Hayling Billy

Starting Point - Site of Hayling Island Station. Finishing Point - Havant Station. Distance 6.7 Miles

Google Maps

Rail Map Online

From my walks around the Isle of Wight I took the Hovercraft to Southsea, from there bus route 25 connects with Eastney Landing on the Hayling Ferry. Hayling Island had a branch line from Havant from 1867 to 1963, nicknamed the Hayling Billy. Due to weight limits on the viaduct from Langstone to Hayling Island only small lightweight locomotives could be used on the services and former London, Brighton & South Coast Railway A1 "Terriers" operated the services until the line closed in 1963. The expensive repairs required to the bridge to keep the line open was the reason for the closure of the line.

Below - Eastney Landing and the Hayling Ferry.

1910 Map

Below - The ferry at Hayling Island Landing, the Eastney landing can be seen in the background.

1946 Map

The start of the footpath along the former Hayling Island branchline was reached by walking along Ferry Road, Sea Front and Staunton Road. The station is on the top right of the old map.

Below - World War II pill box on Ferry Road. Being on the south coast there were quite a few pieces of World War II defences on the way.

Below - A former anti aircraft battery.

Hayling Island

Below - The only remnant of the station was the goods shed which now forms part of the Station Theater. A foyer has been built on to the front of the former goods shed building.

Below - The former goods shed.

Below - This building was opposite the station, it isn't marked as such on the old maps but from the doors facing towards the station site I expect this must have been the station manager's house.

Below - A view towards the former platforms.

Below - An information board at the site of Hayling Island station.

Below - A view along the trackbed north of the station site.

1945 Map

Below - The trackbed running close to the west coast of the island.

Below - A brick built pill box alongside the railway.

1945 Map

An earlier scheme to build a railway to Hayling Island would have seen a causeway embankment built on mud flats to the west of the island to a point close to the island's ferry landing. The line was constructed south from Havant to Langstone and work was started on the embankment but this was never completed. Remnants of the embankment can be seen.

Below - The trackbed of the railway on the right with the embankment of the earlier scheme on the left.

Below - The abandoned embankment seen rising above the water.

North Hayling Halt

A small unstaffed halt was provided to serve built up areas to the north of the island.

Below - The site of North Hayling Halt.

Below - Information board at the site of North Hayling Halt.

1932 Map

The bridge from Langstone to Hayling Island had a swing bridge in the centre to allow the passage of larger boats so signals were provided before the bridge. One of these signals is in situ, though it is a reconstruction.

Below - Looking north, the signal and remains of the bridge.

Below - Remains of the bridge. Alongside the surviving road bridge can be seen. To get to Havant it was necessary to divert via the road bridge.

Below - View of the remnants of the rail bridge. The column for the swinging section can be seen in the centre.

At the north end of the road bridge there was a siding to the west of the road. At one side this was used to serve a train ferry to Bembridge on the Isle of Wight, this was prior to the railway at Ryde being extended to the pier. The site of the ferry jetty is now occupied by the Langstone Sailing Club.

Below - The bridge looking south from Langstone.

Below - A former telephone cabinet at the side of the railway.

Langstone

1932 Map

Below - The site of Langstone station looking north.

Below - The station site looking south from the former level crossing.

Below - Bridge taking the A27 over the former railway.

Below - The bridge taking East Street over the former railway.

1945 Map

Below - The former Gas House Road level crossing, now named New Lane. This is the end of the route as beyond the crossing it enters the station car park built on the site of the Hayling Island bay platform and siding. 

Below - Havant station. The Hayling Island bay was on the south side of the surviving platform 2. The wall at the edge of the platform is a modern breeze block wall so the platform would seem to have been cut back to increase parking space rather than it being the original platform face.

 

Isle of Wight Railways: Ryde - Ventnor

Starting Point - Ryde. Island Line Train Ride to Shanklin

Walk Shanklin to Wroxhall. Distance 2.7 Miles

Bus Wroxhall - Ventnor - Shanklin and train back to Ryde.

