A class 483 unit heads away from Ryde Pier Head station on its journey to Shanklin,on the Isle of Wight.The rusted section in the foreground are the remains of the Ryde Pier Tramway,which closed in 1969.When steam operations on the island finishe,in 1966,the remaining track was electrified on the third rail system,and ex London Transport vehicles provided the transport.These were replaced by the newer (!!) class 483 units.What a lost opportunity - if only the 55 miles of railway had been left as a steam heritage system,the tourism potential would have been immense.
