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Island Line Upgrade updates

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swt_passenger

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I think that there is a subway at Sandown (I rarely go that far south) and there may not be enough clearance over it.
That’s a highly likely reason then, especially given the range of height changes they were looking for. Might easily have needed a foot or more.
 

mr_jrt

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...but surely the platforms once took mainline steam trains? ...or does the subway postdate the introduction of tube stock?
 

Gloster

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...but surely the platforms once took mainline steam trains? ...or does the subway postdate the introduction of tube stock?
I would make a guess at two reasons: lighter track, including less ballast, in the past, and nobody thinking it particularly unusual if you had to climb up into the train.
 

DelW

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...but surely the platforms once took mainline steam trains? ...or does the subway postdate the introduction of tube stock?

I would make a guess at two reasons: lighter track, including less ballast, in the past, and nobody thinking it particularly unusual if you had to climb up into the train.
Island trains being made up of retired ex-mainland stock is nothing new - in steam days, the rolling stock was from inter-war, Edwardian or Victorian days, and had foot-boards, as shown by the survivors on the steam line.

See this photo taken at Haven Street for an indication of the height difference.
 

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Chris125

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...but surely the platforms once took mainline steam trains? ...or does the subway postdate the introduction of tube stock?

a) Ryde St Johns-Ventnor was built with relatively low platforms, typical for Victorian railways. Most low platforms across the UK were later rebuilt (or closed) but Sandown and Brading in particular remain little changed from the 1860s/70s.

b) SWR want level boarding/1.1m, so they need to be *higher* than most mainland platforms - pretty much just Crossrail and Heathrow have that height IIRC?

DelW's photo above actually show a platform built in the 1920s(?) to a standard height - the photos below should illustrate how low the original IWR platforms could be:



27_Sandown Station by WotaWally, on Flickr


E.S. Vans at Sandown Station, 7 Aug 1970 by Ian Nolan, on Flickr
 
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swt_passenger

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b) SWR want level boarding/1.1m, so they need to be *higher* than most mainland platforms - pretty much just Crossrail and Heathrow have that height IIRC?
That‘s how I understand it. Standard height for new construction on the wider network, (as seen in various planning drawings), is 915mm.
 

Chris125

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MotCO

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Is it still rescheduled to open mid-May? Not long to go now!
 

Gloster

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I read somewhere that it won't happen before August! I hope that's duff gen!!
August was also mentioned in the ‘commentary’ to the video on the Islandecho that showed 002 (?) being lifted onto the back of a truck at St Johns Road (it is #1,146 on the Class 484 to replace 483 on Islandline (or some similar title) thread). It is not entirely clear if this applies to reopening or just to all the 484 being in service.
 

Chris125

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I read somewhere that it won't happen before August! I hope that's duff gen!!

Tbh it sounds implausibly specific to me, getting a new fleet into operation can be so unpredictable.
 

45669

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August was also mentioned in the ‘commentary’ to the video on the Islandecho that showed 002 (?) being lifted onto the back of a truck at St Johns Road (it is #1,146 on the Class 484 to replace 483 on Islandline (or some similar title) thread). It is not entirely clear if this applies to reopening or just to all the 484 being in service.

Ah - I didn't read it I heard it. Either way, I hope it's wrong!
 

david1212

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Is it still rescheduled to open mid-May? Not long to go now!

I read somewhere that it won't happen before August! I hope that's duff gen!!

Mid-May i.e. 4-5 weeks ahead looks very optimistic and remember this is an extension of a month or so from the timescale given 4th January.

The infrastructure is still not complete.
484001 has not travelled the over the full line or even St Johns - Shanklin.
None of 484002 - 005 have so far done significant running from Eastleigh.

Once the infrastructure is sufficiently complete for 484001 to run it has to be tested.
The crews have to be trained on the 484's, some of which potentially could be done on the mainland.
I do hope the maintenance staff have been using 484001 for training.
The signalling staff have to be trained on the changes.
To run the 30 minute service realistically at least three sets are required so have to be accepted and two more sets delivered.

Sadly I can not see the service resuming before mid-June.
 

Gloster

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The crews have to be trained on the 484's, some of which potentially could be done on the mainland.
I do hope the maintenance staff have been using 484001 for training.
The signalling staff have to be trained on the changes.


Sadly I can not see the service resuming before mid-June.
There was some talk about traincrew going over to Eastleigh to do much of their training there.

I have yet to see 484 001 outside the depot, so (hopefully) it is inside and the maintenance staff are familiarising themselves with it.

Familiarising the signalling staff with the new arrangements is probably not going to be as long drawn-out as other requirements.

It is at least possible that everything will suddenly come together, but that requires a certain amount of optimism.
 

