Hi Geoff ... The reason why Brading didn't get raised platforms was that the entire track was re-laid lower ... I was in the initial night crew that went across In October & November 2020 that did the survey work and we dug down some test pits 1.5 meters down below the initial track level to see exactly where the platform foundations were ... They also did core samples of the area around Brading station just to clarify what was there, even when the mains electric was turned off we still had residual voltage in the damp craggy soil around the track, which was far from safe. Areas of the original track were also lowered to accommodate the extra height of the 484's ... Where the height of the track couldn't be lowered, the platforms were raised to accommodate for the 484's ride height, also preserving the original platform decks I think they still have preservation orders on some of the old stock so it had to be preserved, it's also still the property of Network Rail and I think there were some provisions laid down by Network Rail what could & couldn't be done ... Many a wet night was spent at Brading & Shanklin over the week that I was there, commuting over & back on the Portsmouth Ferry ...

Geoff is basically the "Train Guy" and I love his personality

Great to see old stock, still in motion somewhere else, instead of being scrapped.

The efforts he will go to in order to convince us he has visited the IOW, even hiring actors to play his "companions" !

As a viewer with "accessible needs", I'm very happy to see you highlighting this, thank you.

Tell you what, your green screen skills have gone up massively.. bravo!

We went to the iow for our holidays as kids in the 60's, and it always felt like I was going abroad when the white buildings built into the hills at Ryde came into view. Looked very continental.

Glad to see Geoff focusing heavily on accessibility issues. Although I'm quite capable of jumping gaps and climbing stairs, our public transport infrastructure should be for everyone, not just the fit and able.

Lovely shot at the end at dusk with the birds flying by 😃 11:45

Thanks Geoff; I remember my dad taking me to ride on the steam trains here, just before they disappeared. He came from the IoW and he said "Esplanade" to rhyme with "lemonade", for what it's worth...

4:45 That sound 😍😍😍

In 2017 we had a 4 day break to I.O.W. staying at Sandown. The last day was a bus to Ryde and the old train back to Sandown. Nice to see better trains and service for the residents.

A 7 month delay is not so bad. In Holland we have seen some heavy to light rail conversions that had a much longer delay. My favourite part of the Bitish railway network: IOW. Good luck with the new trains!

They sound exactly like the D stock trains did when they were pulling out of a tube station so it brings back a lot of nice memories .

Geoff, I was born in Ryde, commuted to school in Sandown by train (originally steam before the *first* tube stock arrived) from Ryde Esplanade. The street and the station are pronounced Esplan-AID.

Lovely to see the connections to Ventnor on the Timetable! in the hopes the railway might reach there again! and nice to see they retained the semephores at Johns Road!

This line reminds me of the old Beatles number "Shes got a ticket to Ryde."

its nice to see that the island line trains are ran by south western railway

Lovely bit of drone footage at the end! And a great video. Really like your style of presentation - nicely informal but without being unintelligent. Cool looking units and looks like a well matched service proposition to the needs.

Thanks-I was born in Sandown many decades ago and remember the steam trains .

Absolutely loved this video! The new trains and platforms look awesome. Thank you for this free content on my phone 😁

11:47 lovely shot of the 484 and the flocks of birds. All flying in the same direction

I used to travel on D trains a lot so it's interesting how familiar these trains sound - perhaps there should be a video about how different tube trains sound.

This train looks beautiful. I am very impressed with it, a nice upgrade from the original but I will still miss it.

I used them a lot in London but always referred to them as Underground trains as they were on cut-and-cover lines and not running in tubes. Their loading gauge is compatible with surface stock and therefore far more appropriate for a surface line.

Having followed your account for over 4-5 years now, I must say you have improved significantly; especially with the drone effects. Loved it👌🔥

Hi geoff. These new trains look great!

Thanks for the video Geoff I loved the old stock could never drink a cup of tea lol. Will miss them but new refurbished tube trains were needed. It's all looking good and a good time to definitely move forward with the line. Cannot wait to get overseas to have a ride!!😎🚃🚃🚃🚃🇬🇧💯

Espla-Naid makes it sound like a fizzy drink - lemonade, cherry add, limeade, orangeade, esplanade!

As always a good presentation and great to see your 2 helpers for the film as well

After seeing this video I was looking forward to travelling the whole length of this railway but nothing prepared me for the delightful "clickety click" of the wheels on the track! Awesome!

Glad to see the Island Line running again! I'll look forward to visiting and a 484 bash!

Blimey I remember in 1979 seeing the D stock at Richmond Station for the first time. I was luckily I got a ride on the 38 stock two years ago. It was great fun travelling on these lovely trains again.

Fabulous trains, fabulous episode, fabulous contributors. Well done. 👏👏👍😀

That MUSIC AND SUNSET just beautiful.

