Hi Geoff ... The reason why Brading didn't get raised platforms was that the entire track was re-laid lower ... I was in the initial night crew that went across In October & November 2020 that did the survey work and we dug down some test pits 1.5 meters down below the initial track level to see exactly where the platform foundations were ... They also did core samples of the area around Brading station just to clarify what was there, even when the mains electric was turned off we still had residual voltage in the damp craggy soil around the track, which was far from safe. Areas of the original track were also lowered to accommodate the extra height of the 484's ... Where the height of the track couldn't be lowered, the platforms were raised to accommodate for the 484's ride height, also preserving the original platform decks I think they still have preservation orders on some of the old stock so it had to be preserved, it's also still the property of Network Rail and I think there were some provisions laid down by Network Rail what could & couldn't be done ... Many a wet night was spent at Brading & Shanklin over the week that I was there, commuting over & back on the Portsmouth Ferry ...
@@sIightIybored Yeah ... not really sure to be honest ... Network Rail are the people to ask as they still own this as far as I know ... I wouldn't expect a lot as there are preservation orders on this old stock, nice to see that the old signal house is looking good ...
Glad to see Geoff focusing heavily on accessibility issues. Although I'm quite capable of jumping gaps and climbing stairs, our public transport infrastructure should be for everyone, not just the fit and able.
I now have big problems with mobility but I recall well trying to get about London in the 80s with two huge suitcases. Stairs were so very hard and often that's how it had to be. I think at one point I did one big suitcase at a time down 1/2 flights. Never forget guy asking me if I needed help when I was 2 steps from being entirely done. What timing. LOL.
Greater accessibility benefits everyone. The Stadlers little bit that closes the gap is extremely convenient if you have a suitcase or even if you don't want to look up from your phone.
@@OlanKenny Agree on the first point but disagree on the last point. You really shouldn’t be focussing on a handheld device if you are disembarking from a vehicle of any kind.
We went to the iow for our holidays as kids in the 60's, and it always felt like I was going abroad when the white buildings built into the hills at Ryde came into view. Looked very continental.
Thanks Geoff; I remember my dad taking me to ride on the steam trains here, just before they disappeared. He came from the IoW and he said "Esplanade" to rhyme with "lemonade", for what it's worth...
Lovely to see the connections to Ventnor on the Timetable! in the hopes the railway might reach there again! and nice to see they retained the semephores at Johns Road!
A 7 month delay is not so bad. In Holland we have seen some heavy to light rail conversions that had a much longer delay. My favourite part of the Bitish railway network: IOW. Good luck with the new trains!
I used to travel on D trains a lot so it's interesting how familiar these trains sound - perhaps there should be a video about how different tube trains sound.
I was born in July 1974, so I too traveled extensively on D Stock trains, I too loved all the sounds made by the D Stock; mind you they sounded very much like the 1983 TS During the 80’s
In 2017 we had a 4 day break to I.O.W. staying at Sandown. The last day was a bus to Ryde and the old train back to Sandown. Nice to see better trains and service for the residents.
Geoff, I was born in Ryde, commuted to school in Sandown by train (originally steam before the *first* tube stock arrived) from Ryde Esplanade. The street and the station are pronounced Esplan-AID.
Thanks for the video Geoff I loved the old stock could never drink a cup of tea lol. Will miss them but new refurbished tube trains were needed. It's all looking good and a good time to definitely move forward with the line. Cannot wait to get overseas to have a ride!!😎🚃🚃🚃🚃🇬🇧💯
Lovely bit of drone footage at the end! And a great video. Really like your style of presentation - nicely informal but without being unintelligent. Cool looking units and looks like a well matched service proposition to the needs.
I went over there last week. I was well impressed with the "new" trains, it does seem weird having ex-D78 Stock on the island though...I was equally pleased to see that there were no significant issues with Ryde Tunnel, it did feel on entering that you were then going to emerge into Bow Road or Bromley-by-Bow, rather than still being in Ryde!!
I used them a lot in London but always referred to them as Underground trains as they were on cut-and-cover lines and not running in tubes. Their loading gauge is compatible with surface stock and therefore far more appropriate for a surface line.
great to hear, Islanders will be happy I'm sure, went over to the Island in September, the amount of traffic was as bad as a school holiday on the island.
Another place you can see the Vivarail units is, bizarrely, near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Two battery-powered units are being tested out on the trackage of a heritage railway.
Great to see. I must have sat on those very carriages many times over the years as district line trains and most certainly my head as slid across the glass when asleep 😆
Blimey I remember in 1979 seeing the D stock at Richmond Station for the first time. I was luckily I got a ride on the 38 stock two years ago. It was great fun travelling on these lovely trains again.
I went to IOW for holiday every year during 60’s and remember the steam trains followed by the first tube stock which I think dated back to 1929 and were only ten years younger than the steam trains they replaced. The IOW has never had new stock, has always been second hand. These latest trains are totally refurbished and are as near to new as anything the island has had in the past
Being incredibly pedantic, the Isle of Wight Railway did have brand new engines and carriages when it opened in 1864. I think at least one of the carriages is being restored at Havenstreet. A new engine was also built for the Isle of Wight Central Railway in 1890. So yeah, no truly new stock for a mere 132 years :) The D78s are just 44 years old, so actually older than the first set of tube stock replacements in 1967. But from the video they look really nice, and a lot smoother! I too am just old enough to remember the old steam trains on Ryde-Ventnor/Cowes and it is very nostalgic to ride in them again at the IoWSR at Havenstreet.
