Potential Income

Every location is different - some would also be able to serve a more general customer base than just railway visitors. Although I don't see it as a major money-earner for most railways, it does add convenience to some customers, and may draw in a few more visitors as a result. There's no harm in asking the operators if they would be interested.

 

They have electricity on the IOW?

 

Yes believe it or believe it not, on sunny summer days we actually export electricity to the north island.

 

You get sunny days on the IOW? I’ve been there and it rains.

 

Also a couple in the council-run bit of the Alresford station car-park. The Bluebell have a couple at Sheffield Park too.

They're generally run by third-party companies though, I don't know if any of the railways get any income from them.

 

That's because they saw you were coming from Leeds and wanted to make you feel at home

 

Yes but hopefully more reliable than their health service - it took the local hospital 4 days to realise that my wife had had a stroke and 5 days to offer a test to prove it

 

In which case you failed

 

It seems from out local news, which includes the IOW, you were far from unique in experiencing poor service at Newport Hospital.

 

Only indirectly from the rent that the council pays on the carpark.

 

Having had, until recently, relatives on the island, I can confirm that's the case...

 

Lovely day on the IoW today, happened to see the Waverley coming in to Yarmouth pier. Going to the steam railway tomorrow, so hope it continues.

 

https://waverleyexcursions.co.uk/wp...-South-Coast-Isle-of-Wight-2025-Timetable.pdf

 

I also had a lovely day on IWSR but on Sunday, Cheese & Cider. . . followed by evening meal at the Yarbridge Inn.

 

We enjoyed the cheese and cider too, although it wasn't what we were expecting - hadn't realised the railway had such an enormous catering outlet, so imagined there would be stalls outside from the various individual producers. We were staying in Shanklin and had a meal at the Cinnamon restaurant in the evening.