Smallbrook Junction railway station is a railway station on the
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...
, England. It is unusual because it has no public access but exists purely to provide a connection between two rail systems.
Another similar station is
Manulla Junction
Manulla Junction railway station is a transfer point for train passengers in County Mayo, Ireland.
Description
Passengers cannot enter or leave the station; it is only for passengers travelling to or from Foxford or Ballina, who transfer to ...
in
County Mayo
County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the Taxus baccata, yew trees") is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Conn ...
,
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...
. However, that station allows interchange between two national network rail routes, rather than between a network route and a heritage route.
History
The station was opened in 1991 by
British Rail
British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British rai ...
when the
Isle of Wight Steam Railway
The Isle of Wight Steam Railway is a heritage railway on the Isle of Wight. The railway passes through of countryside from to station, passing through the small village of Havenstreet, where the line has a station, headquarters and a depo ...
was extended to reach the
Island Line Island Line or Island line may refer to:
* Island line (MTR), one of the lines of the MTR metro system in Hong Kong
* Island Line, Isle of Wight, a railway line on the Isle of Wight, England
** Island Line (brand)
Island Line is a brand of the ...
, in order to provide a passenger interchange between the two. It is only served on days that both the Island Line and the Steam Railway are open, as there is no access either by path or by road.
Prior to 1991 there was no station on this site, but it was still an important railway junction. "Smallbrook Junction" is the historic name, long predating the station. Between 1875 and 1926 there were two separate lines here, independently run by the
Isle of Wight Central Railway
The Isle of Wight Central Railway (IoWCR) was a railway company on the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom. It was formed in 1887 by the merging of three earlier railways, the Cowes and Newport Railway (opened 1862), the Ryde and Newport Railway (opened ...
and the
Isle of Wight Railway
The Isle of Wight Railway was a railway company on the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom; it operated of railway line between Ryde and Ventnor. It opened the first section of line from Ryde to Sandown in 1864, later extending to Ventnor in 1866. ...
. In 1926, following the
island's rail network passing to the
Southern Railway, a signal box and
points were installed at Smallbrook. From then until 1966, the line was the Junction between the Ryde Pier Head to Ventnor and Ryde Pier Head to Cowes Lines, and was notable for only being operated as such during the summer months when traffic increased.
The junction has been featured in many photographs from the time.
If the Isle of Wight Steam Railway achieves its long-term aim of extending to Ryde St. Johns Road, it is likely that Smallbrook Junction station would close.
Flooding
In October 2000, flooding near the station washed away much of the
track ballast
Track ballast forms the trackbed upon which railroad ties (sleepers) are laid. It is packed between, below, and around the ties. It is used to bear the load from the railroad ties, to facilitate drainage of water, and also to keep down vegetat ...
on the
Island Line Island Line or Island line may refer to:
* Island line (MTR), one of the lines of the MTR metro system in Hong Kong
* Island Line, Isle of Wight, a railway line on the Isle of Wight, England
** Island Line (brand)
Island Line is a brand of the ...
. Due to the dangerous state of the line, and the damage caused to trains by related flooding at
Ryde depot
Ryde Traincare Depot is a railway traction maintenance depot, situated in Ryde, Isle of Wight, to the east of Ryde St John's Road railway station. The depot is operated by Island Line, is allocated the Island Line fleet of the British Rail Class ...
,
Island Line Trains
Island Line is a brand of the South Western Railway train operating company which runs the Island Line on the Isle of Wight. A stand-alone franchise from 1996 until 2007, it then became part of the South Western franchise operated by South W ...
had to suspend their services for several days.
[ Hardy, Tube Trains, p. 76]
Similar events occurred in December 2013, closing the line for many weeks.
Services
On days when the steam railway operates, there is an hourly service in both directions between approximately 09:00 and 16:30.
Gallery
File:IoW Steam Railway 69199.jpg, From Smallbrook towards Ashey
Ashey is a hamlet on the outskirts of Ryde on the Isle of Wight in southern England. The appropriate civil parish is called Havenstreet and Ashey
Ashey is the site every year of an amateur horse race known as the "Isle of Wight Grand National and ...
File:Whitefield Farm - 262329.jpg, Looking towards Whitefield Farm from the "Terrier"
File:Smallbrook Junction railway station.jpg, Steam engine running around its train.
References
External links
{{coord, 50.711, N, 1.155, W, type:railwaystation_region:GB, display=title
Railway stations on the Isle of Wight
DfT Category F2 stations
Heritage railway stations on the Isle of Wight
Rail junctions in England
Railway stations opened by British Rail
Railway stations built for UK heritage railways
Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1991
Island Line railway stations (Isle of Wight)
Railway stations in Great Britain without public access
Railway stations in Great Britain without road access
1991 establishments in England
Ryde
Railway stations accessible only by rail