Good evening,

Today we have some a bit different in the form of a railway photo guide. One of the most popular search terms on Locoyard is for photo guides of various railways, so I thought I’d try one featuring the Isle of Wight of Steam Railway so without further adieu.

 Isle of Wight Steam Railway – Photo Guide

The Isle of Wight Steam Railway is made up of 4 stations and during our guide we will work from Wotton Station on the western side of the map and work eastwards. The purpose of the guide is to be a simple tool to help first time visitors gain a rough idea of what sort of locations and shots are available on the line. It should also be added none of the locations will require a PTS (Personal Track Safety). Some of these photos were taken in 2013 and 2014 but are still accessible in 2015, they were only used in order to try and break up all the photos of Calbourne.

NOTE: A rather interesting fact about the Isle of Wight Railway is currently all the locomotives face the same direction but we will include tender/bunker first locations incase a locomotive one day faces the other way.

Wootton Station
	Wootton Station (Platform)	This shot of Calbourne is one of the more classic “Tourist” shots. It looks good, however I find it is very hard to get a clear shot as when the train stops passengers come flooding out to take photos themselves.
	Wootton Station (Picnic area)	This photograph was taken from a location taken from the footpath that runs alongside the track is a great location to get a more “country” style photo. If you were waiting for the train when it first arrived and before the passengers disembarked you could get a real timeless photo.
	Wootton Station (Platform)	By standing at the end of the platform you are able to get a good shot of her coming into the station. However with the amount of obstacles in the way you can not get a clean shot. This might suit videographers more than photographers who want a shot of the train coming into the station. My cameras zoom wasn’t the best however with a digital SLR you can get a far better result than I did.
	Wootton Station (Platform)	This shot was taken from the same location but with the train closer to the station, it still suffers from a few obstacles but is still an interesting photograph.
	Packsfield Crossing	This shot is one of the more popular locations with enthusiasts as you are able to get a lineside shot of the train heading in towards Wotton. This location is good for both photographers and videographers as you could film the locomotive taking the corner a few 100 meters away and pan around to see her arrive into the station.The crossing is a 5 minute walk from the station and I was able to get to the location before the train arrived on left the station.
	Packsfield Crossing	This shot was also taken from the crossing but with all the locos being tender/bunker first in this shot is not very often used.

Havenstreet Station
	Havenstreet Station (Adventure playground)	This shot was taken from the adventure playground in Havenstreet. Although the locomotive is facing the wrong way for this shot if they ever do switch directions it will become a great location for getting them coming into the station.
	Havenstreet Station (Eastern footpath)	This location is a good spot if you want to get a close up shot of the locomotive coming into the station. You are also able to get a clear shot of the train coming around the corner.
	Havenstreet (Train Story Footpath)	This location has only become available since the opening of the new Train Story museum and for me is one of the best locations on the line as you are able to get a complete shot of the train leaving the platform. The only minor downside is the kids playground in the background which stops this becoming a timeless photo. You are able to go further down the footpath to a location where you cant see the playground but you are also unable to see the signals.
	Havenstreet (Platform)	With only typically one or two trains in service getting photos of the locos in the loco yard can be a bit of a challenge with the various containers and huts the railway has in it. The best place to get a clean shot is to stand on the platform whilst the trains are out.
	Havenstreet (Eastern footpath)	This shot was taken from the same place as the other shot from the eastern footpath but shows the shot you can get of the trains coming out of the platform. Again where trains are run bunker first in this direction it is not a popular shot for photographers but is good for videographers who are able to get a nice panning shot from the location.
	Havenstreet (Platform)	This shot is another classic but touristy shot of the locomotive waiting at Havenstreet station. This is very tricky location to get a nice clear shot as it’s a very popular with passengers who jump out at the stations to take photos.
	Havenstreet (Train Story Footpath)	This photograph was taken from the same place as the other one on the Train Story footpath but shows the sort of result you can when the train is about to depart and all the passengers are on board.
	Havenstreet (Shop)	The final location at Havenstreet is this one outside the railways gift shop. The location gives you a nice side view of the locomotive in platform 2.

Ashey Station
	Ashey Crossing	This photo shows the train when it first pops around the corner towards Ashey. This was taken at long range so would suit photographers who are set up with a long lens. However this location does suffer from the bunker first workings.NOTE: The easiest way to get to the crossing is to get off at Ashey Station and walk out of the station to the crossing but there is also a footpath from the local village of East Ashey.
	Ashey Crossing	Calbourne is just leaving Ashey station in this shot. I have always liked this station as the background features the original station which is now in private hands. For the best photos the train needs to stop at the station so you can get some nice photos of her leaving otherwise they tend to thunder through about 20mph.This again would make a brilliant location for videographers who want a nice clear pan shot with something interesting in the background.
	Ashey Crossing	A similar shot to the one above but with the train covering most of the hedging in the background it becomes slightly more timeless as it becomes less apparent that the station is in private hands.

Smallbrook Junction Station
	Smallbrook Junction (Platform)	This shot was taken from the very end of the platform just after the locomotive decoupled from the train and was running around. I do like this location as you are able to get a clear shot of the locomotive light engine.
	Smallbrook Junction (Platform)	This location is another very popular one with the typical tourist passengers as the train is stationary for about 5 minutes. For the best results at the location you need to wait for the train to finish boarding as you get far less people on the platform/

If you know any other photo locations and you wish to share them with us please contact us using the blogs contact us page and we will happily add them to the page.