Isle of Wight Steam Railway facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Isle of Wight Steam Railway |
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Southern Railway 0-6-0T Class A1X W11 'Newport' runs round the train at Wootton Station
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| 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 (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 special heritage railway on the Isle of Wight. It takes you on a journey through 5+1⁄2 miles (9 km) of beautiful countryside. The railway runs from Smallbrook Junction to Wootton station. Along the way, it passes through the small village of Havenstreet. This village is home to the main station, the railway's headquarters, and a depot where trains are kept. At Smallbrook Junction, you can even switch to the modern Island Line trains!
Contents
How the Railway Works
The Isle of Wight Steam Railway is owned and run by the Isle of Wight Railway Co. Ltd. Many amazing volunteers help keep the trains running. You can usually ride the trains on most days from June to September. They also run on certain days in April, May, October, and during public holidays.
This railway is very popular with visitors. People love to see the old steam locomotives and enjoy the railway cafe. Every August Bank Holiday weekend, the railway hosts the Island Steam Show. This event features lots of train rides and displays of different kinds of steam power. You can see huge traction engines and fun steam fair equipment. Other exciting attractions change each year. Sometimes, for special events, steam engines from the mainland are brought over by boat. They then travel to Havenstreet to join the fun!
Amazing Trains and Carriages
The railway has several steam locomotives, which are old-fashioned trains powered by steam. It also has a few diesel shunters, which are smaller engines used for moving trains around. Four of these diesel engines have a special history on the island.
To make the collection even better, many old passenger carriages have been found and restored. These carriages are from before 1921. The oldest ones were built in 1864, and the newest in 1924. There are also over 45 freight wagons, which are used to carry goods. The oldest of these dates back to around 1860.
In 2020, the railway got its first electric train, a British Rail Class 483 called 483007. This train, nicknamed "Jess Harper," used to run on the nearby Island Line. Now, it's on display in the Train Story museum for everyone to see.
Where the Trains are Kept
At Havenstreet, there's a special building called a carriage shed. This shed keeps the railway's collection of Victorian and Edwardian carriages safe. It protects them from bad weather and damage. The shed has four tracks, and each track can hold four large carriages. This means it's a very big building, about 75 by 25 meters! This shed is now open, and you can go inside to see the trains.
A Look Back in Time
The very first railway on the Isle of Wight opened in 1862. It connected the towns of Newport and Cowes. This line became the start of the Isle of Wight Central Railway. By 1890, the island had many railway lines. However, most of these lines were not very well looked after. They also didn't have many passengers or goods to carry. This was because the island was quite isolated and not very wealthy.
Because of this, the island's railways often couldn't buy new trains or carriages. Instead, they used older equipment that was brought over from the mainland. Many of the trains and carriages you see at the Isle of Wight Steam Railway today are like this. They show what trains were like on the island in the early and mid-1900s. They also show what trains were like on the mainland in the mid to late 1800s. This makes them very special and historically interesting! Some of the steam locomotives are over 100 years old, while others are a bit newer.
The first railway lines on the island started closing in 1952. More lines closed in 1966, including the Ryde to Newport and Cowes lines, and the Shanklin to Ventnor lines. The very last steam trains on the island ran on December 31, 1966, on the line from Ryde to Shanklin.
However, a small group of train fans formed the Wight Locomotive Society. They raised money to save one of the last steam locomotives, W24 Calbourne, and some carriages. Then, in 1971, the Isle of Wight Railway Co. Ltd. was created. This company bought a 1+1⁄2-mile (2 km) section of track between Wootton and Havenstreet.
From this small start, the railway has slowly grown. It was extended from Havenstreet towards Ryde. In 1991, this extension reached Smallbrook Junction. A new station was built there, allowing passengers to switch between the steam railway and the Island Line trains.
There have been ideas to extend the line further west from Wootton to Newport. However, it's unlikely the whole old line will be rebuilt. This is because a road now covers the old Newport station site. Houses have also been built on other parts of the former line. But, a section of the old trackbed from Wootton to the edge of Newport is still clear. This part could possibly be used in the future. Another idea is to extend the line from Smallbrook Junction to Ryde St John's Road station. This would use one of the two existing Island Line tracks.
The Haven Falconry Bird of Prey Centre used to be located on the grounds of Havenstreet until 2024. They have since moved to Butterfly World.
Gallery
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The railway's main locomotive, British Railways 0-4-4T W24 'Calbourne' at Wootton
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Hunslet Austerity 0-6-0ST WD198 'Royal Engineer' at Wootton
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British Railways 2-6-2T Class Ivatt Two No. 41298 at Wootton
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A map showing the Steam Railway
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A diagram of Isle of Wight railways, showing old and new lines
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A 1914 map of railway lines on the Isle of Wight
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483007 at the IOWSR (Isle of Wight Steam Railway) train story area.
See also
