Freshwater, Yarmouth and Newport Railway
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The Freshwater, Yarmouth and Newport was a 12 miles long railway[1] that followed a route westwards out of Newport, Isle of Wight through a series of remote villages along a scenic route to the coast. There were hopes of extending the line through to Totland, but these were never fulfilled.[2]
Contents
History
Incorporated on 26 August 1880,[3] opened to traffic on 10 September 1888 and renowned for its friendly staff[4] it was, nevertheless, always an impecunious line.[5]
The first train, hauled by the locomotive Freshwater, actually crossed the viaduct into Newport for the first time on 10 August 1888, after the joining of the line at Carisbrooke. It pulled just one truck "fixed up with seats". Even in those early days the journey took just 29 minutes in each direction. Only ten days after this first journey, the locomotive Freshwater ran off the rails. In October 1888, the railway company offered a free train ride to Freshwater, to gain publicity for the line, with all tickets being taken by 9.00 a.m.[2]
On 2 May 1889, the line was officially passed by the Board of Trade inspector, who praised the design and construction of the viaduct at Town Gate, Newport and saying that he had seen "nothing prettier". The new line was formally opened on 11 July 1889, where it was stated that arrangements had been made with the Board of Trade for its working with the Isle of Wight Central Railway (IWCR).[2]
Initially, services on the line were operated by the IWCR under the terms of a mutual agreement. However, relations between the IWCR and FYN deteriorated in 1913 to the point that the FYN was forced to purchase its own locomotives and rolling stock, and to build a new separate station in Newport.[2]
Just before the First World War, Parliament agreed plans to connect the railway to the mainland, via a tunnel under the Solent. The tunnel was to be dug from Keyhaven on the mainland to a point somewhere between Yarmouth and Freshwater, enabling direct trains to travel from The Midlands and the North. The South Western and Isle of Wight Junction Railway was to be formed for this purpose, but unfortunately the plans were shelved because of the outbreak of the war.[2]
When the company was due to be absorbed into the Southern Railway in January 1923, the company was officially bankrupt and contested the sum offered for its compulsory purchase. Because of this it was not merged into the Southern until August 1923,[6] with the now-defunct company forced to accept a lower amount than previously offered. British Railways closed the line on 21 September 1953.[7] The locomotive used on the final journey was Alverstone, built in 1891 and brought to the Island in 1926.[2]
Stations
- Carisbrooke
- Watchingwell[8]
- Calbourne[9]
- Ningwood
- Yarmouth
- and its westerly terminus, Freshwater
Landmarks
Features included
- A level crossing at Freshwater Causeway(operated by a residential crossing keeper)
- A water column at Freshwater (at entrance to the platform)
- A 1:55 gradient between Ningwood and Yarmouth
- (During the war) a tank trap close to the Freshwater crossing gates[10]
Locomotives
| Number | Name | Builder | Class | Type | Built | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medina | Manning Wardle | Works 1555 | 0-6-0ST | 1913 | Originally Pauling & Elliot "Northolt". Withdrawn 1932. |
| 2 | Freshwater | Brighton | LB&SCR A1 Class | 0-6-0T | 1876 | Originally LB&SCR 646 "Newington" and later L&SWR 734 from May 1903 before purchase by FY&NR in February 1915. Renumbered W8 in April 1932. 1949 saw her career on the IOW end and she returned to the mainland for work on Hayling Island branches until 1963. In 1979 an agreement with the former owners saw her return to Wight for preservation and in two years she started hauling trains on the private rail network. She is now back in service following a £35,000 boiler replacement, and her boiler ticket expires in 2019. |
Current situation
Of the former stations
- Freshwater is now demolished and occupied by a Garden Centre
- Yarmouth is now a community centre
- Ningwood and Watchingwell are private houses
- Calbourne and Carisbrooke have been demolished.
Of the former locomotives
- No.2 "Freshwater" is now preserved on the Isle of Wight Steam Railway as W8 "Freshwater".
External links
References
- ↑ Britton,A Once upon a line (Vol One): Oxford,OPC, 1983 ISBN 0-86093-277-X Appendix Five The official distance was 11 miles 1,1540 yards
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ A private halt until 1897
- ↑ also known as Calbourne and Shalfleet
- ↑ Britton,A Once upon a line (Vol Three): Oxford,OPC, 1983 ISBN 0-86093-483-7
