ON June 30, 1989 – 51 years to the day since London Underground’s1938 Stock entered passenger service on the Northern Line – the first two-car set destined for the Isle of Wight emerged from overhaul at Eastleigh Works, Hampshire.
The vehicles had been converted from fourth to third-rail power and redesignated Class 483 EMUs. The first unit No. 483001 (formed of car Nos. 121 and 221) undertook test runs on the main line to Winchester and back, before being transferred to nearby Fratton depot and then shipped from Portsmouth to Fishbourne during the early hours of July 5.
The unit arrived via road at Ryde Depot on July 6, 1989, then operated various training runs to introduce train crews to the ‘new’ stock from that same day. But it was not until a week later – on Thursday, July 13 – that it was shown off to guests at Ryde Pier Head station, breaking a banner stretched across platforms 2 and 3 before operating shuttles along the pier to Ryde Esplanade.
Three months later on October 7, 1989 – when units Nos. 483002 and 483003 were also available – the ‘483s’ started public services along the full length of the line to Shanklin. The island’s predecessor Classes 485 and 486 (former Underground Standard Stock built from 1923-34) operated for the last time on May 13, 1991 – the two cars that made up the last unit (Nos. S28S and S31S) then being 66 years old.
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