Isle of Wight Central Railway
Encyclopedia
The Isle of Wight Central Railway (IWCR) was a railway company on the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...

, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

. At its peak the company owned 21½ miles of railway line, and it also operated trains on some additional lines it did not own. Trains were first run on what became its lines in 1862, although the company was not formally created until 1887. The IWCR was merged into the Southern Railway
Southern Railway (Great Britain)
The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent...

 in 1923, and over the next 43 years all its lines were closed. A heritage railway
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...

 now occupies part of the network.

Routes

The first railway line to be built on the Isle of Wight was between Newport and Cowes. The Cowes & Newport Railway Company formed by Act of Parliament on 8 August 1859 and began construction of the line on 16 October. The line opened to passengers on 1 July 1862, with the first Cowes-Newport journey taking under 10 minutes, while the full return trip took less than 30 minutes.

The Ryde & Newport Railway was authorised by Parliament on 25 July 1872 and opened for trains in December 1875. The company was managed by the Cowes & Newport company.

The Isle of Wight (Newport Junction) Railway (IW(NJ)R) was formed on 31 July 1868 to construct a line between Sandown and Newport, but it was not until 1875 that any trains were running, and the line was not fully completed until 1879. The company entered into receivership just one year later, in 1880. At this point, the line was bought by the Cowes & Newport company.

The Isle of Wight Central Railway (IWCR) came into being by Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...

 on 1 July 1887. Due to this, the three railway companies owned by the Cowes & Newport were legally amalgamated.

Managed & worked railways

In addition the following two railways were managed and/or worked by the IWCR:
  • Freshwater, Yarmouth & Newport Railway (FYN). Services were operated by IWCR until 1 January 1913.
    • With some backing from the London and South Western Railway
      London and South Western Railway
      The London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in...

       the FYN, 12 miles (19.3 km) in length, opened for goods on 10 September 1888 and for passengers on 20 July 1889. From the beginning, its trains were worked by locomotives and rolling stock supplied by the IWCR. The railway had its own platform at Newport station. Conflict between the two companies led to the FYN beginning its own operations from 1913 including building a new station in Newport.

  • Newport, Godshill & St Lawrence Railway (NGStLR or Ventnor West branch). This 6¾ mile line was absorbed by IWCR on 8 April 1913. The line's completion was delayed due to the construction of a tunnel between Whitwell and St Lawrence. The line opened in two stages:
    • Merstone Junction - St Lawrence, 20 July 1897
    • St Lawrence - Ventnor Town, 1 June 1900.

Locomotives

Number Name Builder Class Type Built Notes
1 Pioneer Slaughter Gruning Works 453 2-2-2WT 1861 Originally owned by C&NR from 9/1861. Withdrawn 1901.
1 Hawthorn Leslie Works 2663 Railmotor 1906 Sold out of service 1918.
2 Precursor Slaughter Gruning Works 454 2-2-2WT 1861 Withdrawn 1901.
2 Seaham Harbour 0-4-4T 1895 Originally owned by Marquis of Londonderry's Railway (later NER) until 7/1909. Sold out of service 1917.
3 Mill Hill Black Hawthorn Works 116 0-4-2ST 1870 Withdrawn 1918.
4 Cowes Beyer Peacock Works 1583 2-4-0T 1876 Originally owned by R&NR. Withdrawn 1925.
5 Osborne Beyer Peacock Works 1584 2-4-0T 1876 Withdrawn 1926.
6 Newport
Newport, Isle of Wight
Newport is a civil parish and a county town of the Isle of Wight, an island off the south coast of England. Newport has a population of 23,957 according to the 2001 census...

R.W. Hawthorn Works 1127 2-2-2WT 1861 Originally owned by Whitehaven Railway (later L&NWR) until 1874. Withdrawn 1890.
6 Black Hawthorn Works 999 4-4-0T 1890 Withdrawn 1925.
7 Whippingham Slaughter Gruning Works 443 4-4-0T 1861 Originally North London Railway 35A until 3/1880. Withdrawn 1906.
7 Beyer Peacock Works 2231 2-4-0T 1882 Originally M&SWJR Number 6 until 12/1906. Withdrawn 1925.
8 Beyer Peacock Works 3942 2-4-0T 1898 Withdrawn 1929.
9 Brighton LB&SCR A1 Class
LB&SCR A1 Class
The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway A1 Class is an English class of 0-6-0T steam locomotive. Designed by William Stroudley, 50 members of the class were built in 1872 and between 1874 and 1880, all at Brighton Works. The class have received several nicknames, initially being known as...

0-6-0T
0-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels...

1872 Originally LB&SCR 75 "Blackwall" until 3/1899. Withdrawn 1927.
10 Brighton LB&SCR A1 Class
LB&SCR A1 Class
The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway A1 Class is an English class of 0-6-0T steam locomotive. Designed by William Stroudley, 50 members of the class were built in 1872 and between 1874 and 1880, all at Brighton Works. The class have received several nicknames, initially being known as...

0-6-0T
0-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels...

1874 Originally LB&SCR 69 "Peckham" until 4/1900. Withdrawn 1936.
11 Brighton LB&SCR A1 Class
LB&SCR A1 Class
The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway A1 Class is an English class of 0-6-0T steam locomotive. Designed by William Stroudley, 50 members of the class were built in 1872 and between 1874 and 1880, all at Brighton Works. The class have received several nicknames, initially being known as...

0-6-0T
0-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels...

