Isle Of Man Steam Railway

I don't disagree that it is far better to work with railway management but I was trying to give some context why Longworth was getting a good kicking in the comments section of the local newspaper for those that do not live in the IoM.

His appointment with regards to the railways is not all bad as I believe he is a tram enthusiast at the least. Certainly he is interested in the heritage side which is far better than having somebody in place who is not. However his department does seem very happy to spend money on expensive capital projects when the Govt is telling us there is little money around and there are cut backs in day to day to expenses. I will not bore those off the Island with regard to the IoM budget requirements except to say by law we have to balance annually the revenue budget, basically the budget that funds day to day items but not the capital budget. Therefore it can be easier to get a £500,000 spend on a new capital item than a £5,000 spend on repairs and maintenance.

 

I can see your point, but the way all councils spend their money is a world unto itself and also the way to ensure you have enough money to carry out your operation you can not always apply the standard commercial model of a company to a local council no matter what size it is. I would suspect that in this case that while Mr Longworth may be trying his best to deliver all the transport systems for as little as is possible in this difficult time, I would suggest that the model he is using is not the best one to follow.

I am no accountant or do I have any major financial business background, but having worked for local councils for a good part of my life as a contractor I do know ways of getting around the budgets which are set.

That said what I think needs now to be done and that is to get an operational railway and tramway consultant involved to cost out just how much money is required to keep Both IOMR's and the Tramway as well working to an acceptable standard which it must never go below, this may turn out to be that some major in fractures renewal's will be highlighted at this time and a full works plan may then have to be put in place.

As I say this is only a suggestion but as I live off island I do not know just how big (or small) the transport budget really is that he has to play with.

 

Don't suppose they could persuade people that restoring Mannin would count as a capital project? £500k might cover it!

 

Hi Chris I think you have hit the nail on the head the trouble as I am lead to believe is that restoring a steam locomotive to working order is not considered in some parts a capital assets, but with out a steam locomotive for a steam railway what are you left with? the same can be said of the run away tram which needs rebuilding it is by definition a capital asset, this is why I think the financing of all the IOM railways is the wrong model, they have to stop thinking in terms of make do and mend all the transport systems need a large amount of money spent on them to bring them up to a safe standard, the derailment is more than likely down to a lack of maintenance of a point, but I am guessing here as I don't know what the routine is for a track inspection on the IOMR.

 

But if they can't keep the steam engines they have in working order, how will having more of them help. At the moment they should have 8,10,12,13, and 15 running which would more than cover their needs. 11 is under overhaul and 4 has recently been withdrawn. That pool of 7 engines has kept the railway going for years without really needing to be added to. So the lack of motive power is a symptom of something else rather than the root cause. Digging engines out the museum on a whim won't help you get to the bottom of the real problems.

Tim

 

Much as I'd love to see it in action the comment re Mannin was made with my tongue placed firmly in my cheek!
Chris

 

Although to add variety and encourage new and returning visitors something at least a bit different might be seen as a better investment than repair of a current loco. Has anybody ever performed a detailed condition survey to evaluate possibilities?

 

I'd say mannin would be perfect for the lines longer trains!

 

First of all they have just had some elections to the House of Keys so I guess we shall have to wait to see what they say about all of this. But if it was down to me (which it isn't) I would get all the medium size locos working first of all, as you have more of them, I think they are 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12, 13. As for the small Locos which are available they are 1, 8 and 9 all the other are not owned by the railway any more. No 16 was built in the first pace for the Boat trains from Douglas to Port Erin so for high days and holidays yes I would agree if it was rebuild. But does the railway have the need to restore such a powerful steam locomotive at the present time? I guess not.

 

I suppose with all the "medium loco's" there's a degree of standardisation on some parts, something which counts against 1,8,9, 15 & 16.

 

The motive power crisis appears to be over for now. Nos 10 & 12 are back in traffic and No 13 was in steam in Douglas on Saturday. Apparently the Heritage Open Days event over the weekend with shed/signal box tours and guided walks were very popular. Further events are planned for next weekend - see www.facebook.com/Isle-of-Man-Railway-Walks-370461246422515/
Ray.

 

I know Mannin is a popular choice to have restored but aren't a couple of the locos carrying the same size 3ft 6in diameter boiler? I think when I was there in the 1990's it was 12 and 13.

 

11 and 12 did carry larger 3' 7" boilers built by Israel-Newton from the early 80s until the mid 2000s. However, 12 was refitted with a 3' 3" medium one in the mid 2000s and the recently refurbished one therotically destined for number 11 is also medium. One of the larger ones was stored in Port St Mary goods shed until recently but I think it may have now been scrapped (the other was was disposed of quite some time ago).

 

Are the larger boilers the ones with the safety moved forward close to the dome? It is a pity none of the working locos have salter safety valves and bell topped domes. I wonder if a new boiler needed to be built ross pop valves could be on the dome with dummy salter bits to give an idea of the as built look.

 

Yes Dave, for some obscure reason Israel Newton built them that way. The increase in diameter from 3' 3" was said to allow for more 'metal' between the tube holes whilst retaining the same number of tubes. Subsequent new boilers have reverted to 3' 3". I don't think that there is space to fit 2 pop valves without reducing the height of the dome and giving it a flat top. The Bradshaw boilers - one is on No3 and the other, off No1 are fitted with one pop valve in the bell mouthed dome and one on the boiler barrel in front of the dome.
Ray.

 

This was done on Festiniog with Taliesin which has two ross pop valves hidden under the dome cover, and a dummy salter arm with spring cover. So if you design the dome accordingly you can do it.

Tim

 

Two train service (timetable R) on the IMR will recommence this Thursday 13th Oct.
Ray.

 

In case it's not been reported in the usual enthusiast mags IoM steam railway services for 2017 re-commence on Sat 18th March, with the Manx Electric service starting the previous week on Thur. 9th March. Further info at https://www.gov.im/categories/travel-traffic-and-motoring/bus-and-rail/heritage-railways/
The two major enthusiast events are the Rush Hour on the Railways which 'kicks off' at Easter. The event starts on the railways and moves onto the roads in the following week. You can download the brochure here: https://www.gov.im/media/1355085/rush-hour-festival-of-stream-2017-dl-16pp-web.pdf
At the end of July we have the Heritage Transport Festival and here's the brochure for that:
https://www.gov.im/media/1354965/iom-railway-2017-transport-festival-dl-12pp-web-final.pdf
If you are a regular visitor, hope to see you again. If you're thinking of visiting us for the first time it's worth considering coming to one of these special events as there is so much extra to see and do. Okay, we're a little rock in the middle of the Irish Sea but we're not hard to get to with regular ferry or fastcraft sailings from Liverpool and Heysham (and less regular ones from Dublin & Belfast!). There are several flights a day from many U.K. airports with Fly(may)Be, Easyjet, or Citywing and, if you book well ahead, the fares are not prohibitively expensive.
Well, that's my plug for the Manx tourist industry!
Cheers,
Ray.

 

Well done that man!
And to add to the info, next year,2018, sees the 125th anniversary of the opening of the Electric Railway and events are being planned for this, including I believe, a chance to ride on a horse tram through Laxey Station.