By 1900 the island's railway system was in place and remained so for another 52 years.... passenger traffic continued to grow, especially during the busy summer season when holidaymakers in their hundreds and thousands descended on the island each year. Apart from a lull during the war, this cosy picture continued until the early 1950s when competition from road transport started to make inroads into passenger traffic. With new British Railways management looking to prune uneconomic branch lines the first closure on the island came in 1952.... [B]ut this was not the end for the Smallbrook Junction to Newport line. In 1971 a group of preservationists moved in to Havenstreet station and by 1991 had completely reopened the line as a heritage railway from a new station at Smallbrook Junction to Wootton, east of Newport. The line now sees passenger trains hauled by beautifully restored steam locomotives and vintage coaching stock. — Julian Holland 56


Bibliography

"Aix (Terrier) Class 0-6-02 No. W8 'Freshwater.'" Isle of Wight Steam Railway (this whole website is excellent).

Allen, P. C. Railways of the Isle of Wight: 150th Anniversary 1864-2014. 2nd ed. Stroud: Amberley, 2014.

Carpenter, George W., rev. "Stroudley, William (1833–1889)." R. C. Cox. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Online ed.

Holland, Julian. Dr Beeching's Axe Fifty Years on: Illustrated Memories of Britain's Lost Railways. Exeter: David & Charles, 2013.

"Isle of Wight Steam Railway: Timetable and Guide." Havenstreet, Isle of Wight, 2017.

Long, Richard. Isle of Wight Railways: A New History. Shepperton, Surrey: Ian Allan, 2015.

Maycock, R. J. The Isle of Wight Railway. Usk, Wales: Oakwood Press, 2001.

Panter, Marie. Railways of the Isle of Wight. Catrine, Scotland: Stenlake Publishing, 2013.

"The Train Ride: Havenstreet." Isle of Wight Steam Railway.

"William Stroudley." Grace's Guide.


Created 8 August 2017