After seeing this video I was looking forward to travelling the whole length of this railway but nothing prepared me for the delightful "clickety click" of the wheels on the track! Awesome!
Geoff, thanks for uploading another great vid. I visited the line on the first day of operation (1st Nov 2021) to see the upgrade - a far cry from steam to Ventnor I remember as a child! Overall, I was not very impressed with what has been done over here. The timetable is slack yet on day one it fell apart; the door operation is very slow and adds to dwell times. There didn’t seem to be any urgency to make up time and on an hourly service terminating short and starting back from that station is not really an option for passengers marooned at the station(s) not being served. The track obviously remains jointed not CWR but the acceleration of the trains was poor and no doubt contributed to the sloppy operation on day one. I noted mechanical signalling still in use - a missed opportunity to have a modern, digital signalling system? Vivarail stock may unfortunately be the life-saving option for some routes but frankly the Class 484s are inadequate rolling stock in my view. The matter of provision of toilets (on presumably DfE specified stock) has been aired on other videos on your site and in 2021 the absence of toilets on trains seems to be another gross shortcoming - elsewhere, your viewers make a good case for provision. Apart from the doors being slow to open, all the audible signals etc were a nuisance and added to the unsatisfactory passenger experience. Tube stock seating layout also, to my mind, is not appropriate for this line and is a lazy aspect of stock conversion. Re stations, the various work you recorded was noted on my visit and your observations on disabled access are well made. Another example is the connection at Ryde Esplanade with the hovercraft where passengers have to use the footbridge to gain the station entrance. I don’t know the specific objectives of the project but in the long period of closure, albeit in lockdown, much more surely needed doing. For example, the roof on Ryde Pier Head station buildings are old corrugated cement sheets and parts of the wind breaks have not been replaced. Surely this was an ideal time to do a better refurbishment. There was also an absence of dot matrix indicators at several stations - I would have thought this was basic passenger information provision nowadays. Overall, not at all impressed by what has been achieved. A bit of upgrading/renewals but replacing older Underground stock with tarted up 40 year old rolling stock looks as though the Island Line has been treated poorly. I wonder if, say, a tram option had been considered with the possibility of extension beyond Shanklin?
Brilliant Video Geoff, I managed to visit the Isle of Wight for the first time on the 1st November and really enjoyed it, the Class 484s are brilliant, love the USBs between the seats but the most memorable bit I will remember about my visit was boarding the 0845 to Shanklin at Ryde Pier Head and it got cancelled! Because it arrived 10 minutes late into Ryde Pier Head and wanted to get it back on track. Now I just remember that this was all a dream because the Isle of Wight don't exist lol! (just kidding) but seriously as Geoff said at the end, Do visit the Isle of Wight, it is amazing and I was impressed every stop towards Shanklin, would love to go again! :D
So did you have to wait an hour for the next train then? Not great especially with a frequent bus alternative (from Esplanade onwards). They should at least have shuttled it down the pier to Esplanade to save everyone the walk. I've seen a similar problem on the Portsmouth-Ryde ferry with only one operating; the one hour circuit is very tight for time and on a choppy day with plenty of passengers the ferries were running a few minutes late, gradually increasing during the day. So we missed the connecting train and waited for the one 20 minutes later. It stopped at Esplanade and didn't come to the pier because the choppy water and high tide meant waves were occasionally breaking over the pier. Cue a half mile walk down the pier for the next train in 40 minutes (these were the old trains and old service pattern).
The lovely man I met that I sat next to on the replacement bus from Newport-Southampton has been waiting for this for ages and I remembered watching your video on the line closing and realised how much it actually affected residents! So happy!
Great video Geoff l, I love going to the Isle of wight,I've only been a couple of times but it's a great little island, I've never been on the island line though and it's something I want to go on one day.
For someone who’s never been to the Isle of Wight, you seem to go there a lot! Really informative video and very enjoyable - the noise of those trains takes me back to commuting in London!
Delighted to have discovered your channel, Geoff. I enjoyed your engaging presentation here as well as learning of this very attractive refurbishment of classic old tube stock, giving it a new lease on life. Also love that they maintained transverse seating - very attractive new interiors. Drone shots showing the trains at dusk were lovely, too. I will hope to experience this line when I get back across the Pond. Meantime, you're giving me lots of reasons to think in that direction! Cheers!
Good to see this modernisation taking effect. My paternal grandfather's family was from IOW and I have dim childhood memories of the old steam trains. Such a pity so many of the lines were torn up.
Those refurbished trains look brand new. Amazing what you can do. Kinda similar idea to the old as hell Budd passenger cars on VIA in Canada, some are from the 40s but they are crisp new inside and wonderful to ride.
What a lovely job they've done on both the refurb work on the D-stock (they look fantastic) and the amount of work raising the platforms (we'll ignore Brading).
Lovely to see the old D stock repurposed and living a new life on the Isle. Nice to see the infrastructure has been updated without trashing everything that gave the line its character too 😎 We keep saying we’re going to visit the IoW so this might just give me the extra incentive to do it 🤔 Cheers 👍🍻🍀
Lovely ex LT District Line Stock. Absolutely brilliant revamping these old trains. Good on you I.O.W., it looks a really modern upgrade. Thank you Geoff for another professional video.
