Island Line Upgrade updates

[Egg Centric]

Yup - saw that, unfortunately am driving!

Guess I could put wife on it to go and check in while I drive around

but seems to be on its last legs with just one unit available today (Sunday) on an hourly service. Bank Holiday weekend too, full and standing (zero social distance) on the train I was on so just like the London Underground used to be ! Probably my last trip on these historic units.
Seems to be the same today (BH Monday), just one unit running. Was the same Saturday incidentally.

Turned out to be the case. On the plus size, it was (legally as authorized by the guard) free, so it was a fond, if brief, goodbye.

 

[Graham H]

Hooray, looks like they got another unit back from the dead as two trains running today based on departure board for Ryde.

 

[VEP3417]

i went over to the iow the other day for a ride on the tube trains, got loads of pics ect, not sure if to post them here or start a new thread

.....god that track is awful...not just awful, defective
i hope they plan to replace the whole lot if your not being thrown from the extreme left..to the extreme right...your being bounced up and down like a bucking bronco lucky thos seats old are very well sprung! how that train stays on the track in places nobody knows

having said that its probably a very accurate outer suburban london experience of how it probably was back then, really did feel like suburban london in places, especially going through that long tunnel and through highly built up area, very enjoyable, bit like how i imagine suburban london was in the mid to late 60s just before the steam days ended as thats the time period/condition most of the stations are still in

catch them whilst you can! genuine experiences like that are getting few and far between......just dont try and drink a bottle of water or anything whilst riding the train

 

[reddragon]

i went over to the iow the other day for a ride on the tube trains, got loads of pics ect, not sure if to post them here or start a new thread

.....god that track is awful...not just awful, defective
i hope they plan to replace the whole lot if your not being thrown from the extreme left..to the extreme right...your being bounced up and down like a bucking bronco lucky thos seats old are very well sprung! how that train stays on the track in places nobody knows

having said that its probably a very accurate outer suburban london experience of how it probably was back then, really did feel like suburban london in places, especially going through that long tunnel and through highly built up area, very enjoyable, bit like how i imagine suburban london was in the mid to late 60s just before the steam days ended as thats the time period/condition most of the stations are still in

catch them whilst you can! genuine experiences like that are getting few and far between......just dont try and drink a bottle of water or anything whilst riding the train

I dared my son to stand up and not hold on all the way. He did well, except at one place each way when he went airborne and hit the wall. He loved it!

Staying on the seat is a challenge, drinking attempts must be videoed!

 

[MotCO]

I dared my son to stand up and not hold on all the way. He did well, except at one place each way when he went airborne and hit the wall. He loved it!

Staying on the seat is a challenge, drinking attempts must be videoed!

How do the drivers fair? They must be 'real shook up' at the end of a shift!. No full english breakfasts beforehand I assume.

 

[DorkingMain]

How do the drivers fair? They must be 'real shook up' at the end of a shift!. No full english breakfasts beforehand I assume.

I believe it used to be the case that the driver and conductor would swap duties at each end, and so the small number of crew are trained as both conductors and drivers.

 

[trebor79]

I found it wasn't as bouncy when standing, I do think the spring seats exacerbate the motion, particularly where the time period between joints happens to coincide with the natural frequency of body on sprung seat.
Guard and driver seemed to stick to their respective duties on the day my son and I went for a ride.

 

[Egg Centric]

i went over to the iow the other day for a ride on the tube trains, got loads of pics ect, not sure if to post them here or start a new thread

.....god that track is awful...not just awful, defective
i hope they plan to replace the whole lot if your not being thrown from the extreme left..to the extreme right...your being bounced up and down like a bucking bronco lucky thos seats old are very well sprung! how that train stays on the track in places nobody knows

having said that its probably a very accurate outer suburban london experience of how it probably was back then, really did feel like suburban london in places, especially going through that long tunnel and through highly built up area, very enjoyable, bit like how i imagine suburban london was in the mid to late 60s just before the steam days ended as thats the time period/condition most of the stations are still in

catch them whilst you can! genuine experiences like that are getting few and far between......just dont try and drink a bottle of water or anything whilst riding the train

I did not find it anywhere near as dramatic as this post, fwiw.

I mention this because posts like this were part of my motivation in re-experiencing it.

Bakerloo line is more dramatic imo.

 

[stuu]

Staying on the seat is a challenge, drinking attempts must be videoed!

The A stock on the metropolitan line used to be like that, it was possible to get airborne if the driver was in a rush

 

[Journeyman]

I've always thought that bits of Island Line are a lot like the old Epping to Ongar line - an incongruously rural experience on a tube train that's seen better days.

 

[hermit]

It must be for 25kV electrification..............

Although my comment was meant to be flippant I have a feeling at the back of my mind that there was, at the time, a default rule that overhead electrification clearances had to be provided on new structures.

