Ryde Pier tram launched at Wight anniversary event

SUNDAY, January 23 will not only mark the 51st anniversary of the Isle of Wight Steam Railway’s watershed move from Newport to Havenstreet, but will also see the launch of the line’s restored Ryde Pier tram into service.

In January 1971, the preservation society that set up the IoWSR was given just a, and its carriages and wagons, from Newport station. There were significant obstacles to overcome, as the line to Havenstreet had laid disused and overgrown for five years and a section of badly distorted track had to be negotiated at Wootton.