Episode 8: The Ventnor West Branchline | Disused Railways Of The Wight

[@johnmeredith3652]

Thankyou so much for your coverage of the 55miles of the lsland lines I have always lived on the lsland and around 1960 got my father to take me to visit all the stations I was lucky enough to also have walked the complete line between newport and sandown whilst all the track was down and signal cableing still intact fantastic memories thankyou john meredith

[@WightWanderer]

Hello John. Thank you very much for watching! Wonderful memories I'm sure, would have loved to have seen the lines before they went. Born in the wrong era 👐

[@idealjohn]

Hi Jack and Eleanor. I’ve just watched this last episode and I just wanted to congratulate you both on a very enjoyable series. I’ve enjoyed every single episode. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and enthusiasm with us, I really will miss seeing you both trudging down a muddy footpath in the pouring rain !. All the very best 👍

[@WightWanderer]

Thank you! Very glad you enjoyed the series 🙂 We do have more series on the way though so be sure to keep an eye on the channel, all the best 👍

[@orsonbear9627]

This was a wonderful nostalgic video full of memories for me; which I shall now bore you with .1. In 1965, Ventnor scouts camped in a field next to Dean Farm Whittle; one evening we held a wide game in which the whole troop walked through the tunnel. .2. About the same time, it was rumoured at school that in the case of nuclear attack the Authorities would commandeer the local coaches, load up the schoolkids and secret them in the tunnel for safety!! .3. In the early 50s, we lived not far from Ventnor West. Mum would take me and my sister for walks along the track towards St Lawrence over the rails and sleepers to that first bridge beyond Steephill. I can still remember the first walk after the track was lifted! The whole series has been magnificent; thank you

[@WightWanderer]

Wonderful memories! Wish we could have seen it back in it's hayday. Thank you very much for watching and sharing 🙂 all the best 👍

[@jennyturner6399]

Thanks for sharing. 🍓🧶💙🌈

[@unitycalling4676]

Brilliant Glad I found you. I'm a Wighty in Ryde.

[@WightWanderer]

Thank you! We are Ryde folk too ... hope you we're safe from the flooding 👍

[@unitycalling4676]

Yes I am right in the centre of Ryde. Thomas Sq@@WightWanderer

[@ThePserafin100]

Thank you for sharing your railway adventure 😊

[@WightWanderer]

Thank you for watching 🙂👍

[@grahamtruckel]

Fascinating. I'm old enough to remember travelling on the lines from Ryde to Ventnor and to Newport and Cowes behind steam locos, indeed I took the steam train to school at Sandown every day in the 60's. But I never experienced the Ventnor to Newport line, nor the West Wight link. Looking forward to your new series.

[@WightWanderer]

Thank you Graham! We sure wish we could have experienced it. All the best & cheers for watching 🙂👍

[@tonycook603]

Well done Jack and Eleanor for what's been a really enjoyable series. I've walked a fair few of the lines myself and it is such a shame that none of them were kept open. It was so shortsighted to force everybody onto the roads. Would have loved to travel on the Ventnor West line, must have been a great sight coming out of the tunnel into St Lawrence station.

[@WightWanderer]

Thank you very much! Yes it is a big shame, we could definitely do with these vital connections now that's for sure. All the best 🙂👍

[@lionelmarytravels6003]

Interesting walk, though occasionally rather wet. I've only travelled between Ryde and Cowes and Ryde to Ventnor, but I fondly remember the trains which hurried along these pretty routes. I did once spend a week at Whitwell Station, when it was two holiday lets. It's easy to see how difficult it was to build the line to Ventnor West.

[@WightWanderer]

Sorry for the very late reply. Must have been some wonderful memories. Yes it is amazing how much work went into such a short lived railway. Thank you for your comment 😊👍

[@andrewclark8630]

What a brilliantly and expertly presented video - thank you for that.

[@WightWanderer]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the episode 🙂

[@janetchristmas1766]

I really enjoy watching your railway walk videos. Keep them coming. Looking forward to the new series.

[@WightWanderer]

Thank you Janet! Glad you enjoy them, hopefully the weather gets better 🤣 all the best 👍

[@EandEFC]

Great series love the IOW i Walked this line in the mid 80's when there was a mushroom farm in the tunnel, have been back since so many changes but love the IOW railway lines thanks for sharing them all again.

[@WightWanderer]

Thank you! Very kind of you to say 🙂 Yes I remember being a nipper and my father took me for a walk through the tunnel when it was a mushroom farm, probably mid-90's. Shame it went out of buisness. All the best 👍

[@andrewhicks6131]

The St Lawrence railway tunnel housed a mushroom farm in the 1980's. I live in Whitwell and we used to get our mushrooms from there! Lovely video. Well done

[@WightWanderer]

Yes I remember it was still there in the 90s as I (Jack) walked through it as a child, it is a shame it was closed down. Thank you for watching and glad you enjoyed the video 🙂👍

[@IOWPCV]

Well done to you both a very enjoyable watch thank you!

