Screen Archive South East is a public sector moving image archive serving the South East of England. The archive's collections of magic lantern slides, films, videos and associated materials capture the many varied aspects of life, work and creativity from the early days of screen history to the present day and serve as a rich and invaluable historical resource.
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Isle of Wight: Calbourne Locomotive at Haven Street
The last remaining O2, number 24 'Calbourne', delights holiday makers at Haven Street Station - headquarters of the Isle of Wight Steam Railway
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Overview
On a hot day in August we see Adams O2, number 24 'Calbourne' being coaled up by her fireman in readiness for a working day on the Isle of Wight Steam Railway. We see her run round her train before buffering-up and departing for Wootton - the railway's western terminus. On her return to Haven Street, 'Calbourne' is seen manoeuvring up and down the line, hauling the distinctive Isle of Wight coaching stock.
The Isle of Wight once had a railway network totalling over 55½ miles, divided amongst several railway companies. After the Grouping of 1923, the newly formed Southern Railway took over these lines, replacing much of the old motive power and rolling stock. 'Calbourne', the O2 locomotive seen in this film, had previously worked suburban services out of Waterloo and, along with another twenty-two examples of her type, was transferred to the Isle of Wight. Each O2 was named after an Isle of Wight location. Though much of the network had closed by 1956, with the remaining mileage recommended for closure by Dr Beeching, the route between Ryde and Shanklin was electrified while 5½ miles became the heritage line.
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