1878 Originally No. 40 Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...

. To Wight in 1902. Renamed and renumbered in 1930. Returned to mainland 1947. Now preserved on Isle of Wight Steam Railway
Isle of Wight Steam Railway
The Isle of Wight Steam Railway is a heritage railway on the Isle of Wight. The railway passes through 5½ miles of unspoiled countryside from to station, passing through the small village of Havenstreet, where the line has a station, headquarters and a depot...

.
12 Brighton LB&SCR A1 Class
LB&SCR A1 Class
The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway A1 Class is an English class of 0-6-0T steam locomotive. Designed by William Stroudley, 50 members of the class were built in 1872 and between 1874 and 1880, all at Brighton Works. The class have received several nicknames, initially being known as...

0-6-0T
0-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels...

1880 Originally LB&SCR 84 "Crowborough" until 11/1903. Withdrawn 1936.


Between 1898 and 1905, the railway purchased 4 London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1922. Its territory formed a rough triangle, with London at its apex, practically the whole coastline of Sussex as its base, and a large part of Surrey...

 class A1 "Terrier"
LB&SCR A1 Class
The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway A1 Class is an English class of 0-6-0T steam locomotive. Designed by William Stroudley, 50 members of the class were built in 1872 and between 1874 and 1880, all at Brighton Works. The class have received several nicknames, initially being known as...

 locomotives to operate its trains. One of these had been sent by the LBSCR to the Paris Exhibition of 1878, where she won a gold medal. In 1901, this locomotive was bought by the IWCR and was numbered 11, then brought to the island on 8 January 1902. This locomotive is preserved at the Isle of Wight Steam Railway
Isle of Wight Steam Railway
The Isle of Wight Steam Railway is a heritage railway on the Isle of Wight. The railway passes through 5½ miles of unspoiled countryside from to station, passing through the small village of Havenstreet, where the line has a station, headquarters and a depot...

.

Merge into Southern Railway

Under the Grouping Act the new Southern Railway
Southern Railway (Great Britain)
The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent...

 took over all railways on the Isle of Wight
Railways on the Isle of Wight
There once existed a 55½ mile network of railway lines on the Isle of Wight. They were opened by several companies between 1862 and 1901, and all but the 8½ mile-long Island Line closed between 1952 and 1966. A further 5½ miles have reopened as the Isle of Wight Steam Railway.- Early beginnings...

 in 1923. Developments under the SR included the construction of a short freight-only branch from the Cowes and Newport line to Medina Wharf. The Southern ran trains across the whole network, including through services to/from the former Isle of Wight Railway
Isle of Wight Railway
The Isle of Wight Railway was a railway company on the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom. The company owned 14 miles of railway line and its headquarters were at Sandown...

's east coast route and the FYN, in particular the island's only named train The Tourist
The Tourist (train)
The Tourist was a train run by the Southern Railway on the railway lines of the Isle of Wight. It was set up in 1933 as an extension on the original East and West Through Train from the previous year...

, which ran from Ventnor through to Sandown, Newport and Freshwater.

British Railways closed the FYN, IW(NJ)R and NGStLR in the 1950s, and remaining IWCR lines in 1966.

The IWCR today

The Isle of Wight Steam Railway
Isle of Wight Steam Railway
The Isle of Wight Steam Railway is a heritage railway on the Isle of Wight. The railway passes through 5½ miles of unspoiled countryside from to station, passing through the small village of Havenstreet, where the line has a station, headquarters and a depot...

 operates part of the former Ryde
Ryde
Ryde is a British seaside town, civil parish and the most populous town and urban area on the Isle of Wight, with a population of approximately 30,000. It is situated on the north-east coast. The town grew in size as a seaside resort following the joining of the villages of Upper Ryde and Lower...

 & Newport railway between Smallbrook Junction and Wootton. A station built at Smallbrook Junction
Smallbrook Junction railway station
Smallbrook Junction railway station is a railway station on the Isle of Wight, England. It is unusual because it has no public access but exists purely to provide a connection between two rail systems....

 in 1991 provides cross-platform interchange
Cross-platform interchange
A cross-platform interchange is a type of interchange between different lines in a metro system. The term originates with the London Underground; such layouts exist in other networks but are not commonly so named...

 with the Island Line
Island Line, Isle of Wight
The Island Line is a railway line on the Isle of Wight, running some from Ryde Pier Head to Shanklin down the eastern side of the island. The line was electrified in 1967. Trains connect with passenger ferries to Portsmouth Harbour at Ryde Pier Head, and these ferries in turn connect with the...

.

The increasing population of the Isle of Wight and increasing traffic on its small roads has led to repeated discussion of whether it would be viable to reopen the Ryde
Ryde
Ryde is a British seaside town, civil parish and the most populous town and urban area on the Isle of Wight, with a population of approximately 30,000. It is situated on the north-east coast. The town grew in size as a seaside resort following the joining of the villages of Upper Ryde and Lower...

 & Newport and Cowes
Cowes
Cowes is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east Bank...

 & Newport lines. Newport
Newport, Isle of Wight
Newport is a civil parish and a county town of the Isle of Wight, an island off the south coast of England. Newport has a population of 23,957 according to the 2001 census...

 now has 24,000 inhabitants. Cowes has 17,000 and also handles busy ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...

 traffic to and from Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...

. Road and property developments now cover part of the line through Newport
Newport, Isle of Wight
Newport is a civil parish and a county town of the Isle of Wight, an island off the south coast of England. Newport has a population of 23,957 according to the 2001 census...

. This has led the island's local council to consider the possibility of a tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...

way rather than a statutory railway.
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