Wootton

Wootton was a station on the Isle of Wight Central Railway between Havenstreet and Whippingham. Now it is one of the termini of the Isle of Wight Steam Railway.

Ivatt Class 2 41298 runs around it's train at Wootton

Information
Type:	Preserved Railway (Isle of Wight Steam Railway)
Opened:	1875 (Closed 1953)
Re-Opened:	1986
Platforms:	1

The station was opened by the Ryde & Newport Railway in 1875 on it's line between Newport and Ryde. The station had a siding for use by a coal merchant [1]. The station was closed in 1953 though the line through Wootton remained open until 1966. Part of the line was re-opened in 1971 as the Isle of Wight Steam Railway.

However, Wootton station was not re-opened, the site of the original station is now a walking trail. A new Wootton station was built nearly two hundred metres away and opened in 1986 [2]. This is now one of the termini of the Isle of Wight Steam Railway (the other being Smallbrook Junction). The station now has a recreation of an Edwardian station building on the single platform and a run-round loop.

Buffer stop at Wootton

View down the line, 41298 approaches

41928 prepares to couple up

Running around

[1] R.J. Maycock & R. Silbury, The Isle of Wight Railways from 1923 Onwards (Oakwood Press, 2006) p. 155
[2] Ibid. p. 263

Havenstreet

Havenstreet is a stop on the Isle of Wight Steam Railway between Wootton and Ashey.

41928 stands at the station

Information
Type:	Preserved Railway (Isle of Wight Steam Railway)
Opened:	1875 (Closed 1966)
Re-Opened:	1971
Platforms:	2

The station was opened by the Ryde & Newport Railway in 1875. It was later operated by the Isle of Wight Central Railway and Southern Railway (and British Railways of course).

The station, which was renamed Havenstreet in 1959 [1], was closed along with much of the once extensive Isle of Wight railway system in the late 1960s. The station was re-opened by the Isle of Wight Steam Railway who opened a stretch of line between Havenstreet and Wootton in 1971. The station consists of an island platform, the main station building is accessed via a foot crossing.

Havenstreet is the headquarters of the preserved line with workshops (the first of which opened in 1980), a museum and a recently opened visitor centre (Train Story) at the station [2].

General view of the station, there is a foot crossing at the end of the island platform

Number 11 arrives with a train bound for Smallbrook Junction

D2059 stands in the yard

41298 departs

Number 11 heads into the station

[1] R.J Maycock & R. Silsbury, The Isle of Wight Railways from 1923 Onwards (Oakwood Press, 2006) p. 155
[2] Ibid p. 263

Smallbrook Junction (SAB)

Smallbrook Junction is a recent addition to the Isle of Wight's Island Line and was built to form an interchange with the Isle of Wight Steam Railway which had extended their line to Smallbrook Junction. The station opened in 1991 [1].

Information
Type:	National Rail (Island Line) & Isle of Wight Steam Railway
Station code:	SAB
Opened:	1991
Platforms:	2

Smallbrook Junction itself predates the station by some margin, in 1926 the new owners of the railways on the island the Southern Railway installed turnouts and a signal box at the location [2]. Prior to this there had been two separate lines owned by the Isle of Wight Central Railway and the Isle of Wight Railway.

Smallbrook Junction is a basic station with two platforms of wood construction for the National Railway and the heritage line (though some of the heritage line's steam locomotives are younger than the Island Line's Class 483 EMUs!) There is a ticket office on the IOWSR's platform but little else on the station. An interesting feature of the station is that there is no non-rail access to the station, the only way on or off it is by rail. The station is only open when the Isle of Wight Steam Railway is operating.

483 007 has just deposited a load of passengers for the steam railway

A1 Class W11 on the IOWSR's platform

Ivatt Class 2 41298 on the IOWSR platform

483 007 arrives on a Ryde bound service

The Isle of Wight Steam Railway
Opening in 1971 the Isle of Wight Steam Railway runs for nine km between Smallbrook Junction and Wootton via Havenstreet, it's headquarters. The IOWSR has preserved part of what was once the line to Newport, the capital of the island. Although there have been plans to extend the railway back towards Newport roads and houses have now been built across the former trackbed making it unlikely.

The IOWSR maintains an excellent collection of rolling stock at Havenstreet including Victorian and Edwardian era stock from the island's railway past when an extensive network operated.

Stock shed at Havenstreet

[1] R.J. Maycock & R. Silsbury, The Isle of Wight Steam Railway from 1923 Onwards (Oakwook Press, 2006) p. 242
[2] Ibid p. 81

Shanklin (SHN)

Shanklin is the Southern terminus of the Island Line, the last remaining part of the national railway network on the Isle of Wight. The island once was an extensive network of thirty-six stations across the island but now is reduced to a single line between Ryde Pier Head and Shanklin (plus the Isle of Wight Steam Railway which branches off the Island Line at Smallbrook Junction).