[@WightWanderer]

Many thanks! And cheers for watching 🙂👍

[@brianfretwell3886]

I'm sure I saw one of the disused embankments in the 1980's when on holiday. Also as well as normal transport I would thin lines other then the IOW Steam Railway if still running would encourage more visitors or encourage them to stay longer.

[@WightWanderer]

@@brianfretwell3886 yes I'm sure you probably did. Maybe the one on the way into Whitwell which is still quite noticable from the roadside. It certainly is a right shame not more railways were kept, God knows we need them more than ever now 👐 Thank you for watching 🙂

[@JMWflicks]

Thoroughly enjoyed this series (and still have some of the earlier ones to watch). One thing I learned about 20 years ago, from a book titled "The Balerno Line, and the Caledonian in Edinburgh" was how significant the revenue from goods traffic was in the 19th century. That book had a number of copies of balance sheets from archives of the Caledonian Railway which clearly showed that the one goods train that plied the line each day made more money than all of the passenger trains added together (about a dozen a day in later years).

[@WightWanderer]

Hello! Thank you glad you enjoy the channel. Yes it is amazing how much revenue the railways brought in from goods especially pre WW2 before the roads took much of the goods traffic away. Thanks for your comment 😊

[@nicsawyer6407]

Loved your enthusiastic content mate, keep it coming. 👍.

[@WightWanderer]

Thank you! We have a couple more ideas in the pipeline 🙂 glad you enjoy the vids 👍

[@markgoodman5781]

Excellent stuff. Congratulations on your achievement.

[@WightWanderer]

Thank you Mark! Cheers for your support 🙂👍

[@iancarpenter4841]

Thanks for a very interesting and informative series. Your presentation style is very watchable and you both make a good team. I have walked a lot of the old tracks being local, but you showed things I had not seen before. Thank you once again, I enjoyed it all.

[@WightWanderer]

Thank you Ian, and thanks for watching! 🙂 Glad you enjoyed the series 👍

[@cliveballiston7471]

Great video guys, I'm now going to watch the whole lot again 👍

[@WightWanderer]

Thank you Clive! Glad you enjoyed them enough to watch them again 🙂👍

[@barrywood2806]

A thoroughly enjoyable series - maybe more so for us as we didn't get wet! So sad that the lines disappeared, when providing a service was regarded as no longer important.

[@WightWanderer]

Thank you for watching! and yes the rain was a little frustrating though it wouldn't be English weather without it 🙂 All the best 👍

[@Beatlefan67]

Very enjoyable, well-presented, and entertaining.

[@iainburns423]

Super videos,Jack & Elenore , can’t wait to do some of those walks, hopefully some will be included in Walking Festival! In meantime thanks for the videos!

[@WightWanderer]

Hi Iain. Thank you! Yes I believe that the Sandown to Newport line is part of the Walk the Wight flat walk 👍

[@mr.Triumph.Trophy]

Cheers guys, i did this exact same thing and walked all the lines back in 1988 although only did that particular tunnel recently with the missus. Warn us when you're planning to head out again as it seems to rain mearly every time you head out of the door!

[@WightWanderer]

Wow! Would have loved to see what it looked like back in the 80s. Weather is a bit of a loose cannon at the moment, though we are starting our new series soon so fingers crossed it clears up. Many thanks to you for watching, all the best 🙂👍

[@johnrob6132]

Congratulations on a great series. Well done for sticking with this last one despite the terrible weather doing its best to stop you. This Ventnor West line seemed a complete folly on the part of the railway company that cost them dear. It was good to hear your interesting details about the line. Look forward to what is coming next about my favourite island.

[@WightWanderer]

Thank you for the kind words! We have a few more series on the go & a new one coming soon too so no peace for the wicked 🙂 All the best 👍

[@travellingguy.138]

Excelent videos into what was once a superb island network. thank you.

[@WightWanderer]

Thank you very much! Glad you enjoy them 🙌🙂

[@nicholasday283]

Thank you so much for your interesting series on the lost railways of the island. As a frequent visitor to the IOW over the course of my almost 70 years, I have always loved the Ryde to Shanklin line and the heritage railway from Havenstreet. I’d often seen maps showing the 19th century railways crisscrossing the island and wondered about them. Your series has brought them back to life and I now plan to walk some of the old track beds you followed myself.

