Farewell IoW 1938 stock after 83 years!
THE FORMER London Underground 1938-built trains (Class 483), which have served on the Isle of Wight since 1989, have finally been taken out of service after a remarkable 83-year career. The final operation examples were retired with little ceremony on January 3, with the Ryde to Shanklin line immediately closed for infrastructure work to make ready for the new Vivarail Class 484 sets t entering service on April 1. Among the upgrades is the reinstatement of the passing loop at Brading, which will make a halfhourly service possible again.
The final running unit was 483007, which is destined for preservation at the Isle of Wight Steam Railway based at Havenstreet. This formed the final train, the 2317 Ryde Pier Head to St Johns Road, where it then entered the depot for the last time. Maintenance had been a headache for operator South Western Railway for some time, with only one or two units available for traffic in the final months. Another unit, 483006, is to be preserved at the Epping Ongar Railway under the auspices of the London Transport Traction Group. It has ambitious plans to run the train under its own power.