Rolling Stock
The Isle of Wight Railway ordered a fleet of standardized tank engines from Beyer Peacock, of which none now remain. For the railway opening in 1864 the railway ordered 24 passenger carriages, four of which had brake compartments, and 30 open wagons from the 'Oldbury Carriage and Wagon company'. In 1865 the railway ordered 10 more wagons and bought two carriages from the Ryde Pier Company. In 1872 a luggage van was also added to the stock, being numbered 27. In 1873 five thirds were ordered. This being followed by three seconds in 1875 and another luggage van in 1876. In 1882 two composites and four seconds were ordered, the last 'new' carriages bought for the railway. In 1885 three carriages were bought from Oldbury which were originally built for the Golden Valley Railway in 1881 but returned due to the lack of money. These were two saloons one first the other second and the third a brake van. Between 1897 and 1898 the IWR purchased 10 North London Railway carriages. Six were first and four second. The firsts entered service as a first (which was later downgraded to a composite), a composite and four seconds. Of the NLR carriages bought as seconds three became thirds while the fourth and two Oldbury carriages were rebuilt at Ryde to passenger luggage vans. The carriages now numbered 55 but a number of the 1864-76 built Oldbury carriages and the Ex Golden Valley brake van were withdrawn in 1914 with the introduction of 18 Ex Metropolitan Railway carriages. Two more were withdrawn in 1920 with the remaining 49 lasting to grouping in 1923. There were 221 goods vehicles lasting to grouping in 1923.
From Grouping in 1923 until electrification of the remaining line in 1967, trains on the island's rail network were operated by the former Southern Railway's fleet of steam locomotives and antique carriages, many of which survive at the Isle of Wight Steam Railway. Most of these locomotives came from mainland railway companies, especially the London & South Western Railway and London, Brighton and South Coast Railway.
Only one of the Isle of Wight Railway's carriages is in use on the island as of March 2009. Ex-North London Railway No. 46 was built as a 4-compartment first class carriage around 1864. It was purchased by the IWR in December 1897 although it did not arrive until the following year. One compartment was downgraded to third class for its IWR service. The 4-wheel, second-hand and composite nature of the vehicle was typical of the coaches used by the railway.
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