Lived on the island for 6 months and spent time on and off. What an amazing line. Have travelled the length of the line many times. My stops of choice were Brading and Shanklin where I’d go to ring 2 of the islands sets of Church bell 🔔 towers. But that’s another story. As always a great video. Top tip if you have a rail card then you will get a discount on the island line and if coming from the main line get a train ticket to Ryde esplanade not only will you get a discount on the ferry but the trip to the second station is included. Saves the long walk along Ryde pier. Did this trip many times.
I love the look of the new trains and the improvement along the line (I heard about the passing loop been installed at Brading for a 1/2 hour service, better late then never as they say). I did come to the Island on holiday 20 years ago and traveled on both railway with both the 1938 stock tube train and the steam service so I am sorry not to see them again but I will be looking forward to a more up-to-date and futuristic Island Line if and when I come for another visit to the Isle of Wright. As ever a great video to watch. Thank You Geoff. 😊👍🚃
I wish you wouldn't call the D Stock tube trains, they are surface stock Underground trains! But that aside another great upload, i find your vids very enjoyable to watch. With regard to the old service being at 20/40 minute intervals, i was there on a Saturday in August 2006 when they had 5 serviceable 38 stocks. The service was worked by two 4 car trains. But around 14.00ish, the spare 2 car train appeared and a three train, 20 minute interval service ran! The Up train had to wait at Sandown for a minute or two for the Down Shanklin to arrive but for a few hours a 20 min service ran, i filmed it all! I assume the spare crew worked the extra train but i wonder how often this happened?......
@@geofftech2 - That wasn't always the case. For very many years the expression "The Tube" was only ever used - colloquially or otherwise - in respect of the deep-level network where diminutive trains run in narrow-bore tunnels bored through the London Clay. The sub-surface, cut-and-cover lines were always referred to as "The Underground". It's a shame that this important distinction has been eroded.
With those green screen skills Geoff you’ll never actually need to go on holiday again. Isn’t technology amazing...! Great video! Pleasure as always to watch, keep it up and stay safe!
Tell you what, you really put the effort in to convince us that you *have* been to the Isle of Wight, when we all know you haven't ;) Great video! I was there on the very first train of the very first day, bleary-eyed but I made it! And I love how everything about the line, including the new trains, are improvements while also retaining the classic spirit of the line - the stations still have a lovely vintage feel, and of course, the tradition of tube trains on the Isle of Wight lives on! ^_^
Great to see the new trains over there, and just fantastic to see them running two sets together - it's been many years since I saw anything other than a single two car set running. Brings back memories of the old 1926 stock they had over there back in the 60's and 70's, you often saw them running 7 car trains. Nice to see the track doubled at Brading once again, I remember when that double section of track went all the way between Brading and Sandown. I also remember when both platforms were in use at Ryde Esplanade. And did you know that there used to be another branch of the railway (originally the Isle of Wight Central Railway) that branched of from Sandown and travelled across to Newport? I have read recently that the council is hoping to reinstate it, will wait and see on that one! If you ever want to delve into the history of railway lines, the island is a fantastic place to do so, there were a lot of lines running all over the island in the past. Two different lines running into Ventnor, a line running out to Freshwater, plus the other two lines running into Newport from the east - one from Smallbrook Junction, and the other from Sandown. Just lots of interesting railway history on a relatively small island.
Hi, I love the IOW and always wondered why they have old tube trains. So glad this came up on my feed, as I normally don't like trains but you made that very interesting. Keep up the content and started to watch other videos too.
The loading gauge (body envelope) of the Isle of Wight is too small for normal main line stock. In steam days it used small engines and 1900-20s carriages, some may have run on the Hastings line which had tight clearances. A bit of work was needed even to enable the D78 subsurface stock to fit. Presumably it was felt that none of the later types of true "tube" stock was in good enough condition to be reused after it was withdrawn.
I remember taking the train from the pier head down to Brading (I think it was) when my class was on a week-long school trip to a big house on the Isle of Wight, in late spring 1964. I remember the (quite old) tube stock -- how many generations ago? Of course, this was long enough ago that we were checking out passenger liners going to/from Southampton when we were on the beach. My logbook (written as part of the school trip) records seeing RMS Franconia, SS Andes, SS United States and SS France. Then visited HMS Victory on the way back. I haven't thought of that visit (complete with Isle of Wight railways) in a long time -- thanks for the prompt to go down memory lane
Went over to the island in July and went on the new trains They're cool, we also went on the heritage railway which is also amazing, and it's so good they have that station at smallbrook junction, just a shame that most of the islands railway has been removed 😢
Excellent content as always Geoff. I’m going to do a mini mysteries of the railway series in the new year where one of the episodes has me looking into why six of the stations on IoW have only one platform
Geoff ... I believe that they have kept one of the 483's on the Island and it has been taken across to the old Steam railway, not sure if they are doing it up or if it's just getting a paint job, but I'm sure at least one is there ... !
Joining the steam line to this and finding a way to run into Cowes would be be a massive improvement. This would create a heritage line while providing transport and a tourist attraction. Mainland visitors could come by boat without cars while the Island line could mimic the San Francisco Historic Streetcar line where people can ride historic trams.