DelW

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I trust that when a 484 finally ventures to Esplanade, one of our local correspondents will be on the Hoverport footbridge, checking the roof for scrape marks :D

More seriously, many thanks to Gloster and Chris125 (and possibly others) for their frequent updates on this scheme. I hope it'll all be operational, and the Wightlink catamarans back in service, in time for a visit in early summer.
 

david1212

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To be fair she did complete a number of trips to Shanklin late last year, though hardly the intensive test running we were expecting...

I had forgotten about this when non of the 483's were serviceable.

However as well as train mileage accumulation and testing the new and refurbished infrastructure needs commissioning and shakedown testing too followed by shadow running of the timetable for training.
 

KeithMcC

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If anyone is interested there is a online technical presentation being done on the upgrade works. I don't think access is particularly restricted and it should be available as a recording afterwards:

 

DelW

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If anyone is interested there is a online technical presentation being done on the upgrade works. I don't think access is particularly restricted and it should be available as a recording afterwards:

(Pedant alert)
I would have hoped and expected that the ICE (of which I'm a member) would have been more careful about the difference between "principle" and "principal".

It was one of the things I tried to drum into my graduate engineers when they were preparing their reports for submission to ICE for professional qualifications.
(/pedant)
 

MotCO

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If anyone is interested there is a online technical presentation being done on the upgrade works. I don't think access is particularly restricted and it should be available as a recording afterwards:


The blurb refers to a 5½ month project, which would mean the works should be completed in mid-May. Then there is all the testing, running, training etc already alluded to.
 

KeithMcC

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(Pedant alert)
I would have hoped and expected that the ICE (of which I'm a member) would have been more careful about the difference between "principle" and "principal".
As an ICE member myself I would agree, but I think standards are slipping! Having had the experience of a graduate claiming that the company was racist by insisting that client reports were grammatically correct I am not totally surprised.
 

DelW

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As an ICE member myself I would agree, but I think standards are slipping! Having had the experience of a graduate claiming that the company was racist by insisting that client reports were grammatically correct I am not totally surprised.
Hmm, fortunately I didn't come across that, but my view would be that it's racist to accept poor literacy from some racial groups but not others. In fact some of my non-indigenous graduates wrote better English than some of the locals. However I'm risking taking the thread too far away from the Isle of Wight now!
 

hermit

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Good progress now at the south end of the line.

Track and ballast has been removed at Shanklin:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/355569249197459/permalink/427021858718864/
https://www.facebook.com/ShanklinConservatives/posts/2729435750720412
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10159418553437755&set=p.10159418553437755&type=3

Lake is all but finished:
View attachment 89479View attachment 89480

The Up platform at Sandown appears to be approaching completion, using the same pre-fab system as Lake above the old surface:

View attachment 89483

Brading is now well underway, with ballast being laid for the southern turnout and new signalling equipment beginning to appear, while the Ryde end of the Down platform is being rebuilt.

View attachment 89481View attachment 89482

https://www.facebook.com/groups/355569249197459/permalink/426597782094605/
https://www.facebook.com/RCRIOW/posts/162741342278088
Hmm, fortunately I didn't come across that, but my view would be that it's racist to accept poor literacy from some racial groups but not others. In fact some of my non-indigenous graduates wrote better English than some of the locals. However I'm risking taking the thread too far away from the Isle of Wight now!

To bring things back on topic, here is a reminder of Chris125s picture of the contractors’ sign at Lake station, warning of “un-even surface’s”.
 

Gloster

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The Isle of Wight Steam Railway is operating again, but as it is not possible to get to Smallbrook by Islandline a bus service is in operation. This runs hourly during the steam railway’s operating periods from Esplanade to Havenstreet, which means they pass by the terminus of the railway at Wootton, although they do not appear to stop there. Those buses that I have seen so far seem to be the same as those on the normal rail replacement service: double-deckers carting a load of air round the countryside.
 

Rick1984

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shame they can't team up with the bus Museum to run a shuttle with vintage buses
 

CunningPlan

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The Isle of Wight Steam Railway is operating again, but as it is not possible to get to Smallbrook by Islandline a bus service is in operation. This runs hourly during the steam railway’s operating periods from Esplanade to Havenstreet, which means they pass by the terminus of the railway at Wootton, although they do not appear to stop there. Those buses that I have seen so far seem to be the same as those on the normal rail replacement service: double-deckers carting a load of air round the countryside.

shame they can't team up with the bus Museum to run a shuttle with vintage buses
That would be great and perhaps something IWSR should look into longer - term, maybe they could offer a round-trip from Ryde using Island Line, the heritage trains and a heritage bus.

For now it would be nice if SWR could find either a single-decker and/or a lowbridge version to go on the direct route to Haven street... Maybe they could give Havenstreet village an actual bus service for a change!

That said, it seems odd that these buses don't just go between Esplanade and Wotton station. I figure there's enough room in the car park to turn around, and it's a shorter journey time on the steam train from Wootton to Havenstreet as it would be from Smallbrook... Would save SWR some money in diesel costs too!
 
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