It seems so along ago now back last summer. However, for the first
time in nearly a quarter century I visited the Isle-of-Wight. Back
when my children, were children, we were frequent visitors. One year
we even vacationed there.

It was time to see how things had changed. So, June 8, my spouse and
I headed for our local station en-route to the Island. Time was when
our station was dirty heap with peeling green and cream paintwork and
minimal staff. Now it buzzes with life. It is well staffed with
helpful, nay, kind staff. Both platforms have refreshment rooms.
There are now elevators to the over bridge.

As we bought our tickets the guy behind the glass gave us tips and
hints for our day out. The new railway has a truly human face. Gone
are the jobsworths of yesteryear.

After a short ride we were at Portsmouth Harbour Station. Whilst it
is resplendent in Southwest Trains' colors, it does have an oddity.
Platform 2 is fenced off and no longer has an adjacent track. The
station is on a pier giving access to the IoW and Gosport Ferries.
Back in the days of the nationalized railway the structure was found
to be unsound. Rather than carry out the necessary repairs British
Rail simply took the track over the weak spot out of use. One
suspects that trains now terminate at Portsmouth and Southsea which
would otherwise have terminated at Portsmouth Harbour.

We had a wait for the ferry, but in due course we boarded a well
appointed catamaran. These are such an improvement of the rusting
hulks of yesteryear. The cats are considerably faster also.

We arrived at Ryde Pier and awaited our tube train. The reason for
posting this to two urban groups is for the tube interest. The Island
Line is something of an unofficial preservation line for London's
tubes. The old 1938 stock are the iconic tube train to some.

We enjoyed a pleasant tube ride to Smallbrook Junction where we
alighted into the perfect summer's day. The IoW Steam Railway's
platform although new, is a period piece, with its wooden boards and
Southern Railway Targets.

In ten minutes or so, into sight came a thing of great beauty: A train
of Southern Railway compartment stock hauled by A1X (Terrier) 0-6-0T
Number W8 'Freshwater". Time had slipped backwards and one enjoyed a
moment of sheer delight as birdsong was punctuated by the gentle
puffing of the Terrier.

Despite being modified for disabled use, our carriage perfectly evoked
the old Southern. The trim and seating was perfect as were the
reproduction Southern maps.

We took a look around Haven Street. The station is pleasant enough,
but losing some of its atmosphere as more and more buildings, and
facilities, are added. I guess on every preserved railway some
authenticity has to be sacrificed for the need of maintenance crews
and visitors. We spent some time touring the museum. The museum
helps recall the age when free men invested their capital and labor
and produced the marvellous Southern Railway system.

We watched a show of birds of prey and then proceeded to Wootton. ISTR
there was once a plan to turn locos there on a small turntable.
Clearly that never happened. There is merely a set of hand operated
points at Wootton's platform end now.

After watching the loco "run-around" we left the railway for a good
pub lunch. Afterwards we headed back to Ryde by bus. Sadly this last
steam train to Wootton runs rather too early.

At Ryde Esplanade to joined another preserved tube train to the Pier
head. At the Pier Station I noticed that the Sealink Signs, like the
Island Line's green totems, are in Gill Sans typeface. Oh joy, the
new, customer oriented providers, have room for color and artwork in
the corporate image. This is such a change from the back and white
"this is what you are getting" statist railway.

A day to remember. Photos on Google plus to those "added", at
http://tinyurl.com/mjwlmuk

On Sun, 28 Dec 2014 14:29:00 +0000, e27002 Aurora
wrote:

Thanks - it's more than fifty years since I've been there, but even
then I loved it because it was so old fashioned,

It seems so along ago now back last summer. However, for the first
time in nearly a quarter century I visited the Isle-of-Wight. Back
when my children, were children, we were frequent visitors. One year
we even vacationed there.

It was time to see how things had changed. So, June 8, my spouse and
I headed for our local station en-route to the Island. Time was when
our station was dirty heap with peeling green and cream paintwork and
minimal staff. Now it buzzes with life. It is well staffed with
helpful, nay, kind staff. Both platforms have refreshment rooms.
There are now elevators to the over bridge.

As we bought our tickets the guy behind the glass gave us tips and
hints for our day out. The new railway has a truly human face. Gone
are the jobsworths of yesteryear.