Nice thought but that would be a big stretch. I cycled most of the rail-trails on IOW in 2007 and there are significant gaps through Newport and Cowes where the old right-of-way has been redeveloped and there is no practical way to get the railway through there again.
Great video as always. I'm going to Shanklin in a couple of weeks so will be trying these out, I guess I will miss the old "white knuckle" experience you would get on the old trains.
Many moons ago it was double track between Brading and Sandown - it helped with the half hourly timetable. If you look out between Brading and Sandown you’ll notice the redundant third rail from the lifted line is still in situ. Apparently there were power issues when the line was lifted and the third rail remained. The line is downhill on the up line from Shanklin and is immediately 45 mph when departing the station, so that probably explains the timetable difference. There are speed restrictions leaving all the other stations, and there appears to be a temporary speed restriction between St Johns and Smallbrook. Train was busy yesterday and was only two cars. But it was on time. It’s been really busy this week and timings have suffered. There’s not a great deal of leeway to meet the fastcat if the train is delayed. Fastcat used to depart at 47, now it’s 45, and the train is supposed to get to the pier head at 41. The guard no longer opens the doors from the rear of the train. The new ‘panels’ are opened with a key that the guard carries. Makes their job rather tricky when the train’s full of passengers. And the guards door only opens when the train is stationary. Couple this with the door opening and closing beeps, the time opening and closing is somewhat longer than the 38 stock. All this adds up. Will be interesting to see if they can run half hourly consistently. Great news it’s running again. Just need to give it time to bed in and review once the data is in.
So they’re only running an hourly service instead of half hourly, but instead of choosing the timing so that people have a 30 minute wait for the ferry (or the train if arriving), the train is timed to leave 4-6 minutes or so either way, for everyone to get off and onto the ferry (or train), which is also hourly. By all accounts the train is missing the ferry, leaving the passengers to sit (well, actually mostly stand in a draughty hall) and wait just under an hour for the next ferry/train. The only reason the train goes to the pier head is to serve the ferry. Typical British integrated transport!
@@MH-xd2nd The ferries also sometimes run late, in particular if they have one ship on an hourly service which has very tight turnrounds. One delay due to heavy seas or slow boarding and it is late for the rest of the day. And of course the ships and trains are no longer operated by the same company, so no official cooperation.
The ride is a lot smoother now. As well as the "new trains," the ballast on the track when the '38 Stock was running used to be beach shingle in places, this was all replaced by "proper ballast" during the shutdown.
Hi Geoff ... The reason why Brading didn't get raised platforms was that the entire track was re-laid lower ...
I was in the initial night crew that went across In October & November 2020 that did the survey work and we dug down some test pits 1.5 meters down below the initial track level to see exactly where the platform foundations were ... They also did core samples of the area around Brading station just to clarify what was there, even when the mains electric was turned off we still had residual voltage in the damp craggy soil around the track, which was far from safe. Areas of the original track were also lowered to accommodate the extra height of the 484's ... Where the height of the track couldn't be lowered, the platforms were raised to accommodate for the 484's ride height, also preserving the original platform decks I think they still have preservation orders on some of the old stock so it had to be preserved, it's also still the property of Network Rail and I think there were some provisions laid down by Network Rail what could & couldn't be done ...
Many a wet night was spent at Brading & Shanklin over the week that I was there, commuting over & back on the Portsmouth Ferry ...
Quality post Deano
I would hope there is more planned at Brading then, at 4:48 there is a definite gap below the doors to the platform.
@@sIightIybored Yeah ... not really sure to be honest ... Network Rail are the people to ask as they still own this as far as I know ... I wouldn't expect a lot as there are preservation orders on this old stock, nice to see that the old signal house is looking good ...
@@TTWGD3 Cheers ... Very welcome ... Dean'o
Meanwhile on the rest of the BR network - Mind the Gap
Geoff is basically the "Train Guy" and I love his personality
100% true my friend
* the train guy's train guy. 👌
@@aston-martin-internationalist an honorary wheeltapper and shunter.
As a viewer with "accessible needs", I'm very happy to see you highlighting this, thank you.
Tell you what, your green screen skills have gone up massively.. bravo!
I thought he was acc there
@@zakbakali1870 you will learn
@@zakbakali1870 Where? What place are you on about? Never heard of it.
@@geofftech2 so great that you managed to fake an entire island
Great to see old stock, still in motion somewhere else, instead of being scrapped.
Glad to see Geoff focusing heavily on accessibility issues. Although I'm quite capable of jumping gaps and climbing stairs, our public transport infrastructure should be for everyone, not just the fit and able.
I now have big problems with mobility but I recall well trying to get about London in the 80s with two huge suitcases. Stairs were so very hard and often that's how it had to be. I think at one point I did one big suitcase at a time down 1/2 flights. Never forget guy asking me if I needed help when I was 2 steps from being entirely done. What timing. LOL.
Don't ever try and use the trains in the USA.
Greater accessibility benefits everyone. The Stadlers little bit that closes the gap is extremely convenient if you have a suitcase or even if you don't want to look up from your phone.
@@OlanKenny Agree on the first point but disagree on the last point. You really shouldn’t be focussing on a handheld device if you are disembarking from a vehicle of any kind.
So true!
We went to the iow for our holidays as kids in the 60's, and it always felt like I was going abroad when the white buildings built into the hills at Ryde came into view. Looked very continental.
