Railway Day Trips: 160 classic train journeys around Britain. Julian Holland
22 minutes and on arrival at Ryde Pier Head passengers transfer to an Island Line train on the electrified line to Shanklin. The line was electrified on the third-rail principle and opened in March 1967, replacing former Southern Railway Class ‘02’ 0-4-4Ts and vintage rolling stock. The trains in use today were introduced in 1938 for use on the London Underground and are the oldest type in Britain to remain in regular service.
En route from Ryde Pier Head, trains call at Ryde Esplanade and Ryde St Johns Road – where Island Line trains have their depot – before arriving at Smallbrook Junction station. With no public access, this station was opened in 1991 to provide an interchange between the Island Line and the Isle of Wight Steam Railway. Passengers transfer to the latter for a trip to the railway’s headquarters at Havenstreet. Steam trains call at Ashey and Havenstreet before continuing on to Wootton, and it is recommended that passengers stay on the train to Wootton before returning to Havenstreet to enjoy this delightful location.
DESTINATION HIGHLIGHTS
Award-winning Victorian steam railway; railway museum; carriage and wagon workshop; children’s play area; woodland walk; Haven Falconry
FREQUENCY
Wight Link Catamaran: 2 per hour (Mon-Sat) 1 per hour (Sun) Island Line: 1 per hour Isle of Wight Steam Railway: 5-9 per day (Mar-Oct)
10 MILES 22 + 8 + 35 MINUTES
NUMBER OF CHANGES: 2
(Ryde Pier Head; Smallbrook Junction)
Restored Southern Railway Class ‘02’ 0-4-4T No. W24 ‘Calbourne’ heads a vintage train on the Isle of Wight Steam Railway.
BRIGHTON TO CHICHESTER
Marketed today as the West Coastway Line, the railway along the south coast of England between Brighton and Southampton has a complicated history, having been built by 5 different companies between 1840 and 1889. The Southern Railway electrified it using third rail in the 1930s. A regular interval service is currently operated by Southern.
Trains for Chichester depart from Brighton’s 19th-century Italianate-style overall-roofed terminus and immediately head to the west through Hove Tunnel to call at Hove station, originally named Cliftonville and conveniently located close to the Sussex County Cricket Club’s ground. Never far from the sea, the railway continues westward calling at Aldrington, Portslade (once the junction for the Devil’s Dyke branch), Fishergate, Southwick and Shoreham-on-Sea, which until 1966 was the junction for the Steyning Valley line to Horsham. Beyond Shoreham trains cross the River Adur on a viaduct before calling at a string of 7 coastal towns and resorts, of which Worthing is by far the largest. At Arundel Junction the Arun Valley Line heads off northwards to London while the Littlehampton branch diverges to the south. At Barnham the Bognor Regis branch heads off to the coast, and in a short time Chichester station is reached. This stylish late-1950s building is conveniently located close to the unspoilt historic city centre.
DESTINATION HIGHLIGHTS
12th-century cathedral with separate bell tower and Roman mosaic pavement; Roman street plan; medieval city walls; Butter Market designed by John Nash; imposing Corn Exchange; 15th-century Chichester Cross; modern street art; Festival Theatre (Chichester Festival June/July); Fishbourne Roman Palace (next station)
FREQUENCY OF TRAINS
2 per hour
28¾ MILES 55 MINUTES (WEEKDAYS) 55 MINUTES (WEEKENDS)
NUMBER OF CHANGES: 0
Founded in 1075, the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity in Chichester has fine architecture in both Norman and Gothic styles.
BRIGHTON TO HASTINGS
Marketed as the East Coastway Line, the railway from Brighton to Hastings is full of surprises. Trains leave Brighton’s overall-roofed terminus and soon branch off to the east to cross the 28-arch London Road Viaduct from where there are panoramic views of the sprawling city. Climbing continuously towards the South Downs and the summit of the line at Falmer Tunnel, trains first call at London Road, Moulscomb and Falmer stations before descending towards the historic town of Lewes.
A busy railway crossroads, Lewes station platforms are set in a ‘V’ shape, with trains serving the Newhaven and Seaford branch, Brighton, the Plumpton line to Three Bridges and London, and Eastbourne. Plans to reopen the line to Uckfield are looking hopeful in the long term. Eastwards from Lewes, the East Coastway Line serves stations at Glynde, Berwick and Polegate (once the junction for the Cuckoo Line to Hailsham and Eridge) before ending at Eastbourne’s terminus station, built in 1886 with an attractive lantern roof. Trains for Hastings reverse direction here and head back the way they came before branching off eastwards at Willingdon Junction. From here, the railway heads towards the coast across the Pevensey Levels, passing Pevensey Castle, through Normans Bay and Cooden Beach stations en route to Bexhill, where the Grade II station with its lantern roof has recently been restored. It is but a short distance from here to Bopeep Junction, where the line from Tunbridge Wells joins from the north, and through the long Bopeep Tunnel to St Leonards Warrior Square station. Built in 1851, the station is squeezed between Bopeep and Hastings Tunnel through which trains then pass to arrive at Hastings’ ultra-modern station. The seafront and many other attractions are but a short walk from here.
DESTINATION HIGHLIGHTS
beach; harbour; sea-fishing trips; 1930s double-decker promenade; old town; Hastings Castle; West Hill Cliff Railway; East Hill Cliff Railway; St Clements Caves; Fishermen’s Museum
FREQUENCY OF TRAINS
2 per hour (Mon-Sat)
1 per hour (Sun)
34¼ MILES 63-81 MINUTES
NUMBER OF CHANGES: 0
Completed in 1872, Eastbourne’s elegant Victorian amusement pier is 1,000 ft long and features a restored camera obscura.
TUNBRIDGE WELLS TO HASTINGS
This scenic train journey across the High Weald to the historic seaside resort of Hastings is a great day out for all the family. While the destination has much to offer, the railway journey is equally interesting, calling at historic towns and villages as it winds through forested valleys and burrows under the hard red sandstone hills via no less than seven tunnels. Trains leave Tunbridge Wells station in a southerly direction and immediately start the climb through Grove Tunnel and Strawberry Hill Tunnel before emerging into the lush High Wealden landscape. The railway follows the contours to reach the small town of Wadhurst and the summit of the line.
Leaving Wadhurst through the long Wadhurst Tunnel, the railway then weaves its way down into the valley of the River Rother, calling at Stonegate and Etchingham, before arriving at the picturesque village of Robertsbridge. From here, in the not too distant future, it will be possible to travel by steam train eastwards along