After a short ride we were at Portsmouth Harbour Station. Whilst it
is resplendent in Southwest Trains' colors, it does have an oddity.
Platform 2 is fenced off and no longer has an adjacent track. The
station is on a pier giving access to the IoW and Gosport Ferries.
Back in the days of the nationalized railway the structure was found
to be unsound. Rather than carry out the necessary repairs British
Rail simply took the track over the weak spot out of use. One
suspects that trains now terminate at Portsmouth and Southsea which
would otherwise have terminated at Portsmouth Harbour.

We had a wait for the ferry, but in due course we boarded a well
appointed catamaran. These are such an improvement of the rusting
hulks of yesteryear. The cats are considerably faster also.

We arrived at Ryde Pier and awaited our tube train. The reason for
posting this to two urban groups is for the tube interest. The Island
Line is something of an unofficial preservation line for London's
tubes. The old 1938 stock are the iconic tube train to some.

We enjoyed a pleasant tube ride to Smallbrook Junction where we
alighted into the perfect summer's day. The IoW Steam Railway's
platform although new, is a period piece, with its wooden boards and
Southern Railway Targets.

In ten minutes or so, into sight came a thing of great beauty: A train
of Southern Railway compartment stock hauled by A1X (Terrier) 0-6-0T
Number W8 'Freshwater". Time had slipped backwards and one enjoyed a
moment of sheer delight as birdsong was punctuated by the gentle
puffing of the Terrier.

Despite being modified for disabled use, our carriage perfectly evoked
the old Southern. The trim and seating was perfect as were the
reproduction Southern maps.

We took a look around Haven Street. The station is pleasant enough,
but losing some of its atmosphere as more and more buildings, and
facilities, are added. I guess on every preserved railway some
authenticity has to be sacrificed for the need of maintenance crews
and visitors. We spent some time touring the museum. The museum
helps recall the age when free men invested their capital and labor
and produced the marvellous Southern Railway system.

We watched a show of birds of prey and then proceeded to Wootton. ISTR
there was once a plan to turn locos there on a small turntable.
Clearly that never happened. There is merely a set of hand operated
points at Wootton's platform end now.

After watching the loco "run-around" we left the railway for a good
pub lunch. Afterwards we headed back to Ryde by bus. Sadly this last
steam train to Wootton runs rather too early.

At Ryde Esplanade to joined another preserved tube train to the Pier
head. At the Pier Station I noticed that the Sealink Signs, like the
Island Line's green totems, are in Gill Sans typeface. Oh joy, the
new, customer oriented providers, have room for color and artwork in
the corporate image. This is such a change from the back and white
"this is what you are getting" statist railway.

A day to remember. Photos on Google plus to those "added", at
http://tinyurl.com/mjwlmuk

In article ,
(Christopher A. Lee) wrote:

On Sun, 28 Dec 2014 14:29:00 +0000, e27002 Aurora
wrote:

Thanks - it's more than fifty years since I've been there, but even
then I loved it because it was so old fashioned,

It seems so along ago now back last summer. However, for the first
time in nearly a quarter century I visited the Isle-of-Wight. Back
when my children, were children, we were frequent visitors. One year
we even vacationed there.

It was time to see how things had changed. So, June 8, my spouse and
I headed for our local station en-route to the Island. Time was when
our station was dirty heap with peeling green and cream paintwork and
minimal staff. Now it buzzes with life. It is well staffed with
helpful, nay, kind staff. Both platforms have refreshment rooms.
There are now elevators to the over bridge.

As we bought our tickets the guy behind the glass gave us tips and
hints for our day out. The new railway has a truly human face. Gone
are the jobsworths of yesteryear.

After a short ride we were at Portsmouth Harbour Station. Whilst it
is resplendent in Southwest Trains' colors, it does have an oddity.
Platform 2 is fenced off and no longer has an adjacent track. The
station is on a pier giving access to the IoW and Gosport Ferries.
Back in the days of the nationalized railway the structure was found
to be unsound. Rather than carry out the necessary repairs British
Rail simply took the track over the weak spot out of use. One
suspects that trains now terminate at Portsmouth and Southsea which
would otherwise have terminated at Portsmouth Harbour.

We had a wait for the ferry, but in due course we boarded a well
appointed catamaran. These are such an improvement of the rusting
hulks of yesteryear. The cats are considerably faster also.

We arrived at Ryde Pier and awaited our tube train. The reason for
posting this to two urban groups is for the tube interest. The Island
Line is something of an unofficial preservation line for London's
tubes. The old 1938 stock are the iconic tube train to some.

We enjoyed a pleasant tube ride to Smallbrook Junction where we
alighted into the perfect summer's day. The IoW Steam Railway's
platform although new, is a period piece, with its wooden boards and
Southern Railway Targets.

