have ended up being cascaded to replace the pre grouping stock, and structures changed to accommodate them.

 

Mk 1 suburban coaches were out of gauge for the IOW, it was lack of suitable coaching stock more than anything which killed off the idea.

 

Apologies. More correct spelling is "whim-wham"

 

one thing that has often made me wonder is this, the first batch of Hastings units were short wheel base the first 6 I believe, now Hastings gauge is very similar to the IoW loading gauge, these were introduced in 54, wasn't it, So why didn't BR when building the second batch of Hastings units build an additional 6 , and send the early short batch to the island to replace, not just the 02'S but also the old rolling stock ? or are Hastings units to high

 

Sadly, "get real" time is back again. A brief look at the history books shows that the last brand new piece built for the I.O.W. system was the steam railmotor of 1906, apart from various railcars and trailers for the pier tramway. The cost of building six new units for Hastings simply to enable six slightly older ones go to the I.O.W. would require that cost to be debited to the island system. The chances of getting any return on this would have been zilch, just as today.