capacities ranging from . The flat trucks included five designated as timber trucks – these had a transverse bolster to support the load. The two cranes were both hand-operated, and could lift respectively; and the match truck was used to support the jib of crane no. 426S when travelling. Other railways The Cowes and Newport Railway had been the first line to be opened on the Isle of Wight, in 1862. A connection to Ryde was made by the Ryde and Newport Railway, which met the IoWR at Smallbrook, south of Ryde. The IoWR constructed a second track alongside its own from Smallbrook to Ryde and the R&NR used that track and the IoWR Ryde station, paying a rental for the purpose. The R&NR opened to traffic from a station near Newport on 20 December 1875. The RNR asked the IoWR to work their line and that belonging to the Cowes & Newport Railway, but the IoWR shareholders voted the proposal down. The RNR was worked by locomotives loaned by Henry Martin, the contractor working the CNR; six months later a Joint Committee of the two companies took over the operation of their railways. The Isle of Wight (Newport Junction) Railway constructed a line between Sandown, on the IoWR, and Newport. The company experienced difficulties in finalising the access to Newport, and the line opened between Sandown and Shide on 1 February 1875, later extending to Newport on 1 June 1879. In 1880 the line was purchased by the Cowes and Newport company. Proposed unification of island railways The idea that the Island railways should be worked as one entity by a Joint Committee of the LSWR and LBSCR was gaining support. In December 1875 Herapath's Railway Journal reported a story that the mainland companies had offered to work the Isle of Wight railways for 50 per cent of gross receipts and claimed that such a course would be profitable to all concerned. Maycock and Silbury say, "They reckoned without the IoWR shareholders who knew their company already cost less than 50 per cent to operate and, being the most profitable of the Island railways, an agreement of this nature would benefit other companies at their expense." They quote 47% (on page 86) but 73% in 1871 and 50% in 1880. Extending to Ryde Pier The horse tramway from Ryde Pier to the IoWR St John's Road station was overwhelmed