The efforts he will go to in order to convince us he has visited the IOW, even hiring actors to play his "companions" !
Lovely shot at the end at dusk with the birds flying by 😃 11:45
Thanks Geoff; I remember my dad taking me to ride on the steam trains here, just before they disappeared. He came from the IoW and he said "Esplanade" to rhyme with "lemonade", for what it's worth...
Lovely to see the connections to Ventnor on the Timetable! in the hopes the railway might reach there again!
and nice to see they retained the semephores at Johns Road!
A 7 month delay is not so bad. In Holland we have seen some heavy to light rail conversions that had a much longer delay.
My favourite part of the Bitish railway network: IOW. Good luck with the new trains!
I used to travel on D trains a lot so it's interesting how familiar these trains sound - perhaps there should be a video about how different tube trains sound.
I was born in July 1974, so I too traveled extensively on D Stock trains, I too loved all the sounds made by the D Stock; mind you they sounded very much like the 1983 TS During the 80’s
In 2017 we had a 4 day break to I.O.W. staying at Sandown. The last day was a bus to Ryde and the old train back to Sandown. Nice to see better trains and service for the residents.
Geoff, I was born in Ryde, commuted to school in Sandown by train (originally steam before the *first* tube stock arrived) from Ryde Esplanade. The street and the station are pronounced Esplan-AID.
Thanks-I was born in Sandown many decades ago and remember the steam trains .
Thanks for the video Geoff I loved the old stock could never drink a cup of tea lol. Will miss them but new refurbished tube trains were needed. It's all looking good and a good time to definitely move forward with the line. Cannot wait to get overseas to have a ride!!😎🚃🚃🚃🚃🇬🇧💯
One of the old Class 483 sets has found its way onto The Llanelli and Mynydd mawr railway where it will keep some former TfW Pacers company.
The one at sandown is soon to follow
This train looks beautiful. I am very impressed with it, a nice upgrade from the original but I will still miss it.
Lovely bit of drone footage at the end! And a great video. Really like your style of presentation - nicely informal but without being unintelligent. Cool looking units and looks like a well matched service proposition to the needs.
I went over there last week. I was well impressed with the "new" trains, it does seem weird having ex-D78 Stock on the island though...I was equally pleased to see that there were no significant issues with Ryde Tunnel, it did feel on entering that you were then going to emerge into Bow Road or Bromley-by-Bow, rather than still being in Ryde!!
I used them a lot in London but always referred to them as Underground trains as they were on cut-and-cover lines and not running in tubes. Their loading gauge is compatible with surface stock and therefore far more appropriate for a surface line.
its nice to see that the island line trains are ran by south western railway
11:47 lovely shot of the 484 and the flocks of birds. All flying in the same direction
Having followed your account for over 4-5 years now, I must say you have improved significantly; especially with the drone effects. Loved it👌🔥
Absolutely loved this video! The new trains and platforms look awesome. Thank you for this free content on my phone 😁
great to hear, Islanders will be happy I'm sure, went over to the Island in September, the amount of traffic was as bad as a school holiday on the island.
Another place you can see the Vivarail units is, bizarrely, near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Two battery-powered units are being tested out on the trackage of a heritage railway.
The HQ of their parent company is in PIT...
4:45 That sound 😍😍😍
Woah it’s yawwie
Great to see. I must have sat on those very carriages many times over the years as district line trains and most certainly my head as slid across the glass when asleep 😆
Blimey I remember in 1979 seeing the D stock at Richmond Station for the first time. I was luckily I got a ride on the 38 stock two years ago. It was great fun travelling on these lovely trains again.
Nice video Geoff, I did love the 1938 stock but they were 80+ years after all! Its still nice to still see ex tube stock on the Island!
Isle of Wight certainly seems like a interesting place to go what with ryde pier head and that!
1:45 a lovely shot of the pier and Ryde seafront there Geoff, brings back good memories of holidays to the IoW
Glad to see the Island Line running again! I'll look forward to visiting and a 484 bash!
I went to IOW for holiday every year during 60’s and remember the steam trains followed by the first tube stock which I think dated back to 1929 and were only ten years younger than the steam trains they replaced. The IOW has never had new stock, has always been second hand. These latest trains are totally refurbished and are as near to new as anything the island has had in the past
Being incredibly pedantic, the Isle of Wight Railway did have brand new engines and carriages when it opened in 1864. I think at least one of the carriages is being restored at Havenstreet. A new engine was also built for the Isle of Wight Central Railway in 1890. So yeah, no truly new stock for a mere 132 years :) The D78s are just 44 years old, so actually older than the first set of tube stock replacements in 1967. But from the video they look really nice, and a lot smoother! I too am just old enough to remember the old steam trains on Ryde-Ventnor/Cowes and it is very nostalgic to ride in them again at the IoWSR at Havenstreet.
love how regardless of the stock on the isle of wight, the doors are always slow
It was something to do with the Toc spec for guard operation
Hi geoff. These new trains look great!
This line reminds me of the old Beatles number "Shes got a ticket to Ryde."
After seeing this video I was looking forward to travelling the whole length of this railway but nothing prepared me for the delightful "clickety click" of the wheels on the track! Awesome!
Wonderful ! Hope we will be able to re-visit the Isle of Wight railways one day. Thanks for sharing.
