Negotiations also took place with both the local Council and British Railways regarding the purchase of a chunk of line and various other equipment such as water tanks, trackwork and buffer stops, all of which were going to be needed if a railway was to be run. The W.L.S. raised funds like never before, the continued existence of the historic stock depended on it and sufficient was raised to pay the deposit on 1 and 5/8 mile of line from Wootton (with road access) to Haven Street also with road access and both on a bus route! There was little of engineering interest on the section and with a little t.l.c. it was hoped a train would run in a short while.

All this was at the planning stage when on Monday 18th January 1971 notice to quit Newport station arrived – it all had to be gone by 25th!

Although not unexpected, and some preliminary work on the track to Haven Street had been carried out, it came as a shock. A meeting was called at a pub near the Fishbourne car ferry terminal that night, mainlanders and locals formulating a plan of action … After closing time and perhaps with the help of a little alcohol things didn’t look so bad. Tuesday saw frantic action, teams started to load ‘stuff’ onto wagons and vans (preservationists gather lots of ‘stuff’), and others headed off for Cowes on the remains of an old Ryde Pier Tram to gather steel rail keys – these to replace the wooden ones which had kept home fires burning between Newport and Havenstreet for the past few years. Posters were printed and nailed to trees and posts all along the line warning trespassers to be wary of train movements over the next few days. It came as quite a shock to many a dog and owner when the tram, laden with track materials and water tanks bore down on them through the grass covered tracks at 30 miles an hour, the liberal use of the hand operated klaxon was a perverse joy of the driver on these trips.

There were two main obstacles on the line to Havenstreet. The first just yards from base camp, was the draw bridge which carried the lines over the River Medina. It had not been opened for years and we had avoided crossing it during operations around the station. It was inspected by our engineers and found to be intact. Theft of bearings was feared but unfounded. A rather fatalistic attitude prevailed amongst our youthful number. If it all falls in we walk away and deny everything, remembering to wear running shoes on the day.

The second obstruction was more manageable. There had been an ongoing clay problem at Wootton for years and it was sited just a few feet short of the line we were about to purchase. This slippage and heave had to be crossed to give rail access to our line. A small team of Boy Scouts, their Leader and one other chappy went to look at the job on Thursday. By Friday some of the clay slip was cleared and the track, which had a distinct kink in it, packed and ballasted to provide a solid base. The team went away very pleased they had done their best but it rained – Oh how it rained – and by Saturday, just 24 hours before it needed to carry trains, the lines lay suspended in fresh air surrounded by a sea of mud. The tram arrived a little before midday Saturday laden with timber packing, in fact the skeletal remains of numerous old wagons that had previously been broken up at Newport, plus a few hundred weights of ballast scooped from the four-foot on the way. Frantic was the action and a sort of raft was created under the track but there was no means of load testing so the team leader undertook to standby when the first trains crossed, although exactly what action he could have taken if the train toppled I don’t know but from his location he was certainly going to go down with the sinking ship!

Sunday 24th January 1971, a date that will go down in history, well in the history of the Isle of Wight Steam Railway at least … it was our first day or was it our last? At Newport it dawned bright, pumps were lifting water from the track drains into locomotive and other water barrels, and last minute preparations to run four steam hauled trains to Havenstreet were well under way. The water situation had been caused by the impending sale of the railway land to the local authorities. As part of this process the water supply, which the W.L.S. had been using for four years without charge, was cut off and the only alternative was to use the track drains as a reservoir by blocking the outlets. You will recall it rained on Friday night and by Saturday most of Newport station was under water up to two feet in places.

The locomotive crew was at first under the supervision of former driver Tony Tiltman. His ex boss Ivor Davies from Ryde Works also gave advice along with WLS member John Wenyon from Eastleigh Works. Later model maker Don Young joined for a trip but as the day wore on Bob Huxtable and Tom Jackman were left to their own devices with a guest appearance of this author on the footplate of the very last trip. This resulted in a stop at Whippingham to ‘blow up’ which all goes to prove I’m no better with a shovel than a pen!