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Work progressed and by late
1862 a date was fixed for Captain Tyler of the government inspectorate to conduct a detailed inspection of the line. On 5th January 1863 the Hampshire Telegraph reported that "Captain Tyler, who
came especially from London, was prevented from making the usual official inspection of works by the contractors employees tearing up a rail, thereby rendering the passage of an engine over the line
impracticable. It appears that a very serious misunderstanding exists between the contractors and the director the railway company, to which may be attributed the impediment". However the captain
made as good an inspection as he could and reported 'the line was one and a half miles long, double tracked and had a maximum gradient of 1 in 96.5 with the sharpest curve being of a radius of 12 chains.
He stated that the track comprised of 75lbs rail, which was fishplated and spiked to the sleepers. Because the work was unfinished he could not inspect the work on the pier and in his report he
recommended that the line could not be opened because of incompleteness of the works. He also recommended that more piles be added to the pier that the platform length be extended by 60 feet and reported
that the terminal station the pier was by no means complete.
Eventually the differences
between Thomas Brassey and the directors of the company were settled and work continued again on the completion of the line and pier Captain Tyler was invited to return on 30th march 1863 to make another
official inspection of the line and the added additional works. The captain noted with pleasure that the extra works which he insisted ( during his last visit) had been put in hand. After a careful
inspection he then pronounced the Stokes Bay Line "fit for public working" and at last an opening date for the line could be fixed.
The Opening
On
Monday 6th April 1863, after nearly eight years from the first registration the line was at last opened. The first passengers from London left Waterloo at 08.00 and arrived at Stokes Bay pier at 10.55,
where they transferred to the ferry "Gareloch" and were landed at Ryde pier fifteen minutes later. It appears that no great opening ceremony was held, however on the previous Monday the
Contractors invited the Directors of the Company to a formal lunch.
At this time the connection
to Gosport station from the Stokes Bay Line was via a junction facing towards Gosport station, so that trains to the pier from Fareham had to travel to Gosport first and then pull out again to branch off
to the pier. this service was usually hauled by the 'Gosport engine' and had no designated locomotive for working of the branch. From the beginning of the service a Beattie 'Nile' class locomotive was
the normal 'Gosport engine', in fact numbers 154 'Nile,' 155 'Cressy' and 156 'Hague' more or less finished off their days at Gosport when a Beattie well tank , probably number 250, took over until 1895.
The new service was popular with the public, who had waited so long for it to be opened, and on 27th April 1863 "The Times' reported that business was so brisk that second ferry boat had to be
purchased.
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