Geoff, thanks for uploading another great vid. I visited the line on the first day of operation (1st Nov 2021) to see the upgrade - a far cry from steam to Ventnor I remember as a child! Overall, I was not very impressed with what has been done over here.
The timetable is slack yet on day one it fell apart; the door operation is very slow and adds to dwell times. There didn’t seem to be any urgency to make up time and on an hourly service terminating short and starting back from that station is not really an option for passengers marooned at the station(s) not being served. The track obviously remains jointed not CWR but the acceleration of the trains was poor and no doubt contributed to the sloppy operation on day one. I noted mechanical signalling still in use - a missed opportunity to have a modern, digital signalling system?
Vivarail stock may unfortunately be the life-saving option for some routes but frankly the Class 484s are inadequate rolling stock in my view. The matter of provision of toilets (on presumably DfE specified stock) has been aired on other videos on your site and in 2021 the absence of toilets on trains seems to be another gross shortcoming - elsewhere, your viewers make a good case for provision. Apart from the doors being slow to open, all the audible signals etc were a nuisance and added to the unsatisfactory passenger experience. Tube stock seating layout also, to my mind, is not appropriate for this line and is a lazy aspect of stock conversion.
Re stations, the various work you recorded was noted on my visit and your observations on disabled access are well made. Another example is the connection at Ryde Esplanade with the hovercraft where passengers have to use the footbridge to gain the station entrance. I don’t know the specific objectives of the project but in the long period of closure, albeit in lockdown, much more surely needed doing. For example, the roof on Ryde Pier Head station buildings are old corrugated cement sheets and parts of the wind breaks have not been replaced. Surely this was an ideal time to do a better refurbishment. There was also an absence of dot matrix indicators at several stations - I would have thought this was basic passenger information provision nowadays.
Overall, not at all impressed by what has been achieved. A bit of upgrading/renewals but replacing older Underground stock with tarted up 40 year old rolling stock looks as though the Island Line has been treated poorly. I wonder if, say, a tram option had been considered with the possibility of extension beyond Shanklin?
Brilliant Video Geoff, I managed to visit the Isle of Wight for the first time on the 1st November and really enjoyed it, the Class 484s are brilliant, love the USBs between the seats but the most memorable bit I will remember about my visit was boarding the 0845 to Shanklin at Ryde Pier Head and it got cancelled! Because it arrived 10 minutes late into Ryde Pier Head and wanted to get it back on track. Now I just remember that this was all a dream because the Isle of Wight don't exist lol! (just kidding) but seriously as Geoff said at the end, Do visit the Isle of Wight, it is amazing and I was impressed every stop towards Shanklin, would love to go again! :D
It's the Isle of White that doesn't exist lol
So did you have to wait an hour for the next train then? Not great especially with a frequent bus alternative (from Esplanade onwards). They should at least have shuttled it down the pier to Esplanade to save everyone the walk. I've seen a similar problem on the Portsmouth-Ryde ferry with only one operating; the one hour circuit is very tight for time and on a choppy day with plenty of passengers the ferries were running a few minutes late, gradually increasing during the day. So we missed the connecting train and waited for the one 20 minutes later. It stopped at Esplanade and didn't come to the pier because the choppy water and high tide meant waves were occasionally breaking over the pier. Cue a half mile walk down the pier for the next train in 40 minutes (these were the old trains and old service pattern).
The lovely man I met that I sat next to on the replacement bus from Newport-Southampton has been waiting for this for ages and I remembered watching your video on the line closing and realised how much it actually affected residents! So happy!
So looking forward to trying them out in the Summer on our annual holiday.
When I was on the iow I actually saw a truck carrying the new trains!
Blimey; there’s a blast from the past… Rob W! Not seen him with Martin C for many years 😮
Those trains look soooo good! Sad to see the old trains gone but time moves on and this is a very good improvement
Well you cant blame them considering those trains were 90 years old
Great video Geoff l, I love going to the Isle of wight,I've only been a couple of times but it's a great little island, I've never been on the island line though and it's something I want to go on one day.
Nice to see those District line trains put to good use.
Well done Geoff for wearing a mask when most other people on the train wasn't, despite it being not ideal for filming. That deserves some respect!
yes totally. and when hardly anybody else is wearing them, it's so easy to slip into not doing so.
As always a good presentation and great to see your 2 helpers for the film as well
At Brading station they have instead lowered the trackbed rather than raise the platform.
The D-stock trains are back! These are definitely nicer and smoother than the old District line carriages
For someone who’s never been to the Isle of Wight, you seem to go there a lot!
Really informative video and very enjoyable - the noise of those trains takes me back to commuting in London!
Delighted to have discovered your channel, Geoff. I enjoyed your engaging presentation here as well as learning of this very attractive refurbishment of classic old tube stock, giving it a new lease on life. Also love that they maintained transverse seating - very attractive new interiors. Drone shots showing the trains at dusk were lovely, too. I will hope to experience this line when I get back across the Pond. Meantime, you're giving me lots of reasons to think in that direction!
Cheers!
I can still feel the bounce of the old trains and I was only on them twice! :D
Incredible green screen Geoff! Almost looks like you're really there.
Good to see this modernisation taking effect. My paternal grandfather's family was from IOW and I have dim childhood memories of the old steam trains. Such a pity so many of the lines were torn up.
