Isle of Man Railways.

Afternoon All,

A friend of mine in Germany went to the Isle of Man recently and posted his pictures on the German Website 'Drehscheibe'. He has kindly agreed that I can also put them on my Flickr site and the first batch is now on there. This shows the Steam Railway and the Horse Tramway and if anyone would like to have a look, this is the first one in the Photostream :

RD10008. CALEDONIA at Castletown by Ron Fisher, on Flickr

They can also be found in this Collection :

https://www.flickr.com/photos/train-pix/collections/72157647106931266/

Pictures of Groudle Glen, Snaefell, Manx Electric, etc. to follow in due course so I hope that they are of interest.

 

Further to my above message, I have now added three pictures of the Great Laxey Mine Railway to Flickr. This is first one in the Photostream :

RD10031. The Great Laxey Mine Railway. by Ron Fisher, on Flickr

They can also be found in this Album :

https://www.flickr.com/photos/train-pix/sets/72157647426279386

More pictures from the Isle of Man to follow as time permits.

 

Is there any information available for the IOMSR Transport Festival this summer, I'm wondering which locos may be working ?

TIA

 

Doesn't seem to be any info yet on the IOM Government/ Bus and Rail website yet - just 'Rush Hour'

http://www.gov.im/media/1346785/iomrail_2015_rushhour_dl_aw.pdf

As for locos that might be running at the transport festival, I think the situation is as follows (happy to be told I'm wrong!):

4 Loch - running on an extended boiler certificate which I think expires in the summer so not sure if she'll still be in traffic by the Transport Festival. Due for an overhaul once retired (new/ refurbished boiler required).
8 Fenella - having it's valves worked on. The workshops certainly plan on having her out in the near future (Rush Hour, I think).
10 GHWood - in need of a motion overhaul/ re-tube etc etc but seems to just keep going (should have been withdrawn for the work a couple of years ago….) and was used on both the Winter photography trains and a dining train (pics on the IOMSRSA website). I think the plan is to tackle number 10 once 13 is back in traffic
11 Maitland - in pieces in the shed. No work done on the frames but a boiler is being refurbished at the SVR which is theoretically for her (unless another loco needs it first!).
12 Hutchinson - in traffic and currently the best of the bunch!
13 Kissack - close to re-steaming (if it hasn't already done so). Refurbished boiler (ironically, the Hunslet one put in number 13 in 1971 under Lord Ailsa's management) is back in the frames, cab and cladding are back on.
15 Caledonia - Dismantled/ boiler out due to firebox problems. I don't think it's envisaged that she'll be back in traffic this year

As I said, this is not official info and I'm happy to be corrected! Keep an eye on www.iomsrsa.com for more up to date information.

 

Doesn't seem to be any info yet on the IOM Government/ Bus and Rail website yet - just 'Rush Hour'

http://www.gov.im/media/1346785/iomrail_2015_rushhour_dl_aw.pdf

As for locos that might be running at the transport festival, I think the situation is as follows (happy to be told I'm wrong!):

4 Loch - running on an extended boiler certificate which I think expires in the summer so not sure if she'll still be in traffic by the Transport Festival. Due for an overhaul once retired (new/ refurbished boiler required).
8 Fenella - having it's valves worked on. The workshops certainly plan on having her out in the near future (Rush Hour, I think).
10 GHWood - in need of a motion overhaul/ re-tube etc etc but seems to just keep going (should have been withdrawn for the work a couple of years ago….) and was used on both the Winter photography trains and a dining train (pics on the IOMSRSA website). I think the plan is to tackle number 10 once 13 is back in traffic
11 Maitland - in pieces in the shed. No work done on the frames but a boiler is being refurbished at the SVR which is theoretically for her (unless another loco needs it first!).
12 Hutchinson - in traffic and currently the best of the bunch!
13 Kissack - close to re-steaming (if it hasn't already done so). Refurbished boiler (ironically, the Hunslet one put in number 13 in 1971 under Lord Ailsa's management) is back in the frames, cab and cladding are back on.
15 Caledonia - Dismantled/ boiler out due to firebox problems. I don't think it's envisaged that she'll be back in traffic this year

As I said, this is not official info (just what I've been told from various reliable sources) and I'm happy to be corrected! Keep an eye on www.iomsrsa.com for more up to date information.

 

Many thanks for the information, much appreciated !
Shame to hear there are problems with Caledonia's firebox, my last visit was in summer 2013, when she'd just returned to service.

 

12 and 13 running today.
Anyone seen a roster for next Saturday,please?

 

For those of you coming to 'Rush Hour' this weekend, number 8 has been in light steam in Douglas yard most of the week so it's looking hopeful she can be used at the weekend. 4 and 12 have been running the service trains and as of this morning, 10 and 13 are in the running shed (13 turned to face Douglas) so I'm guessing there may be up to 5 different locos out over Easter.

 

Working on the isle of man for the next few days so hoping to get to pop in to the railway at some point- is there much opportunity to see the various locos around the railway or is everything that is not in service out of the public eye?

Was down by the silver burn today in ballasalla installing equipment and saw a couple of trains pass through the trees- hope to get a bit of a better look soon!

Many thanks

Chris

 

Currently a two train service. You may see a, third, spare loco 'on shed' from the platform end at Douglas. Of course there's Nos 6 and 16 in the railway museum at Port Erin. If you have time there's always Groudle. Laxey Mines, and us at the 'Orchid Line'! Hope you enjoy your visit - pity you missed 'Rush Hour' last weekend with 5 locos in steam on the IMR.
Cheers,
Ray.

 

Had a run out from Douglas to Castletown thos afternoon. Outward with GH Wood, the driver said that it was rather tired and using a lot of coal and water- a very steady run! Returned with Loch- which was a rather more sprightly run despite a heavier load! Saw the new diesel on the diner- looks like a lego brick!

Fenella was also out with a single coach- I also caught sight of possiblly Caledonia's frames in the shed with another Beyer that I couldn't identify?

Overall a nice experience- all the stations were very clean and well kept, carriages clean and well turned out. Will definitely visit again when I am next over.

Chris

 

Glad you enjoyed your visit Chris. Yes, No 10 is very "tired" and due for overhaul. Despite being 141 years old coming towards the end of its boiler ticket No 4 still gives a good account of itself as does No 8 since having its valves done. I first visited the IMR in 1967 and ended up staying - albeit some years later! If you, or anyone else, is considering a visit its worth considering coming to 'Rush Hour' over Easter or 'The Transport Festival" from 29 July to 2 August when more of the 'toys' are out of the box with workshop tours etc.
Cheers,
Ray.

 

Although, as with many other engines of similar vintage, how much of the "original" loco of 141 years ago actually remains in the present No. 4 is anybody's guess! Even the current frames are not Loch's original set - there were some very interesting posts on that subject by David Lloyd Jones a few years back:
https://www.national-preservation.c...-tynwald-removed-from-the-island.37731/page-3

 

My guess, MuzTrem, is probably not a lot! The boiler and tanks certainly aren't and the wheels are supposedly from number 3 (swapped in 1978 according to Manx Steam Railway news although a friend of my mine who is a fitter in the workshop says this may not be correct….). To be fair to David L-J (as he implies himself in the article), the frame swap is only (well reasoned) speculation and I'm not sure there is any hard evidence for it.