The Stokes Bay line was a short railway branch line in Hampshire, England, near Gosport. Associated with a new pier, it was intended to give direct and easy access from trains to steamers to the Isle of Wight in comparison to the conventional route through Portsmouth, which required a road transport connection though the town. Railway operation to the Stokes Bay pier started in 1863.[1]
Through coaches were operated from London and elsewhere, but the railway route was indirect. The pier at Stokes Bay was in an exposed position, and berthing of the steamers was difficult in bad weather. As an independent company, the line’s operators were reliant on the goodwill of the London and South Western Railway, as well as the efficiency of an associated ferry company. The LSWR had concluded a co-operation agreement with a competitor and did not wish to disturb the new-found harmony; the ferry company failed financially.
Despite the adversities, the company continued operating, but the call on workers and war materiel brought about closure of the line in 1915. Some work in connection with the Admiralty continued for a few years after closure as a public railway.