Join us for a Winter day of Southern steam on the Isle of Wight with 02 Calbourne on passenger stock

About this event

We are pleased to offer the second of two days at the Isle of Wight Steam Railway featuring Southern Railway motive power and rolling stock. Our day will start around dawn as we plan to be on Ashey Common to catch the early morning glint which should be excellent at this time of year given clear skies and cool conditions. We will then visit as many locations along the line as possible at the best times for the light, ending at Ashey Common again at dusk for sunset silhouette shots.

Today, our locomotive is 02 Class 0-4-4T No.24 Calbourne, which is in lined malachite Southern Green livery with ‘sunshine’ lettering on its tanks. This is the only survivor of the 02 Class which became synonymous with the Island’s railway system in the latter days of British Railways steam when by the end they were the only steam locos still left operational. No.24 was built for the London & South Western Railway in 1891 and passed into Southern Railway ownership at Grouping in 1923. In 1925, as part of the modernisation of the Island’s railway system, No.24 was shipped to the Isle of Wight as one of 23 members of the class that eventually worked there. When electrification of the remaining line from Shanklin to Ryde Pier Head took place in 1967, No.24 was retained to work engineering trains and became the first steam locomotive purchased by the Isle of Wight Steam Railway, hauling the heritage line’s first passenger train in 1971. Its most recent overhaul was completed in 2020 and it remains a star of the fleet, though nowadays seeing a little less use than in previous years.

This charter represents a wonderful opportunity to photograph a beautiful and authentic pre-Nationalisation combination at a great time of year for steam photography; we hope you will want to join us for this day and our preceding event featuring W11 and the Push-Pull set.

Event requirements

Equipment

• Spare batteries
• Camera
• Lenses
• Camera protection - rain covers etc

Other things you should bring

• Snacks
• Bottled water

Knowledge

• All levels welcome

Fitness

• Medium

Other essentials

• Sturdy outdoor shoes
• Warm clothing
• Wet weather gear