It seems unlikely that the excess height is because of signal sighting requirements - if that was the problem, a simple remedy would be to have the train stop a little further along the platform. No, I’ve always assumed that the height of the bridge reflects some inflexible rule that all new bridges must be high enough to accommodate overhead wires. Particularly nonsensical in the case of Island Line.

As a regular user of the station, I find it increasingly irritating, as I get older and more decrepit, to have to climb twice as high as necessary every time I arrive there. I have a friend who refuses to use the bridge and makes me drive to Brading instead to pick her up. Those who are unable to climb the stairs are presumably expected to go on to Brading and return on the next up train.

At least when the 484s, which are a bit taller than the existing stock, arrive, I will have the consolation of knowing that the excess height I’m having to climb will be slightly less than it is now.

 

[VEP3417]

I did not find it anywhere near as dramatic as this post, fwiw.

your driver must have been going nice and slow/steady

that type of listing/undulation on a daily basis cant be good for the trains/running gear

i think theyre missing a trick not doing a special event for the last trains....."one last ryde" or something like that

shame lockdown/ect has probably put a stop to all that

 

[Meerkat]

Had a very short ride yesterday, from Esplanade to St Johns. A fair bit of new ballast about.
no ticket checks and one end of the coach was taped off for the guard, which meant that along the pier the train was a long way from distanced!
Are they taking up the second track from St Johns to Pier Head - it’s unbelievably rusted!?

 

[Gloster]

It is only out of use from Esplanade to Pier Head: Esplanade to Smallbrook (both exclusive) is double.

 

[K.o.R]

It is only out of use from Esplanade to Pier Head: Esplanade to Smallbrook (both exclusive) is double.

Still think they should have a pier shuttle using the second track and platforms.

 

[Meerkat]

Still think they should have a pier shuttle using the second track and platforms.

Why? Once the service is half hourly a train will meet every ferry anyway

 

[Gloster]

Why? Once the service is half hourly a train will meet every ferry anyway

REPLY: Once you have arrived at Esplanade you would have to use the subway, which is steps only, or go on a long walk past the Hoverspeed terminal.

 

[norbitonflyer]

No, I’ve always assumed that the height of the bridge reflects some inflexible rule that all new bridges must be high enough to accommodate overhead wires.

I would be interested to know if this is the case, and if so when it came into force. (In relation to a particular bridge on the mainland)

 

[apinnard]

REPLY: Once you have arrived at Esplanade you would have to use the subway, which is steps only, or go on a long walk past the Hoverspeed terminal.

Did that subway ever get drained out?

 

[Dstock7080]

I would be interested to know if this is the case, and if so when it came into force. (In relation to a particular bridge on the mainland)

(The temporary pedestrian footbridge at Feltham station erected in early 2019 is certainly of this height.)

 

[Vespa]

I have just booked a hotel and ferry for IOW Sept/Oct, as this could be the last opportunity for me to experience this train and general sightseeing.

It must be a pretty unique experience to ride an 80 year train in regular service.

Last week I went past Merseyrail Birkenhead North depot, I saw a Vivarail unit inside, which looks very similar to the new Island Line 484 train.

 

[VEP3417]

It must be a pretty unique experience to ride an 80 year train in regular service.

that it is.....experiances like that are few and far between these days and getting less and less (apart from heritage lines)

2020 seems to be the year everyone decided to get rid of everything old train wise

 

[swt_passenger]

I would be interested to know if this is the case, and if so when it came into force. (In relation to a particular bridge on the mainland)

When all the new DDA footbridges were fitted in the Southampton and Portsmouth area, in the years up to 2010, they were definitely made compatible with overhead electrification. When that actually became normal practice I’ve no idea, but I don’t think it’s recent.

I remember a discussion here where someone reckoned all new road bridges would normally be cleared for wires, unless it was physically impossible to alter nearby roads to the new height.

 

[Rob F]

We went on Island Line quite few times this August and found it generally much less bouncy than it was the last time we were there in 2013. Has the line speed been reduced between Brading and Ryde as we seemed to crawl along that section?

 

[Rick1984]

Video from 1989. I notice the bridge at St. Johns isn't there. When was current one built?

 

[Gloster]

#145. You don’t often hear birdsong like that in Ryde nowadays. Has it been added on?

 

[Rick1984]

When I lived in Trinity Street recently I defo heard birds, if i remember, included one imitating a phone. Also strange whistling at night.

 

[K.o.R]

Video from 1989. I notice the bridge at St. Johns isn't there. When was current one built?

Look at that level boarding at St John's Road and Brading!

 

[Rick1984]

I notice even though the NSE livery looks very tatty at this point there are still cars in blue grey they must've been there a while as spares donors, not unlike now
you can see off end of Shanklin where now trees

 

[Chris125]

I did not find it anywhere near as dramatic as this post, fwiw.

It's not too bad at the moment, though sitting at the ends of the carriage does make a difference - there were still some surprisingly violent kicks the other day next to the cab.

Video from 1989. I notice the bridge at St. Johns isn't there. When was current one built?

It's post-privatisation, 2001 I think?