Sandown railway station is a

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in Track (rail transport), tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the ...

serving

Sandown Sandown is a seaside resort and civil parish on the south-east coast of the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom with the resort of Shanklin to the south and the settlement of Lake in between. Together with Shanklin, Sandown forms a built-up area of ...

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 Is ...

, England. It is located 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 ...

from

Ryde Ryde is an English seaside town and civil parish on the north-east coast of the Isle of Wight. The built-up area had a population of 23,999 according to the 2011 Census and an estimate of 24,847 in 2019. Its growth as a seaside resort came ...

Shanklin Shanklin () is a seaside resort and civil parish on the Isle of Wight, England, located on Sandown Bay. Shanklin is the southernmost of three settlements which occupy the bay, and is close to Lake and Sandown. The sandy beach, its Old Village ...

History

Sandown station is a double platform-faced through station. However, from the mid 19th until the mid 20th century it was a junction station, also served by trains to and from Horringford,

Merstone Merstone is a hamlet on the Isle of Wight. It is home to Merston Manor, built in 1605 in the Jacobean style by Edward Cheeke, and rebuilt in the Victorian era. Merston Manor was first mentioned in the Domesday Book, and the present structure is a ...

, Newport and

Cowes Cowes () is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina, facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east bank. The two towns are linked by the Cowes Fl ...

. These lines used to be run by separate companies, 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. ...

(Ryde-

Ventnor Ventnor () is a seaside resort and civil parish established in the Victorian era on the southeast coast of the Isle of Wight, England, from Newport. It is situated south of St Boniface Down, and built on steep slopes leading down to the sea. ...

) and 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 ...

(Newport-Sandown). The adjacent land, which used to be occupied by coal-yards, is now a housing estate and the former Terminus Hotel pub opposite has long been a private house. The line from Ryde to Shanklin was constructed between 1862 and 1864, and opened to passenger traffic on 23 August 1864. The original station building was extended between 1870 and 1871 through the addition of a two-storey extension to act as station offices. In 1923, with the

Grouping Grouping may refer to: * Muenchian grouping * Principles of grouping * Railways Act 1921, also known as Grouping Act, a reorganisation of the British railway system * Grouping (firearms), the pattern of multiple shots from a sidearm See also ...

, came the formation of the Southern Railway. This brought all the railway services on the island under one management, and considerable modernisation. At first, it did not affect the services offered, but eventually the line from Ryde gained a more frequent service whilst the Merstone line declined. One particular feature of the Merstone line was the School Train, which was subsidised by the local authority, and for a significant time meant that the line remained viable. When the line was closed, children from outlying villages going to the Sandown Schools were then transported by bus, the current situation.

Stationmasters

*John Buckett 1864 - 1887 *Albert Shaw 1888 - 1890 (afterwards station master at Ryde St John's) *Mark Gregory 1890 - 1910 (formerly station master at Ryde St John's) *George Pierce 1910 - 1919 *Alex Wheway 1919 - 1941 (afterwards station master at Newport) *H.J. Attrill from 1941 (formerly station master at Brading)

Services

As of May 2022, there are two trains in each direction per hour during the peak and one during the off-peak. Services call at all stations except

Smallbrook Junction Smallbrook Junction railway station is a railway station on the Isle of Wight, 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 ...

, which operates only during steam operating dates and times, and only one service an hour calls at Ryde Pier Head. Trains to Ryde take about 13 minutes (to St. John's Road) or 19 minutes (to Ryde Pier Head). A journey from Sandown to Shanklin generally takes 6 minutes. From Shanklin there is a bus connection to Ventnor.

Gallery

Image:PLkng nrth08.JPG, Looking north Image:PSndwnTB34.JPG, Main entrance Image:PSandwn36vii.JPG, Entrance from other side Image:P1010017TwrdsLKE.JPG, Looking south Image:P1010025Sdwnii.JPG, Shelter on "To Ryde (North)" platform Image:PToShkln26.JPG, Canopy on "To Shanklin (South)" side

References

External links

{{coord, 50.657, N, 1.162, W, type:railwaystation_region:GB, display=title Railway stations on the Isle of Wight DfT Category F1 stations Former Isle of Wight Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1864 Island Line railway stations (Isle of Wight)