One of the old Class 483 sets has found its way onto The Llanelli and Mynydd mawr railway where it will keep some former TfW Pacers company.

I went over there last week. I was well impressed with the "new" trains, it does seem weird having ex-D78 Stock on the island though...I was equally pleased to see that there were no significant issues with Ryde Tunnel, it did feel on entering that you were then going to emerge into Bow Road or Bromley-by-Bow, rather than still being in Ryde!!

1:45 a lovely shot of the pier and Ryde seafront there Geoff, brings back good memories of holidays to the IoW

I went to IOW for holiday every year during 60’s and remember the steam trains followed by the first tube stock which I think dated back to 1929 and were only ten years younger than the steam trains they replaced. The IOW has never had new stock, has always been second hand. These latest trains are totally refurbished and are as near to new as anything the island has had in the past

Lovely ex LT District Line Stock. Absolutely brilliant revamping these old trains. Good on you I.O.W., it looks a really modern upgrade. Thank you Geoff for another professional video.

Another place you can see the Vivarail units is, bizarrely, near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Two battery-powered units are being tested out on the trackage of a heritage railway.

great to hear, Islanders will be happy I'm sure, went over to the Island in September, the amount of traffic was as bad as a school holiday on the island.

Nice video Geoff, I did love the 1938 stock but they were 80+ years after all! Its still nice to still see ex tube stock on the Island!

Lovely travelogue Geoff and thanks for the details (and enthusiasm once more).

Those trains look soooo good! Sad to see the old trains gone but time moves on and this is a very good improvement

The lovely man I met that I sat next to on the replacement bus from Newport-Southampton has been waiting for this for ages and I remembered watching your video on the line closing and realised how much it actually affected residents! So happy!

Nice to see those District line trains put to good use.

Can’t wait to come here and see these new trains!

So looking forward to trying them out in the Summer on our annual holiday.

love how regardless of the stock on the isle of wight, the doors are always slow

Great to see. I must have sat on those very carriages many times over the years as district line trains and most certainly my head as slid across the glass when asleep 😆

The metro system in Singapore announces Esplanade as Esplan-ade and Promenade as Prome-nud

Blimey; there’s a blast from the past… Rob W! Not seen him with Martin C for many years 😮

Thanks, Geoff. You're the best

Great to see the Island Line getting its long overdue station and rolling tock upgrades.

I can still feel the bounce of the old trains and I was only on them twice! :D

Good to see this modernisation taking effect. My paternal grandfather's family was from IOW and I have dim childhood memories of the old steam trains. Such a pity so many of the lines were torn up.

Isle of Wight certainly seems like a interesting place to go what with ryde pier head and that!

The positivity about rail is so great here.

Nice drone skills! The drone footage add some nice shots to the video.

Geoff, thanks for uploading another great vid. I visited the line on the first day of operation (1st Nov 2021) to see the upgrade - a far cry from steam to Ventnor I remember as a child! Overall, I was not very impressed with what has been done over here. The timetable is slack yet on day one it fell apart; the door operation is very slow and adds to dwell times. There didn’t seem to be any urgency to make up time and on an hourly service terminating short and starting back from that station is not really an option for passengers marooned at the station(s) not being served. The track obviously remains jointed not CWR but the acceleration of the trains was poor and no doubt contributed to the sloppy operation on day one. I noted mechanical signalling still in use - a missed opportunity to have a modern, digital signalling system? Vivarail stock may unfortunately be the life-saving option for some routes but frankly the Class 484s are inadequate rolling stock in my view. The matter of provision of toilets (on presumably DfE specified stock) has been aired on other videos on your site and in 2021 the absence of toilets on trains seems to be another gross shortcoming - elsewhere, your viewers make a good case for provision. Apart from the doors being slow to open, all the audible signals etc were a nuisance and added to the unsatisfactory passenger experience. Tube stock seating layout also, to my mind, is not appropriate for this line and is a lazy aspect of stock conversion. Re stations, the various work you recorded was noted on my visit and your observations on disabled access are well made. Another example is the connection at Ryde Esplanade with the hovercraft where passengers have to use the footbridge to gain the station entrance. I don’t know the specific objectives of the project but in the long period of closure, albeit in lockdown, much more surely needed doing. For example, the roof on Ryde Pier Head station buildings are old corrugated cement sheets and parts of the wind breaks have not been replaced. Surely this was an ideal time to do a better refurbishment. There was also an absence of dot matrix indicators at several stations - I would have thought this was basic passenger information provision nowadays. Overall, not at all impressed by what has been achieved. A bit of upgrading/renewals but replacing older Underground stock with tarted up 40 year old rolling stock looks as though the Island Line has been treated poorly. I wonder if, say, a tram option had been considered with the possibility of extension beyond Shanklin?

