Ghost Train: Isle of Wight (Lost Railways)

A tour of the lost stations between Ventnor and Cowes on the Isle of Wight! Calling at Wroxall, Shanklin, Sandown, Alverstone, Newchurch, Horringford, Merstone, Shide, Newport, Cement Mills, Mill Hill & Cowes! Credit to the Image Owners Featured.
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[@mikepowell2776]

What a superb production! A lot of serious work and research has gone into this and the result is terrific. It’s amazing how relatively little such things as field and woodland boundaries, country lanes and rural settlement cores have changed. I’ve binge-watched several before this one. In my childhood we regularly visited the island from Pompey and I can still recall alighting from steam trains at Ventnor and Cowes. Must have been early 50s. Many thanks.

[@railwaychristina3192]

I lived in Ventnor, just below Ventnor Town, which was on a clifftop. Ventnor West sits amongst bungalows on the trackbed. Regarding the closure decision the census regarding traffic was taken on Christmas Day! Scandalous manipulation of data. Crazy to have severed the town from the network. It was and is cut off and buses are very expensive, in a place where wages are low. There is a small heritage railway on IOW but just think how fab heritage would have been for the entire network, as a tourist attraction.. also would have saved the narrow lanes of the island being clogged with traffic.

[@ghosttrainlostrailways]

I recall being on holiday on the island about ten years ago and being staggered at the expense of the bus fares from Shanklin to Newport. Would have loved to have got a train for that journey!

[@michaelhearn3052]

Not sure where you are getting your info from, but would be interested for you to cite the source of this survey, which must be documented in full somewhere . Yes, there was a national survey of the BR network for both passengers and freight, week ending 23 April 1961. This is documented in the Beeching 1 report issued in 1963. That report is viewable on line at the railways archive website. Page 10 gives the dates the survey was done. The week chosen was outside the summer (heavy) loadings on the IoW network and other mainland networks too. This was why the remaining IoW railways were candidates for closure when the notice was served in March 1964. BR did not expect the backlash from the local and business communities, nor did they expect the election in October 1964, that saw a Wilson Labour government in power; who overturned the decision to close the Ryde PH to Shanklin line, and return it electrified.

[@johnj9117]

Just Imagine having a time machine and going back to those's days..

[@lionelmarytravels6003]

Your ghost train videos are so incredibly done. I've watched several, mostly from lines I have known in the past. Keep up the good work.

[@ghosttrainlostrailways]

Thanks! I do enjoy putting these together especially ones that are on a particularly scenic route! We aren't short of lost lines here in Norfolk!

[@thieskellan9624]

Beautifully done and a fascinating insight into the changing landscape.

[@ianpusey7953]

my late father would of loved this video , lived on the island all my life and this was a great insight into where the old railway ran .

[@ghosttrainlostrailways]

I enjoyed cycling part of this route from Sandown when I was last on the island! Sadly my brother had a puncture halfway so we called in on Halfords.

[@gruffmeister44]

Works of genius, these!🤩

[@rainbowriverclarkbrown]

Soulful.

[@MYCROFTonX]

Awesome.

[@martinthomas07]

Briliant Video

[@MrRawMonkey]

Very clever video.

[@michaelmiller641]

Amazing!