Those doors opening slow are going to become a pain.
Probably due to the retrofitting. Unfortunately there's not much that can be done to resolve that if I'm not mistaken.
@@Yawwie Just give them a push
Nice drone skills! The drone footage add some nice shots to the video.
Great to see the Island Line getting its long overdue station and rolling tock upgrades.
Those refurbished trains look brand new. Amazing what you can do.
Kinda similar idea to the old as hell Budd passenger cars on VIA in Canada, some are from the 40s but they are crisp new inside and wonderful to ride.
Wow! I've been watching the Hovercam for months. Finally gave up. Thanks Geoff - something to do on the dark evenings.
What a lovely job they've done on both the refurb work on the D-stock (they look fantastic) and the amount of work raising the platforms (we'll ignore Brading).
Lovely to see the old D stock repurposed and living a new life on the Isle. Nice to see the infrastructure has been updated without trashing everything that gave the line its character too 😎 We keep saying we’re going to visit the IoW so this might just give me the extra incentive to do it 🤔
Cheers 👍🍻🍀
Lovely ex LT District Line Stock. Absolutely brilliant revamping these old trains. Good on you I.O.W., it looks a really modern upgrade. Thank you Geoff for another professional video.
Lived on the island for 6 months and spent time on and off. What an amazing line. Have travelled the length of the line many times. My stops of choice were Brading and Shanklin where I’d go to ring 2 of the islands sets of Church bell 🔔 towers. But that’s another story. As always a great video. Top tip if you have a rail card then you will get a discount on the island line and if coming from the main line get a train ticket to Ryde esplanade not only will you get a discount on the ferry but the trip to the second station is included. Saves the long walk along Ryde pier. Did this trip many times.
thanks Andy, great comment! i should have used my Railcard yes ... !
Great video Geoff. I didn’t realise the differences between these units and the ones used on the Bletchley-Bedford line, interesting.
Espla-Naid makes it sound like a fizzy drink - lemonade, cherry add, limeade, orangeade, esplanade!
Fabulous trains, fabulous episode, fabulous contributors. Well done. 👏👏👍😀
I love the look of the new trains and the improvement along the line (I heard about the passing loop been installed at Brading for a 1/2 hour service, better late then never as they say). I did come to the Island on holiday 20 years ago and traveled on both railway with both the 1938 stock tube train and the steam service so I am sorry not to see them again but I will be looking forward to a more up-to-date and futuristic Island Line if and when I come for another visit to the Isle of Wright. As ever a great video to watch. Thank You Geoff. 😊👍🚃
Mourning the loss of the ‘38 vintage and the bouncy track!!… have to go visit again soon.
I wish you wouldn't call the D Stock tube trains, they are surface stock Underground trains! But that aside another great upload, i find your vids very enjoyable to watch. With regard to the old service being at 20/40 minute intervals, i was there on a Saturday in August 2006 when they had 5 serviceable 38 stocks. The service was worked by two 4 car trains. But around 14.00ish, the spare 2 car train appeared and a three train, 20 minute interval service ran! The Up train had to wait at Sandown for a minute or two for the Down Shanklin to arrive but for a few hours a 20 min service ran, i filmed it all! I assume the spare crew worked the extra train but i wonder how often this happened?......
@@geofftech2 - That wasn't always the case. For very many years the expression "The Tube" was only ever used - colloquially or otherwise - in respect of the deep-level network where diminutive trains run in narrow-bore tunnels bored through the London Clay. The sub-surface, cut-and-cover lines were always referred to as "The Underground". It's a shame that this important distinction has been eroded.
With those green screen skills Geoff you’ll never actually need to go on holiday again. Isn’t technology amazing...! Great video! Pleasure as always to watch, keep it up and stay safe!
They sound exactly like the D stock trains did when they were pulling out of a tube station so it brings back a lot of nice memories .
Nice to see Geoff not on the Isle of Wight again 😂
The metro system in Singapore announces Esplanade as Esplan-ade and Promenade as Prome-nud
Tell you what, you really put the effort in to convince us that you *have* been to the Isle of Wight, when we all know you haven't ;)
Great video! I was there on the very first train of the very first day, bleary-eyed but I made it! And I love how everything about the line, including the new trains, are improvements while also retaining the classic spirit of the line - the stations still have a lovely vintage feel, and of course, the tradition of tube trains on the Isle of Wight lives on! ^_^
I remember going on holiday,with my parents , by train to Shanklin. Steam hauled etc 1960.
Great to see the new trains over there, and just fantastic to see them running two sets together - it's been many years since I saw anything other than a single two car set running. Brings back memories of the old 1926 stock they had over there back in the 60's and 70's, you often saw them running 7 car trains. Nice to see the track doubled at Brading once again, I remember when that double section of track went all the way between Brading and Sandown. I also remember when both platforms were in use at Ryde Esplanade. And did you know that there used to be another branch of the railway (originally the Isle of Wight Central Railway) that branched of from Sandown and travelled across to Newport? I have read recently that the council is hoping to reinstate it, will wait and see on that one! If you ever want to delve into the history of railway lines, the island is a fantastic place to do so, there were a lot of lines running all over the island in the past. Two different lines running into Ventnor, a line running out to Freshwater, plus the other two lines running into Newport from the east - one from Smallbrook Junction, and the other from Sandown. Just lots of interesting railway history on a relatively small island.