In ten minutes or so, into sight came a thing of great beauty: A train
of Southern Railway compartment stock hauled by A1X (Terrier) 0-6-0T
Number W8 'Freshwater". Time had slipped backwards and one enjoyed a
moment of sheer delight as birdsong was punctuated by the gentle
puffing of the Terrier.

Despite being modified for disabled use, our carriage perfectly evoked
the old Southern. The trim and seating was perfect as were the
reproduction Southern maps.

We took a look around Haven Street. The station is pleasant enough,
but losing some of its atmosphere as more and more buildings, and
facilities, are added. I guess on every preserved railway some
authenticity has to be sacrificed for the need of maintenance crews
and visitors. We spent some time touring the museum. The museum
helps recall the age when free men invested their capital and labor
and produced the marvellous Southern Railway system.

We watched a show of birds of prey and then proceeded to Wootton. ISTR
there was once a plan to turn locos there on a small turntable.
Clearly that never happened. There is merely a set of hand operated
points at Wootton's platform end now.

After watching the loco "run-around" we left the railway for a good
pub lunch. Afterwards we headed back to Ryde by bus. Sadly this last
steam train to Wootton runs rather too early.

At Ryde Esplanade to joined another preserved tube train to the Pier
head. At the Pier Station I noticed that the Sealink Signs, like the
Island Line's green totems, are in Gill Sans typeface. Oh joy, the
new, customer oriented providers, have room for color and artwork in
the corporate image. This is such a change from the back and white
"this is what you are getting" statist railway.

A day to remember. Photos on Google plus to those "added", at
http://tinyurl.com/mjwlmuk

We used to take the kids on holiday and now we take the granddaughter. Next
visit in August.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

On 28/12/2014 18:01, Christopher A. Lee wrote:
On Sun, 28 Dec 2014 14:29:00 +0000, e27002 Aurora
wrote:

Thanks - it's more than fifty years since I've been there, but even
then I loved it because it was so old fashioned,

It seems so along ago now back last summer. However, for the first
time in nearly a quarter century I visited the Isle-of-Wight. Back
when my children, were children, we were frequent visitors. One year
we even vacationed there.

It was time to see how things had changed. So, June 8, my spouse and
I headed for our local station en-route to the Island. Time was when
our station was dirty heap with peeling green and cream paintwork and
minimal staff. Now it buzzes with life. It is well staffed with
helpful, nay, kind staff. Both platforms have refreshment rooms.
There are now elevators to the over bridge.

As we bought our tickets the guy behind the glass gave us tips and
hints for our day out. The new railway has a truly human face. Gone
are the jobsworths of yesteryear.

After a short ride we were at Portsmouth Harbour Station. Whilst it
is resplendent in Southwest Trains' colors, it does have an oddity.
Platform 2 is fenced off and no longer has an adjacent track. The
station is on a pier giving access to the IoW and Gosport Ferries.
Back in the days of the nationalized railway the structure was found
to be unsound. Rather than carry out the necessary repairs British
Rail simply took the track over the weak spot out of use. One
suspects that trains now terminate at Portsmouth and Southsea which
would otherwise have terminated at Portsmouth Harbour.

We had a wait for the ferry, but in due course we boarded a well
appointed catamaran. These are such an improvement of the rusting
hulks of yesteryear. The cats are considerably faster also.

We arrived at Ryde Pier and awaited our tube train. The reason for
posting this to two urban groups is for the tube interest. The Island
Line is something of an unofficial preservation line for London's
tubes. The old 1938 stock are the iconic tube train to some.

We enjoyed a pleasant tube ride to Smallbrook Junction where we
alighted into the perfect summer's day. The IoW Steam Railway's
platform although new, is a period piece, with its wooden boards and
Southern Railway Targets.

In ten minutes or so, into sight came a thing of great beauty: A train
of Southern Railway compartment stock hauled by A1X (Terrier) 0-6-0T
Number W8 'Freshwater". Time had slipped backwards and one enjoyed a
moment of sheer delight as birdsong was punctuated by the gentle
puffing of the Terrier.

Despite being modified for disabled use, our carriage perfectly evoked
the old Southern. The trim and seating was perfect as were the
reproduction Southern maps.

We took a look around Haven Street. The station is pleasant enough,
but losing some of its atmosphere as more and more buildings, and
facilities, are added. I guess on every preserved railway some
authenticity has to be sacrificed for the need of maintenance crews
and visitors. We spent some time touring the museum. The museum
helps recall the age when free men invested their capital and labor
and produced the marvellous Southern Railway system.