[@WightWanderer]

Thank you for your kind words Nicolas. Glad you enjoyed the series and hopefully we will be doing some more railway based videos in the future. It is a shame how many railways we have lost, but atleast we have good heritage railways like the IOW steam railway. Have a lovely day 😊👍

[@patrickshaw7983]

Like Graham I'm old enough to have travelled on most of the lines on the Island, I even commuted weekly from Cowes to London via Ryde back in the 60's but I was not aware of the Ventnor west branch. Thanks for the video and the whole series, very interesting.

[@WightWanderer]

Thank you! Glad you found them interesteing, we certainly wish we could of seen them in their glory days. All the best to you 🙂

[@davebinsweden]

Another excellent one! You seem to be able to provide insights that none of the others do. Anyway, this series of videos covers the railways very well so I would challenge anyone to do better.

[@WightWanderer]

Thank you Dave! Very kind of you to say and glad you enjoy the videos. All the best 🙂🙌

[@lornarobinson3690]

Thankyou so much for this final episode.....I've loved them all...I've walked alot of them and found all of the stations. This line I haven't walked......but I have been to both the tunnel openings and, also, had 3 holidays at Whitwell. Well done....and thankyou again for a fascinating insight to The IOW lost railways......Oh to urn the clock back....

[@WightWanderer]

Thank you Lorna! Been a pleasure. All the best to you 🙂👍

[@paulstanley2789]

Well played enjoyed it 😊

[@WightWanderer]

Thank you Paul, glad you did 🙂👍

[@EvanBingham-g4v]

Many thanks for this series, I really enjoyed it. I love the Isle of Wight and haeb always had a fascination with it's railways. I really hope you do keep the chennel going!

[@WightWanderer]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the series 🙂 We have a couple more videos & another series on the way 👍

[@griswold67]

Excellent series - I've explored that tunnel from the south portal. The northern portal leads to a mushroom farm and a home for protected bats I believe.

[@WightWanderer]

Thank you! Yes it did use to be, but believe they went out of buisness which is why its now abandoned 🙂

[@prof.hectorholbrook4692]

Very good. Interesting. Newport to Ventnor via Merstone & St. Lawrence was my favourite line on the IOW for MANY reasons. Great to see "High Hat Tunnel" again too. I'm left wondering why you & Eleanor didn't walk all the way through, despite it veing very spooky down there?

[@WightWanderer]

It was a wonderful line and fascinating to walk. We wondered about half way into the tunnel but were told that the other side was blocked off, annoyingly though when we got to the South portal we found there was a hole in the corrugated fence. Got some great views over the bay though so not too bad. 🙌 Thank you for watching. 🙂

[@AlanBond-d7e]

Most of us do NOT do kilometers and these lines were contructed to IMPERIAcL measures of yards and chains and even to this day, railways curves are measured in chains. I am very fortunate in that I am old enough to have ridden on this branch with my late father in about 1950. At the age of 7 I couldn't understand why there were two platforms at Whitwell but only one railway line.

[@WightWanderer]

Superb that you were able to ride this line before it shut, bet it was a great memory! There was originally a crossover at Whitwell, but the track through platform 2 was lifted around the time that the Southern took over I believe, as the traffic was limited. 🙂

[@shaunhouse8469]

Sorry you missed the train, by about 70 years. The West Ventnor line involved some serious engineering for somewhere with as small a population as the Isle of Wight

[@WightWanderer]

Yes we we're suprised by the engineering on such a short lived railway. Thank you for watching 🙂👍

[@johnculley4808]

Another excellent video. Well done! So the tunnel entrances aren't bricked up?

[@WightWanderer]

Thank you John! No the Wroxall tunnel is, but this one used to be a mushroom farm ... now just left to the elements 👍

[@mikeslipper1779]

A fine comment Jack.

[@jimmys6566]

The reason that much of the embankment is gone is due to conveyancing agreements with landowners. Some had agreements (that in the event of the line closing) to restore the land, but some did not

[@WightWanderer]

@@jimmys6566 thanks for the info, did not know that 🙂👍

[@jimmys6566]

@@WightWanderer I have not seen the original documents but have spoken to an old town planner who explained it to me

[@philsheath]

Brilliant video…well done so interesting, so the Whitwell tunnel comes out by cripple path st Lawrence does it? I need to find it.

[@WightWanderer]

Thank you! Very kind. Yes it does, small steps next to 7 sisters road 🙌👍

[@RobeenaShepherd]

Having ran (and very occasionally ridden) around a lot of these lines, it's nice to know some of the history behind them, thank you! But one mystery has been left unsolved... which pub did you end up in? :)

[@WightWanderer]

Sorry for the late reply. Glad you enjoyed the video 🙂. We ended up in the Blenheim in Ventnor for some much needed refreshments 🍻

[@RobeenaShepherd]

@@WightWanderer Aw that was my local! We used to play poker there every Sunday night, it closed at the end of October so nice you got to visit before then.

[@mikeslipper1779]

And Eleanor.