I love the look of the new trains and the improvement along the line (I heard about the passing loop been installed at Brading for a 1/2 hour service, better late then never as they say). I did come to the Island on holiday 20 years ago and traveled on both railway with both the 1938 stock tube train and the steam service so I am sorry not to see them again but I will be looking forward to a more up-to-date and futuristic Island Line if and when I come for another visit to the Isle of Wright. As ever a great video to watch. Thank You Geoff. 😊👍🚃

Wonderful ! Hope we will be able to re-visit the Isle of Wight railways one day. Thanks for sharing.

When I was on the iow I actually saw a truck carrying the new trains!

love how you point out accessibility issues at stations mate good on ya

Another excellent video thanks Geoff

Delighted to have discovered your channel, Geoff. I enjoyed your engaging presentation here as well as learning of this very attractive refurbishment of classic old tube stock, giving it a new lease on life. Also love that they maintained transverse seating - very attractive new interiors. Drone shots showing the trains at dusk were lovely, too. I will hope to experience this line when I get back across the Pond. Meantime, you're giving me lots of reasons to think in that direction! Cheers!

I used to live in the flat above Sandown station. I love the Island Line, brings back so many memories.

Brilliant Video Geoff, I managed to visit the Isle of Wight for the first time on the 1st November and really enjoyed it, the Class 484s are brilliant, love the USBs between the seats but the most memorable bit I will remember about my visit was boarding the 0845 to Shanklin at Ryde Pier Head and it got cancelled! Because it arrived 10 minutes late into Ryde Pier Head and wanted to get it back on track. Now I just remember that this was all a dream because the Isle of Wight don't exist lol! (just kidding) but seriously as Geoff said at the end, Do visit the Isle of Wight, it is amazing and I was impressed every stop towards Shanklin, would love to go again! :D

For someone who’s never been to the Isle of Wight, you seem to go there a lot! Really informative video and very enjoyable - the noise of those trains takes me back to commuting in London!

The D-stock trains are back! These are definitely nicer and smoother than the old District line carriages

Loving your videos Geoff! UK railways are really fascinating... And kinda iffy 😀

At Brading station they have instead lowered the trackbed rather than raise the platform.

Love the pin you brought!!! The new trains are a great addition but will miss the old ones.

Nice video Geoff. I look forward to visiting the island again and riding the new stock.

The ride is a lot smoother now. As well as the "new trains," the ballast on the track when the '38 Stock was running used to be beach shingle in places, this was all replaced by "proper ballast" during the shutdown.

Went over to the island in July and went on the new trains They're cool, we also went on the heritage railway which is also amazing, and it's so good they have that station at smallbrook junction, just a shame that most of the islands railway has been removed 😢

Great video as always Geoff thanks

Lovely to see the old D stock repurposed and living a new life on the Isle. Nice to see the infrastructure has been updated without trashing everything that gave the line its character too 😎 We keep saying we’re going to visit the IoW so this might just give me the extra incentive to do it 🤔 Cheers 👍🍻🍀

What a lovely job they've done on both the refurb work on the D-stock (they look fantastic) and the amount of work raising the platforms (we'll ignore Brading).

Amazing 484

Nice to see Geoff not on the Isle of Wight again 😂

Excellent video and interesting history.

Those doors opening slow are going to become a pain.

Incredible green screen Geoff! Almost looks like you're really there.

The "I'm loving it" joke was very funny - made me giggle. Great video!

What a huge upgrade 👍🏻

nice seeing different sized train systems.

Loving the new drone shots in your videos!

Mourning the loss of the ‘38 vintage and the bouncy track!!… have to go visit again soon.

Those refurbished trains look brand new. Amazing what you can do. Kinda similar idea to the old as hell Budd passenger cars on VIA in Canada, some are from the 40s but they are crisp new inside and wonderful to ride.

Very nice! Can’t wait to ride it.👍

With those green screen skills Geoff you’ll never actually need to go on holiday again. Isn’t technology amazing...! Great video! Pleasure as always to watch, keep it up and stay safe!

I remember going on holiday,with my parents , by train to Shanklin. Steam hauled etc 1960.

Was waiting for this video Geoff great vid as always

Tell you what, you really put the effort in to convince us that you *have* been to the Isle of Wight, when we all know you haven't ;) Great video! I was there on the very first train of the very first day, bleary-eyed but I made it! And I love how everything about the line, including the new trains, are improvements while also retaining the classic spirit of the line - the stations still have a lovely vintage feel, and of course, the tradition of tube trains on the Isle of Wight lives on! ^_^

I bloody love ur vids Geoff

Excellent but we will miss the legendary 1938 tube stock.

Fantastic end shot!

Going to miss the old trains, it was part of the charm of the island