St Helens and Bembridge, but provided rolling stock, station and maintenance staff itself. On 25 May 1882 Colonel Yolland inspected BHIR line, as well as the enlarged IoWR junction station at Brading and the IoWR goods branch to Brading Quay. Except for some attention to fencing, he found the BHIR line in good condition for the opening to passenger trains; there were stations at St Helens and Bembridge. The IoWR line was 43 chains in length; Brading station had been altered to provide a bay platform for the branch and a run-round loop; there was a level crossing near Brading Quay. The railway opened to passenger traffic on 27 May 1882. Because of lack of space at Bembridge station a sector plate was installed to give access to the run-round loop. It was of 16 ft 5 in length, but in 1936 it was replaced by a 25 ft turntable, for the introduction of the larger O2 class engines. The BHIR's primary interest had been developing the harbour and reclaiming land, but a general decline in agricultural land values wiped out that benefit. In April 1883 the IoWR Board decided to charge interest at % on the cost of enlarging Brading station for the BHIR. Steamers from the mainland started calling at Bembridge, and although this competed with the IoWR's traffic at Ryde, the company agreed to operate trains in connection with those steamers. A train ferry The North British Railway had long been operating a train ferry for crossing the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Tay, and in 1881 Samuel L Mason, former General Manager of the NBR, promoted the idea of a train ferry between the mainland and the Isle of Wight at St Helens. When the Tay crossing ceased operation in 1881, Mason purchased one of the vessels, the paddle steamer Carrier, as well as the approach ramps and winching gear, for £3,400. He made agreements with the LBSCR and the BHIR to construct transfer equipment at St Helens and at Langstone near Havant. On 14 February 1884 the Isle of Wight Marine Transit Company Limited was formed with capital of £30,000. The Transit company took over the agreements and the Carrier and the shore equipment for £28,425. Carrier could carry up to 14 wagons on two tracks, each having a maximum load of four tons. The transfer ramps were installed at St Helens and