Ventnor West restaged during Wight gala
THE Isle of Wight Steam Railway marked the 70th anniversary of the closure of the Ventnor West branch between Merstone and Ventnor at its autumn September 17/18 gala.
Opened as Ventnor Town by the Newport, Godshill & St Lawrence Railway on June 1, 1900, the terminus station was renamed Ventnor West in 1923 by Southern Railway owing to its location a mile west of the town centre it was intended to serve.
Its poor location meant that it never achieved the passenger numbers it was expected to and the line struggled to make ends meet. Despite modernisation attempts with second-hand equipment from the mainland, the branch subsequently closed on September 15, 1952 – holding the unfortunate honour of being both the last line built and the first line to be closed on the island.
The gala commemorated this by operating its push-pull carriages as part of the service, a set that was once a common sight on the Ventnor West branch.
Originally LCDR Saloon Brake Third No. 4112 and Saloon Composite No. 6369, both six-wheeled carriages, they were converted to a push-pull operation at Lancing Works in 1924 by the SR. Here they both lost their centre axles, with No. 4112 being converted to a driving trailer and formed set No. 484. Withdrawn in 1938, both coaches were sold and became bungalows.
No. 4112 was recovered in 1980, with No. 6369 following 10 years later. As part of their restoration, each was fitted on a modified PMV underframe and saw dummy pushpull controls fitted.
Push-pull operation took place with the set being propelled from Ashey and Wootton, with a photographic pause at Ashey to capture the formation. For the weekend, Wootton was ‘rebranded’ as Ventnor West to mark the occasion.
The gala saw LBSCR ‘Terrier’ 0-6-0T No. W11 Newport in service with set No. 484, representing the class that was once common on the nowclosed branch, with LSWR O2 0-4-4T No. W24 Calbourne, a member of the class that replaced them, hauling the Edwardian bogie carriages.
On the Saturday evening, the railway’s resplendent Ryde Pier Drewry Tramcar operated two trips between Ashey and Wootton.
A model railway, built by Mark Pretious, of the Ventnor branch was present and operating throughout the weekend with a wide variety of rolling stock from the across the ages, from vintage steam to ‘classic era’ exLondon Underground units.