Isle of Wight Steam Railway in Isle of Wight, English Channel, United Kingdom | Railway

Welcome to the Isle of Wight Steam Railway on the Isle of Wight, English Channel, United Kingdom. The Isle of Wight once boasted 54 miles of Railway, most of which was closed between 1952 and 1966. However its unique atmosphere has been perfectly preserved by the largely volunteer-run Isle of Wight Steam Railway, which began operating trains in 1971.
The Railway is truly a journey back in time - a living, breathing museum! All of the carriages and most of the locomotives have spent much of their working lives here on the Island. They have all been painstakingly restored to pristine condition and are the hallmark of our delightful Railway. Our oldest locomotive was built in 1876 and carriages date back to 1864!
The Isle of Wight Steam Railway has one of the most magnificent collections of historic Railway vehicles to be seen on any heritage Railway today. Passengers on the Railway are guaranteed to be travelling in a carriage at least seventy five years old, the most modern carriage in regular service was built in 1924!
The Railway runs five miles from Wootton, through Havenstreet and Ashey, to Smallbrook Junction, which is the interchange with Island Line's electric trains that run from Shanklin to Ryde Pier Head (Connecting with the Wightlink high-speed catamaran service from Portsmouth Harbour). Havenstreet is the main station with a large tarmac car park. Granny Winter's Pantry offers a wide variety of hot and cold meals, snacks and beverages and our Railway Shop has a fascinating cornucopia of unusual and nostalgic gifts to satisfy all tastes. A children's play area, woodland walk and museum of Island Railway history are also to be found at Havenstreet. Your train ticket is valid for unlimited travel on the day of ticket issue, so please ride as much as you wish!
During your visit to the Railway the majority of the staff you have seen will have been volunteers - the driver, the fireman, the booking office clerk, the Signalman and the catering staff. What you may not have noticed is the large number of backroom staff who carry out the restoration and maintenance work that keeps the Railway in first class condition. All are united in our aim of restoring and operating our section of Isle of Wight Steam Railway, English Channel, as it used to be.