Information
Type:	National Rail (Island Line)
Station code:	SHN
Opened:	1864
Platforms:	1

Originally the line continued past Shanklin down to Wroxall and Ventnor but these stations were closed in the late 1960s largely due to the extra cost of electrification to continue the service to these stations as an extra sub-station would have needed to have been built [1].

Shanklin once had two platforms but only one is used now (the other platform has been turned into a flower garden) but there still remains a ticket office and a shop and the station building is Grade II listed. Two trains an hour leave Shanklin for Ryde.

483 007 at Shanklin

483 007 will head back North to Ryde soon

[1] R.J. Maycock & R. Silsbury, The Isle of Wight Railways From 1923 Onwards (Oakwood Press, 2006), p. 227

Ryde Esplanade (RYD)

Ryde Esplanade is located on the sea front at Ryde and is one of the most busiest stations on the Isle of Wight's Island Line.

Information
Type:	National Rail (Island Line)
Station code:	RYD
Opened:	1880
Platforms:	1

The first station on the site was to serve a horse drawn tram that ran along Ryde Pier but the railway station, originally called Pier Gate, was opened in 1880 when the railway line was built. The platforms - originally two were in use - are built partially over the shore (see photo below).

The station was closed at the end of 1966 in order to carry out modifications ready for electrification, the platforms had to be lowered as the ex-tube stock bought in for the Island Line had lower floors [1]. The station re-opened in 1967 along with the rest of the line. A new booking office and parcels office was built in 1973 [2], but shelters on the down platform were demolished later in the 1970s though the platform fell into disuse after cessation of shuttles from Ryde Pier Head. Now only the up platform is in use.

A bus station is located next to the railway station, and slightly more unusually a hovercraft station is located on the other side of the tracks via a footbridge!

483 007 departs to head across the sea to Ryde Pierhead

Ryde Esplanade is built partially over the shore line

483 004 emerges from Ryde tunnels on approach to Ryde Esplanade 

483 004 enters the station, the bus station can be seen next to the railway station

Behind 483 007 can be seen the now-disused other platform

[1] RJ Maycock & R Silsbury, The Isle of Wight Railways from 1923 Onwards (Oakwood Press, 2006) p. 225
[2] Ibid p. 235

Ryde Pier Head (RYP)

Information
Type:	National Rail (Island Line)
Station code:	RYP
Opened:	1880
Platforms:	1

Ryde Pier Head is the Northern terminus on the Island Line on the Isle of Wight, literally being over water at the end of Ryde Pier next to the terminal for the Wight Link catamaran from Portsmouth[1].

The station was opened in 1880, a joint effort between the London South Western Railway and London Brighton and South Coast Railway. Originally the station was over timber frames but the pier head was reinforced with ferro-concrete after World War 1[2].

Originally the station had 2 islands with 3 platforms, a fourth being added in 1933. However now only one platform is in use as the Island Line service has been cut back. At one stage in peak times a shuttle ran just between the Pier Head and the next station on land Ryde Esplanade as well as the regular service to the rest of the line but no longer.

Island Line 483 004 loads up with passengers from the ferry

Preparing to head for land

Island Line 483 007 just after arrival

Heading out across the sea towards the Pier Head (seen from Ryde Esplanade)

[1] John Balmforth, South West Trains (Ian Allan, 2011) p. 51
[2] R.J. Maycock & R. Silsbury, The Isle of Wight Railways from 1923 Onwards (Oakwood Press, 2006) p. 75

Ryde St. Johns Road (RYR)

Information
Type:	National Rail (Island Line)
Station code:	RYR
Opened:	1864

Ryde St. Johns Road is the headquarters of the Island Line on the Isle of Wight and also home to the line's depot. When the station was opened in 1864 by the Isle of Wight Railway (as Ryde station) it was their Northern terminus with passengers who needed to get to the pier taking a horse tram. The line was extended up to the pier in 1880.

Ryde St. Johns Road has 3 platforms but typically only 2 are in use with the main building on Platform 1. Platforms 2 and 3 are on an island platform with just a few shelters. Access between the platforms is via a footbridge. The Island Line's depot is next to the station as is the only remaining signalbox on the line [1]. It is possible the Isle of Wight Steam Railway could extend their services from Smallbrook Junction to Ryde St Johns Road though there are no firm plans at the moment.

483 004 departs heading for Shanklin

View South from the footbridge, the line's remaining signalbox on the right

The footbridge and trains at the depot

Ryde depot

Main station building

[1] R.J. Maycock & R. Silsbury, The Isle of Wight Railways from 1923 inwards (Oakwood Press, 2006) p. 239