Isle of Wight Steam Railway
| Isle of Wight Steam Railway | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| W8 Freshwater by the ground frame box at Wootton Station | |
| Locale | Isle of Wight |
| Terminus |
Smallbrook Junction Wootton |
| Commercial operations | |
| Original gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Preserved operations | |
| Owned by | Isle of Wight Railway Co. Ltd. |
| Operated by | Isle of Wight Railway Co. Ltd. |
| Stations | 4 |
| Length | 5 1⁄2 miles (8.9 km) |
| Preserved gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
| Preservation history | |
| 1971 | Opened |
| Headquarters | Havenstreet depot |
The Isle of Wight Steam Railway is a heritage railway on the Isle of Wight. The railway passes through 5.5 miles (8.9 km) of unspoiled countryside from Smallbrook Junction to Wootton station, passing through the small village of Havenstreet, where the line has a station, headquarters and a depot. At Smallbrook Junction, the steam railway connects with the Island Line.
The railway is owned and operated by the Isle of Wight Railway Co. Ltd. and run largely by volunteers. Services are operated on most days from June to September, together with selected days in April, May, and October and public holidays. The railway is popular with tourists, attracting people to its original steam locomotive and railway cafe. Over each August Bank Holiday weekend, the railway organises the Island Steam Show, which combines an intensive service on the railway with displays of various sorts of steam power including traction engines and steam fair equipment, together with other attractions that vary year by year. For events like steam galas and Day out with Thomas events, engines from the mainland have to be brought in by boat and then transferred to Havenstreet.
The railway has several steam locomotives and a small series of diesel shunters, four of which have had notable careers on the island. To complement the collection, numerous examples of pre-grouping carriages have been recovered and restored. The oldest of these were built in 1864 and the last in 1924. There are also more than 45 units of freight rolling stock, the oldest of which dates from circa 1860.
To allow the railway's collection of Victorian and Edwardian carriages to be kept undercover, away from the effects of weather and vandals, a rolling stock storage and display building has been built at Havenstreet. A four-road shed, with each road capable of storing four bogie coaches or their equivalent, amounting to a total size of 75 by 25 metres has been built, and track work is currently being completed. By December 2008, £71,000 had been raised by the railway, and as of May 2012, the railway was awaiting information to see if a grant application from the Heritage Lottery towards the £815,000 cost was successful. This was successful and the shed is now operational with public access to see the stock inside.
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Wikipedia