I was very happy to have had one more chance to travel on the 38s in 2019. Hard to believe that when these were retired exactly one year ago that they were 82/83 years old.
Right? And it was exactly a year ago they were retired! That's quite the service life they had, and I'm very happy that all six operational units still running when they were retired are all going to be preserved and find new homes. :)
I understood that the reason for the line's continued existence was that the Pier rail was the only way of getting large numbers of passengers off the Portsmouth ferry and into Ryde town and beyond. Secondly the island's road network is so awful that the buses couldn't cope with getting holidaymakers to Sandown and Shanklin and so the railway was allowed to survive. I've read more recently that it's not entirely true about how narrow the Ryde tunnels are in limiting the loading Guage. The ex-District stock is more or less main line size and no expensive work was needed to accommodate them. Apparently it was a myth encouraged at the time as BR wouldn't pay for full size units and was offered the LU stock for peanuts.
Yeah, I've read similar about how the line survived. With the island's road network already clogged up with buses and unable to cope with holiday traffic, you can imagine how the suggestion of closing all the railways and turning Ryde Pier Head into a giant bus station must've gone down with the locals! And yes it wouldn't surprise me if the tube stock they got was just because it happened to be dirt cheap, basically sold to BR at scrap value. I believe some work has been done to lower the tracks in Ryde Tunnel now, to accommodate the new ex-District Line trains? I may be wrong on that.
Ah, the Island Line - still love it, even if it is kept afloat by ticket sales to rail enthusiasts & bloggers! Thanks for putting this together, and getting out there - and taking us with you!
Ha ha! I was there a couple of days ago - I'm a rail enthusiast and blogger and a lot of the other passengers seemed to be too - at Shanklin about half of the passengers got off, took a photo and got back on again! Hopefully the new trains and better track will encourage "ordinary" people to use the railway too.
Great to see you back! I visited the island for a day trip last July from Portsmouth, when unfortunately the Island Line was being refurbished. I'll be back later this year when visiting Portsmouth again! (I did visit the IOW Steam Railway though) 🙂
@@HeyItsAJOmega Absolutely 😁, so glad you are back! Oh and let's hope the island get more lines reopened as are the plans. Also, sad to see what they have done in Weymouth now.
The first time I went to the Isle of Wight was in the mid-70's, when the 2nd platform at Ryde Esplanade was still operational..although both lines had access south, the 2nd track and platform (and the extra one at the Pier Head) were mainly used for "pier shuttles," now long discontinued. This was with the 1920's "Standard Stock," which ran until 1989. The track on the disused platform at the Esplanade, although largely still in situ, has recently been severed, as part of the upgrade works for the Class 484 ex-District Line trains now running.
I see! That makes sense. I wonder if it would make for a nice static display to have an old 483 unit (or 485!) sitting in the extra platform at Pier Head?
I can remember going to Ventnor by train in the early 60s, going through the tunnel under St Boniface Down. I was only a kid (obviously!) but my Dad was interested in railways. It would have been 1961 or 1962, because I certainly wasn't yet a teenager. And on holiday to Freshwater a couple of years later, we were able to walk through the old St Lawrence tunnel on the Newport Godshill & St Lawrence Railway route to Ventnor West, closed in 1952. Don't suppose you still can, though!
@@DrivermanO - I walked through the 600 yard-long disused railway tunnel between Whitwell and St. Lawrence, on the Isle of Wight, on Easter Saturday 2019. It was perfectly dry inside and the was lining in excellent condition. At some point in the past the tunnel had clearly been used as a mushroom farm as there was still staging up against the tunnel wall and bags of unused compost lying around. The approach cutting to the northern portal was a rubbish tip.
Hi Adam. Happy New Year to you. Loved the video! You referred to items off camera that it would have been nice for you to have turned the camera to but, hey-ho. To be fair, it wasn't the 1938 stock that was bumpy, but the track? Looking forward to the next video.
Thank you so much! Yeah, sometimes I grab B-roll shots of various elements that either I can't use, or there's not the right footage. So sometimes I'll be rambling on and point something out, that I don't have any supporting B-roll for! Annoyingly. Thank you!
So great to see you back mate, you and your videos have been missed! Excellent video, really looking forward to the other two in the series! Keep up the superb work and a very Happy New Year to you! :-)
Amazing video and great to have you back! Can't wait for your follow-up videos! It was also great to bump into you at the Dartmoor Line opening. How does that link to the Northern City Line though? 🤔
Same for you!! Great to cross paths at Okehampton - that video will be coming soon too :) And that's a really good question! I'm sure there is a way...
I would love to go to the Isle of Wight and to take a ride on the Island Line and Class 484 which replaced the Class 483. Very good video AJ Omega. Good to see you back on RU-vid. ☺️
I do love the Island Line. Went down there in 2018 and was hoping to go back and ride the 1938 stock again, knowing their replacement was imminent. Unfortunately that didn't happen, but, it'll be interesting to try out the old D stock, when I get the chance.
Awesome video! only just discovered about the railway using old Tube stock when i was reading about them being replaced recently, was surprised the 1930's stock were still going strong!. Would be great if you could make an accompanying Isle of Man video too, as its history is pretty similar :)
Oooh! See coming from a motorbike family I only know the Isle of Man for the legendary TT race, but if there's railway history to be found on the island too, I'm there!
@@HeyItsAJOmega the islands main railway is narrow gauge steam, and there's also a mountain railway. Some of the lines were shut by Beaching as par for the course
Hi AJ - I always enjoy your videos but this one was particularly good! I went on an epic seasonal rail safari from my home in Glasgow to the Isle of Wight to see the new trains and only got back a couple of days ago. I actually ended up spending 40 minutes in Lake station myself and have to totally agree with your assessment - it was very very cold too which didn't help!! It's great to see all the new investment in the line. I'll miss the old trains too though...
I think a feasibility study to reopen from Shanklin to Ventnor has been funded under the Reversing Beeching fund. Hopefully it will have a positive outcome.