Google Maps

Rail Map Online

Ryde Pier

1897 Map 1865 Map 1947 Map

The section from Ryde Pier to Smallbrook Junction was also covered in my visit to the Cowes - Newport - Ryde route. With the Isle of Wight Railway and Isle of Wight Central Railway companies operating the routes to Ventnor and to Cowes they were operated as seperate bi-directional single track lines as far as Smallbrook Junction until both became part of the Southern Railway in the 1920s and a crossover at Smallbrook Juncion was installed. Today the line is still two tracks between Ryde Esplanade and Smallbrook Junction.

Below - A view along Ryde Pier. Effectively three phases of pier built alongside each other. On the left the 1880 railway pier, in the middle the 1864 former tramway pier and on the right the 1814 vehicle pier. The track on the left is currently disused as the railway only uses the single track on the right from Esplanade.

Ryde Esplanade

In the 1865 map above the pier tramway terminated here. It later continued through the streets to St Johns Road station until the railway reached the pier in 1880, at which time it went back to just running between the Pier and Esplanade stations again.

Below - Esplanade station. The pier tramway would have been on the left at the end of the canopy. On the right is the disused platform.

Below - The crossover at Esplanade beyond which the line runs as two tracks. When the railway was extended to the pier it tunnelled under parts of Ryde. The low height of the tunnel has resulted in the railway using second hand Underground stock since it was electrified in 1966 as conventional trains would be too high.

Below - Looking south from Park Road. The industrial building on the right is now the bus museum.

Ryde St John's Road

1897 Map

The Ryde terminus from 1864 to 1880 until the line was extended to Ryde Pier. The site is also home to the maintenance facility for the Island Line trains.

Smallbrook Junction

1897 Map

There was no station here until 1991 when it was built to allow passengers to connect between the Isle of Wight Steam Railway on part of the former route to Newport and the mainline.

North of Brading was another junction from 1882 when a branch line to Bembridge opened. This line was closed to passengers in 1953 and goods in 1957. Parts of the branch are walkable, though I didn't get chance on this visit.

1897 Map

Brading

1897 Map

The passing loop was removed in 1988 and was reinstated in 2021 to allow services to be increased to half hourly.

Below - A train arriving at the reinstated Platform 2. On the other side of the platform was once a run round loop for the Bembridge branch trains.

Sandown

1908 Map

Sandown was also a junction station with the line to Newport between 1875 and 1956. I walked the route from Newport to Sandown earlier. Remains of the platform for that line can be seen over the fence on the northbound platform, the track in the station site remaining as a permanent way siding.

1908 Map

Lake

This station doesn't appear on the old maps as it didn't open until 1987. It is a small unstaffed station at the railway's closest point to the coast. I didn't stop off at this station.

Shanklin

1908 Map

Since 1966 this has been the southern terminus of the railways of the Isle of Wight. It had been proposed to extend the electrification of the line to Ventnor but this would have required an additional sub station and extra expense. 

Below - A train from Ryde terminating at Sandown. The station used to have a passing loop and two platforms, the remains of the other platform can be seen.

Beyond Shanklin station the former railway trackbed survives as a footpath to Wroxall. The bridge over Landguard Road has been removed and a roadway to access a caravan park has been built on a short section of the railway trackbed, from which the footpath is accessed.

Below - The bridge carrying the path from Hyde Road over the railway.

Below - A former fog hut.

1908 Map

Below - Bridge carrying Victoria Avenue over the railway, this was built later than the old map. It has clearly been widened at some point and is now part of the A3020 route.

Below - The bridge from the other side.

Below - Bridge carrying a footpath over the railway.

Wroxall

1908 Map

Below - The footpath emerges at the site of Wroxall station's goods sidings.

Below - The bridge carrying Castle Road over the railway. This arch was for the roadway to the goods siding. The arch over the railway is filled in with an entrance to the timber warehouse built on the station site to the left. The back of the platform can be seen under the arch as well as the former station hotel which fronted on to the platform.

South of Wroxall the line entered a tunnel, emerging in to the station site at Ventnor. A short stretch of this trackbed is accessible by a footpath. I got the Route 3 bus from the stop next to the former railway station. This route heads south to Ventnor before returning to Shanklin. 

Ventnor

1908 Map

The bus passed the site of Ventnor station. The tunnel entrance has been filled in and an industrial estate has been built on the site of the station. The top deck of the bus gave me a better view in to the site but I didn't get any decent photos due to it raining at the time. The former station hotel survives as private residences.

I returned to Shanklin on the bus and returned by train to Ryde.