By Isle of Wight Observer
The Isle of Wight Steam Railway is opening earlier this year for a special ‘Winter Gala & Dark Ales Festival’ taking place between Thursday, February 20 and Sunday, February 23.
Kicking off the season, this new four-day event launches the year that celebrates Railway 200, marking 200 years of the modern railway, the 150th anniversary of the Ryde & Newport Railway line, and the 100th year on the Island for flagship loco, ‘Calbourne’.
The event will also provide the stage for the return to service of historic Island Terrier W8 ‘Freshwater’, built in 1877, and running for the first time since 2019, following an extensive overhaul.
Class 05 Diesel D2554 ‘Nuclear Fred’ will be making a rare appearance from its usual display position in ‘Train Story’ operating in passenger service, pulling a number of brake van specials, as will the railway’s 03 Class Diesel. Flagship ‘02’ class W24 ‘Calbourne’ will haul passenger trains throughout the event, having only appeared briefly in 2024 following the fitting of new tyres.
Marc Morgan Huws, chief executive at IW Steam Railway, said: “This is an amazing year in our history and we are busy planning some great events. The Winter Gala and new Dark Ales Festival marks the start of our 2025 season, and we look forward to celebrating these key milestones for our visitors.”
Entry to Havenstreet Station and the Dark Ales Festival is free. Train tickets are available in advance on-line at iw.observer/steam-railway-tickets and on the day at the Havenstreet booking office.