Railways of the Isle of Wight

'There is probably no place in the British Isles that could offer a more attractive study to one interested in railway working on a small scale than the Isle of Wight'. P. C. Allen, 1928 At its height the Island had a network of 55½ miles of line operated by a number of independent companies including the Isle of Wight Railway, the Isle of Wight Central Railway (IWCR), the Freshwater, Yarmouth & Newport Railway, as well as the joint lines of the London & South Western Railway and London, Brighton & South Coast Railway. With the 1923 grouping these were amalgamated under the control of the Southern Railway, and following nationalisation most were closed under Dr Beeching s axe. Two have survived. The Isle of Wight Railway, a heritage line, and the Island Line operating with ex-London Underground stock. P. C. Allen s 1928 account, re-published to mark the 150th anniversary, is brought up to date with many new photographs.