by Mark Collins

I’d never seen the Island Line and was intrigued how ex London tube stock would look travelling through the idyllic countryside of the Isle of Wight.

We arrived on the Island the previous day so we could film Island Line trains at various locations between Ryde Pier and Shanklin. We were slaves to their timetable but when you are running the country’s most punctual train service, this didn’t pose a problem.

I used to present a daytime radio programme on the regional radio station for this area, Wave 105, so I called the Breakfast Show presenter Steve Power, to explain that if any listeners were travelling to Portsmouth from Ryde Pier that day, and they saw a camera crew filming the trains, not to worry, it was only Mark Collins returning and to say hello.

As you may gather, with only 8 ½ miles of track, the Island line is a small but very friendly operation. I must thank the General Manager Steve Wade and the Maintenance shed Manager, Jess Harper for their help, and it’s true – they really were running on time.

Trainspotting.links (will open in a new window)

www.island-line.co.uk