Shanklin’s Dotto road train first started operations on 22nd September 1995 – 30 years ago today!
Unfortunately, it took to the road 3 months late, with just 3 weeks of the holiday season remaining.
The road train had been bought that June at a cost of £55,000 (£113,000 in today’s values). However, it had not been allowed out on Shanklin streets as it had not had the approval of the Police and Ministry of Transport.
The Dotto train had been bought by the former South Wight Borough Council, which anticipated it would generate a £54,000 income over its 24-week operating period.
The service ran between the Esplanade and Shanklin Railway Station.
The 3 Dotto trains on the Isle of Wight (Ryde, Sandown and Shanklin) were scrapped by the Isle of Wight Council in 2010 and sold to a businessman in Llandudno in North Wales due to the increased maintenance costs of the ageing vehicles. At that time, the cost of purchasing replacement vehicles came to £100,000.
In 2022, Shanklin considered a return of the Dotto train – which made a ‘decent’ profit – as reported by Island Echo.
I used to regularly travel on the Dotto trains, they were very
convenient and great fun.
Such a shame the island sold them off.
Many seasides around the country still have them, time to
bring them back, great for tourism.
My late Mother used to catch the train from Shanklin to Ryde, get on the Dotto Train and get off at Appley, to visit her beach hut. A friend had a shop in Ryde high street where the Dotto train terminated, and this created customers for his Beany Babies.
Nice to hear, it was a great service.
I would walk from Seaview to Dell Cafe
have lunch and a drink or 2 then get the
Dotto to the top of Ryde and back again
to Dell Cafe the walk home.
It was good for business.
The island should have kept them, they should
have run one from Shanklin Esplanade to
Yaverland.
The island have no idea what’s good for tourism
or for locals.