The Isle of Wight once boasted 54 miles of railway, most of which was closed between 1952 and 1966. However its unique atmosphere has been perfectly preserved by the largely volunteer-run Isle of Wight Steam Railway, which began operating trains in 1971.
The Isle of Wight Steam Railway is truly a journey back in time – a living, breathing museum! All of our carriages and most of our locomotives have spent much of their working lives here on the Island. They have all been painstakingly restored to pristine condition . The oldest locomotive was built in 1876 and carriages date back to 1864!
The railway runs five miles from Wootton, through Havenstreet and Ashey, to Smallbrook Junction, which is the interchange with Island Line’s electric trains that run from Shanklin to Ryde Pier Head (Connecting with the Wightlink high-speed catamaran service from Portsmouth Harbour). Havenstreet is the main station with a large tarmac car park. Granny Winter’s Pantry offers a wide variety of hot and cold meals, snacks and beverages and our Railway Shop has a fascinating cornucopia of unusual and nostalgic gifts to satisfy all tastes. A children’s play area, woodland walk and museum of Island railway history are also to be found at Havenstreet. Your train ticket is valid for unlimited travel on the day of ticket issue, so please ride as much as you wish!
The Steam Railway is an ideal day out from the mainland with the journey time from Portsmouth Harbour taking as little as 30 minutes. Through tickets are available from the Wightlink booking office at Portsmouth Harbour and from many mainland railway stations.
Directions:
The Isle of Wight Steam Railway is based at Havenstreet, near Ryde, on the Isle of Wight.
From the mainland the most convenient routes to the railway are by Wightlink ferry from Portsmouth Harbour to Ryde or Hovercraft from Southsea to Ryde, and then by ‘Island Line’ electric train to Smallbrook Junction station.
Car ferry services also operate from Portsmouth to Fishbourne, Southampton to Cowes and between Lymington and Yarmouth. Havenstreet and Wootton stations are both well served by buses from all parts of the Island.
Address:
The Railway Station, Havenstreet, Isle of Wight PO33 4DS
Telephone: 01983 882204
Facsimile: 01983 884515
Talking Timetable Service: 01983 884343
Website:
www.iwsteamrailway.co.uk