Freshwater, Yarmouth and Newport Railway
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Legend
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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. Incorporated on 26 August 1880,[2] opened to traffic on 10 September 1888 and renowned for its friendly staff[3] it was, nevertheless, always an impecunious [4] line.
Initially, services on the line were operated by the Isle of Wight Central Railway (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.
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,[5] with the now-defunct company forced to accept a lower amount than previously offered. British Railways closed the line on 21 September 1953.[6]
Stations
- Carisbrooke
- Watchingwell[7]
- Calbourne[8]
- 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[1]
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 Withdrawn 1932.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
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 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
- ↑ Bennett,A"Southern Holiday Lines in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight": Cheltenham, Runpast 1994 ISBN 1-870754-31-X
- ↑ Britton,A Once upon a line (Vol Four): Oxford,OPC, 1994 ISBN 0-86093-513-2
- ↑ Maycock,R.J/Silsbury,R: The Freshwater, Yarmouth and Newport Railway: Usk, Oakwood, 2003 ISBN 0-85361-601-9
- ↑ Hardy, Brian (2003). Tube Trains on the Isle of Wight. Harrow Weald, Middlesex: Capital Transport. p. 9. ISBN 1-85414-276-3.
- ↑ Paye, Peter (1990). Isle of Wight Railways remembered. Oxford: OPC. ISBN 0-86093-212-5.
- ↑ A private halt until 1897
- ↑ also known as Calbourne and Shalfleet