Love the pin you brought!!! The new trains are a great addition but will miss the old ones.
can't believe geoff had a twenty quid note on him - who carries cash these days ?!
Hi, I love the IOW and always wondered why they have old tube trains. So glad this came up on my feed, as I normally don't like trains but you made that very interesting. Keep up the content and started to watch other videos too.
The loading gauge (body envelope) of the Isle of Wight is too small for normal main line stock. In steam days it used small engines and 1900-20s carriages, some may have run on the Hastings line which had tight clearances. A bit of work was needed even to enable the D78 subsurface stock to fit. Presumably it was felt that none of the later types of true "tube" stock was in good enough condition to be reused after it was withdrawn.
Lovely travelogue Geoff and thanks for the details (and enthusiasm once more).
I remember taking the train from the pier head down to Brading (I think it was) when my class was on a week-long school trip to a big house on the Isle of Wight, in late spring 1964. I remember the (quite old) tube stock -- how many generations ago? Of course, this was long enough ago that we were checking out passenger liners going to/from Southampton when we were on the beach. My logbook (written as part of the school trip) records seeing RMS Franconia, SS Andes, SS United States and SS France. Then visited HMS Victory on the way back. I haven't thought of that visit (complete with Isle of Wight railways) in a long time -- thanks for the prompt to go down memory lane
Went over to the island in July and went on the new trains They're cool, we also went on the heritage railway which is also amazing, and it's so good they have that station at smallbrook junction, just a shame that most of the islands railway has been removed 😢
That MUSIC AND SUNSET just beautiful.
Excellent but we will miss the legendary 1938 tube stock.
Loving your videos Geoff! UK railways are really fascinating... And kinda iffy 😀
Excellent content as always Geoff. I’m going to do a mini mysteries of the railway series in the new year where one of the episodes has me looking into why six of the stations on IoW have only one platform
That looks superb with those new (refurbished) trains. Next step is to extent the rail network on the island.
Geoff ... I believe that they have kept one of the 483's on the Island and it has been taken across to the old Steam railway, not sure if they are doing it up or if it's just getting a paint job, but I'm sure at least one is there ... !
Yes it is, I have to see it at some point just to give it a hug
Very nice green screen skills Geoff!
I used to live in the flat above Sandown station. I love the Island Line, brings back so many memories.
Thanks Geoff, next stop for you and Vivarail will be the 230's at Wrexham. Could there be an all Vivarail run trains in one day challenge ahead?
Be challenging to catch 002 in the same day!
When will Viva do some stock refurbs for Las Vegas?
Joining the steam line to this and finding a way to run into Cowes would be be a massive improvement. This would create a heritage line while providing transport and a tourist attraction. Mainland visitors could come by boat without cars while the Island line could mimic the San Francisco Historic Streetcar line where people can ride historic trams.
Nice thought but that would be a big stretch. I cycled most of the rail-trails on IOW in 2007 and there are significant gaps through Newport and Cowes where the old right-of-way has been redeveloped and there is no practical way to get the railway through there again.
Great video as always. I'm going to Shanklin in a couple of weeks so will be trying these out, I guess I will miss the old "white knuckle" experience you would get on the old trains.
Many moons ago it was double track between Brading and Sandown - it helped with the half hourly timetable.
If you look out between Brading and Sandown you’ll notice the redundant third rail from the lifted line is still in situ. Apparently there were power issues when the line was lifted and the third rail remained.
The line is downhill on the up line from Shanklin and is immediately 45 mph when departing the station, so that probably explains the timetable difference. There are speed restrictions leaving all the other stations, and there appears to be a temporary speed restriction between St Johns and Smallbrook.
Train was busy yesterday and was only two cars. But it was on time. It’s been really busy this week and timings have suffered. There’s not a great deal of leeway to meet the fastcat if the train is delayed. Fastcat used to depart at 47, now it’s 45, and the train is supposed to get to the pier head at 41.
The guard no longer opens the doors from the rear of the train. The new ‘panels’ are opened with a key that the guard carries. Makes their job rather tricky when the train’s full of passengers. And the guards door only opens when the train is stationary. Couple this with the door opening and closing beeps, the time opening and closing is somewhat longer than the 38 stock. All this adds up. Will be interesting to see if they can run half hourly consistently.
Great news it’s running again. Just need to give it time to bed in and review once the data is in.
So they’re only running an hourly service instead of half hourly, but instead of choosing the timing so that people have a 30 minute wait for the ferry (or the train if arriving), the train is timed to leave 4-6 minutes or so either way, for everyone to get off and onto the ferry (or train), which is also hourly. By all accounts the train is missing the ferry, leaving the passengers to sit (well, actually mostly stand in a draughty hall) and wait just under an hour for the next ferry/train. The only reason the train goes to the pier head is to serve the ferry. Typical British integrated transport!
@@MH-xd2nd The ferries also sometimes run late, in particular if they have one ship on an hourly service which has very tight turnrounds. One delay due to heavy seas or slow boarding and it is late for the rest of the day. And of course the ships and trains are no longer operated by the same company, so no official cooperation.
Can’t wait to come here and see these new trains!
The ride is a lot smoother now. As well as the "new trains," the ballast on the track when the '38 Stock was running used to be beach shingle in places, this was all replaced by "proper ballast" during the shutdown.