We watched a show of birds of prey and then proceeded to Wootton. ISTR
there was once a plan to turn locos there on a small turntable.
Clearly that never happened. There is merely a set of hand operated
points at Wootton's platform end now.

After watching the loco "run-around" we left the railway for a good
pub lunch. Afterwards we headed back to Ryde by bus. Sadly this last
steam train to Wootton runs rather too early.

At Ryde Esplanade to joined another preserved tube train to the Pier
head. At the Pier Station I noticed that the Sealink Signs, like the
Island Line's green totems, are in Gill Sans typeface. Oh joy, the
new, customer oriented providers, have room for color and artwork in
the corporate image. This is such a change from the back and white
"this is what you are getting" statist railway.

A day to remember. Photos on Google plus to those "added", at
http://tinyurl.com/mjwlmuk

Nice to see some good news. Here in the W Mids, like few other places,
there is choice to London, quick and expensive, and 2x slow and
comparatively cheap. The excellent Chiltern Railways is part of the
(public) Deutsche Bahn. Wouldn't you know it?

--
Myth, after all, is what we believe naturally. History is what we must
painfully learn and struggle to remember. -Albert Goldman

Nice to see some good news. Here in the W Mids, like few other
places, there is choice to London, quick and expensive, and 2x slow
and comparatively cheap. The excellent Chiltern Railways is part of
the (public) Deutsche Bahn. Wouldn't you know it?

IIRC the same was true when I used the Chiltern line in the 1990s, well
before its (ultimate) owner was Deutchse Bahn. Correlation does not
imply causation?
--
Robin
reply to address is (meant to be) valid

We had a wait for the ferry, but in due course we boarded a well
appointed catamaran. These are such an improvement of the rusting
hulks of yesteryear.

In my day, up to January 1966, the IOW ferries were definitely NOT "rusting
hulks" but were a pleasant trip to and from Ryde Pier head where a couple O2
class 0-4-4Ts and period trains made up of pre-grouping coaching stock
would meet every ferry to take you onward to Ventnor or Cowes. If you
wanted just to get to Ryde, then the tramway was there to whisk you to the
landward end of the pier.

On the Pompey side, all the Harbour platforms were in use as was the outer
track where an ancient oil tank carrying the ferry fuel was usually stabled.
The tanker was marked "To operate between Portsmouth Harbour and Fratton
only" and look pre-grouping in age. Of course, the signalbox was also in
use, don't know if it still is these days. It was set at an angle as there
used to be a track crossing the harbour on a wooden trestle that used to
pass in front of the signalbox. The trestle was bombed during WWII and
never repaired, though the trestle bents were in situ through the 1960s.
At the Town station, all the platforms were in use, including the parcels
bays and up on the high level platforms, the branch to the dockyard, with
its small signalbox, was also in use. The branch to the dockyard required
down trains to use the Up line platform to access the dockyard branch.

Now they were happy days.


-- Cheers

Roger T.

On Mon, 29 Dec 2014 01:47:23 -0800, "Roger T."
wrote:

We had a wait for the ferry, but in due course we boarded a well
appointed catamaran. These are such an improvement of the rusting
hulks of yesteryear.

In my day, up to January 1966, the IOW ferries were definitely NOT "rusting
hulks" but were a pleasant trip to and from Ryde Pier head where a couple O2
class 0-4-4Ts and period trains made up of pre-grouping coaching stock
would meet every ferry to take you onward to Ventnor or Cowes. If you
wanted just to get to Ryde, then the tramway was there to whisk you to the
landward end of the pier.

On the Pompey side, all the Harbour platforms were in use as was the outer
track where an ancient oil tank carrying the ferry fuel was usually stabled.
The tanker was marked "To operate between Portsmouth Harbour and Fratton
only" and look pre-grouping in age. Of course, the signalbox was also in
use, don't know if it still is these days. It was set at an angle as there
used to be a track crossing the harbour on a wooden trestle that used to
pass in front of the signalbox. The trestle was bombed during WWII and
never repaired, though the trestle bents were in situ through the 1960s.
At the Town station, all the platforms were in use, including the parcels
bays and up on the high level platforms, the branch to the dockyard, with
its small signalbox, was also in use. The branch to the dockyard required
down trains to use the Up line platform to access the dockyard branch.

Now they were happy days.


Your visits predated mine by a good ten years. You were fortunate to
enjoy some of those sights.

I always wish that the line would run through to Ventnor again.
John