h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Sorry to be picky but there appear to be two Doctors here, one 'Beaching' the other 'Beeching'. So which doctor? Or even Witch Doctor I suppose.
Other than that it's time we extended the track back into Ventnor and put steam back onto the main commercial line here. The IOW deserves a good transport system, if it were a viable visitor attraction as well then everyone's happy.

Ventnor is definately a dying town - if it isn't dead already. That's mostly because of the lack of railway. It's crazy that, since the beginning of the year, several hundred miles of railway track have been replaced throughout the country, but 40 years later we still haven't done anything to replace the railway lines everyone on the Island wants and needs. Surely it cannot cost that much to extend the line when everyone in Ventnor would be for it, and I don't know of anyone who would oppose such a change?
I don't know - it seems such a waste at times..

<BB<

Dr. Beeching lived near to East Grinstead in Sussex, and was responsible for closing the east-west Three Bridges to Tunbridge Wells line on 2nd January 1987. The section north of the town had the tunnels opened out to form a cutting, and a new relief road was built through it. Rumour has it that this was to be named Beeching Cut, but today the name is Beeching Way.

I used to travel on this late line as a child, passing a secret government bunker on the south side of the line somewhere between Crawley Down and Three Bridges. No doubt the RSG website will identify the spot.

Meanwhile back in Bembridge I remember trains arriving and turning on the turntable so the line must have closed about two years later than 1953 as stated. Under the Bembridge entry in the Guide it says that the station was demolished in the late fiftties; but that too is wrong as it survived a decade later until developed as pillbox houses.

Although not really railway no mention was made of the train/tram that ran the length of Ryde pier. I used to love to ride on that as a small child. The ride up the pier is just not the same on the 'normal' railway. The last time I was on Ryde pier the trackway was still there for the train/tram. Bring it back I say!

I remember the tram as well but perhaps the most interesting thing was the passenger stock in the days of steam. Because of the restrictions much of this appeared to be almost victorian, certainly pre war and all sorts of different stock jumbled together. I wonder if any got preserved.

Six of the carriages and one of the steam locomotives that were in use when steam ended on the Isle of Wight in 1966 have been preserved and are in use at the isle of Wight Steam Railway that runs between Smallbrook Junction, near Ryde, and Wootton. The railway has also recovered a number of older carriages that were sold off for beach chalets, chicken sheds and other uses, and has restored several of them to working order. It has also acquired a number of other steam locomotives, including two that worked on the Island in earlier days.

If you'd like to see a Ryde Pier tram, one is owned by The Isle of Wight Council and on display in The Isle of Wight Bus Museum at Newport Quay. The museum has a website at www.iowbusmuseum.org.uk