Upgrading the Isle of Wight's Railway: All Change at Ryde

by Richard C. Long

In 2019 it was announced that the Isle of Wight’s iconic 1938 Stock tube trains were to be withdrawn and replaced with a ‘new’ fleet of refurbished ex-London Underground trains, as part of a wider project to upgrade the Island’s ageing railway infrastructure. This book examines in detail the events that followed: the infrastructure works, the withdrawal and disposal of the old trains, and the development and introduction of their replacements – all of it carried out in the midst of a global pandemic. What went wrong, and what went right? What would happen to the 1938 Stock? And would the new trains even fit through Ryde Tunnel…?

In writing this book the author has been able to draw upon unique insights provided by some of the key figures involved in the Island Line upgrade, as well as by the current owners of many of the withdrawn 1938 Stock units.

224 pages, Hardcover

Published August 30, 2024

About the author

Describing himself as a "full-time dad and part-time writer", life-long railway enthusiast Richard Long was born in Hampshire in 1972 and has lived in East London for the past 25 years. A history graduate and former bookseller, he has written a number of books about railways in the south of England, including 'Ryde Rail: A History of Tube Trains on the Isle of Wight' and ‘The St Ives Branch Line: A History’ (shortlisted for a 2023 Holyer An Gof Publishers’ Award).

Richard’s latest book - ‘Southern Way Special no. 20: Isle of Wight Railways in the 1950s’ - is available now.