The return of a Dotto train in Shanklin has not been ruled out — although caution has been voiced by a top councillor.
The iconic vehicle has been absent from the town for more than 10 years now but with renewed interest in one for Ryde, Shanklin has been looking at whether it would be a good idea to get one back on its roads.
The matter was raised at last week’s Shanklin Town Council meeting. However, Shanklin mayor, Councillor Chris Quirk, said the town didn’t want a Dotto train as they were unreliable.
Councillor Quirk, said:
“The former train in Sandown, was a Landrover with bodywork to make it look like a land train.
“The one in Shanklin made a decent profit, the one in Sandown broke even, and the one in Ryde, which was a Dotto train, made a thumping great loss every year which is why they got rid of it.
The news comes amid rumours that the Ryde Dotto train will be returning to the town’s Esplanade in the near future, despite it not being confirmed or voiced in anything but hush whispers.
Councillor Quirk said it was something the town council could consider but he was not sure a public authority was the right body to be running a Dotto train. He added:
“It is a good private enterprise we can encourage and help, rather than committing ratepayers’ money.
“I don’t think this is a good time to put up precepts to buy a Dotto train but we can think of it.”
Dotto trains were scrapped on the Island in 2010 by the Isle of Wight Council as the ageing vehicles meant increased maintenance costs. At the time, the authority did look at replacing the trains with either new or refurbished ones but was looking at a price tag of more than £100,000 per train.
It was deemed unviable and the Island’s bus operator, Southern Vectis introduced a new summer route covering as much of the Dotto train routes as possible. Despite interest in bringing back the trains, including bids from local companies, the council sold the 3 vehicles to a businessman in Llandudno.
They should never have got rid of the Dotto in the 1st place.
Tourism on the Island lack brains.
I am certain that visitors would absolutely hate these, and stay away in there droves Much better to make people with children or limited mobility walk up and down the steep climbs from the esplanade to the old village.
Good irony there Ian, like it! It will be lost on the council though.
Has the chain ferry not made a thumping great loss?
The dotto train in Shanklin was brilliant when Dobbo was the driver. He was great with all the passengers, young and old alike, no wonder this was the only one of the three road trains to make a profit.
If Chris quirk is a top Councillor then the island is doomed. He’s like a blown light bulb
yes he was no better when he was living on deep space 9.
an innacurate description of quirk, it implies that at some time the lightbulb worked and was some use, sadly he doesn’t meet that requirement as neither does the other village idiot looking for a village to have him namely bacon
What happened to the open top single decker bus that used to serve Shanklin to and from the sea front ? Not green enough ?
IW tourism board is a joke, that is if it still exist ?
I can c y the council don’t like the idea of dotto trains, they can’t make houses or super markets on them
It is not a case of “the town didn’t want a Dotto train” but a case of quirk not wanting one, i havn’t heard of any townspeople being asked about this.
Just Googled ‘Electric Dotto Trains’ … they exist! and would be better than the Landrover powered option mentioned. I think they would add a bit of theatre along the seafront and be popular with tourists.
Don’t wants to spend thousands on them but happy to flutter money at the stupid floating bridge
I’d be interested to know when the ‘Dotto’ trains were unreliable? I drove them regularly during the 5 years they were run by Southern Vectis and we very rarely lost any mileage at Shanklin, Sandown or Ryde. That statement is a load of old cobblers.
The Shanklin train always did well, we used to carry full loads most of the time and families loved it, I don’t understand the negativity.
quirk is just doing what all politicians do, lie to suit their own personal agendas, out of curiosity what or who decides the idiot is a “top councillor”