The Isle of Wight Railways from 1923 Onwards
The book begins with the formation of the Southern Railway in 1923 and the acquisition of 55 miles of track, a pier at Ryde and two ferry routes to the mainland and how it was transformed from a disparate group of lines into an integrated network with greatly improved stations, locomotives and rolling stock. Wartime shortages and neglect were only partly overcome before Nationalisation in 1948 and the start of a lengthy period of decline. Most of the Island railway network closed between 1952 and 1966 and Ryde Pier Tramway followed in 1969. The Ryde to Shanklin line has survived. Meantime railway preservation began in 1966.
Hardback, 288 pages, black & white photographs
Condition: Very Good
ISBN: 9780853616566
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Updated: 7 April 2025