Isle Of Man Steam Railway

A pointer to news in the May update from Bridgnorth: during early May the tubes were fitted to the third new-build boiler (of five).

https://www.svrlive.com/blmay21

Patrick

 

We would be very happy to see you. If your visit is over Easter it will coincide with our annual 'Rush Hour on the Railways' event when there are many extra trains/trams and special workings. Usually we are able to offer shed and workshop tours but numbers are strictly limited these days so early booking is advised. Details are usually available by January at the latest. I'll post them on here as soon as they are available. Hopefully it will be a really good 'do' as we've not been able to hold a 'Rush Hour' this year or last. FWIW a Premier Inn, behind Marks & Spencer, opened last year and is only a few minutes' walk to the IMR station where the famous "Fireman's Breakfast on a Shovel" can be enjoyed before the first train.
In answer to 30854's question F12 was lifted off its bogies in 1978 and so the body could be used as an oil store at Derby Castle MER but was scrapped in 1982. Sister carriage F11 is currently in works having extensive bodywork done.
Cheers,
Ray.

 

I stayed in the Premier Inn shortly after it opened in July 2019, and agree it is very convenient for the Railway, and some good pubs near by.
And for Ian's benefit The Sidings just outside Castletown station has a very good selection of ales.From its Facebook page

 

They're going to need all that stock for the Peel re-opening... <runs away and hides in the deads>

Great to see the works going on on the island, nice to see a plan to build up asset rather than simply live hand-to-mouth. There clearly is a lot to see when we come over for the 2022 Manx GP. (Unless we can get there before)

 

In preparation for the resumption of services tomorrow loco No13 Kissack has gone south to be the Port Erin based engine and the south based carriages have received a 'wash & brush up' as seen on the Heritage Railway Volunteers Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/hrviom/
Loco No4 Loch made it out into the sunshine yesterday - photo by Thurstan Denne courtesy HRV.
Ray.

 

@marshall5 Hoping the borders are open for tourism by then, we're very much looking forward to visit last week of July/start of August (deferred visit from last Easter), do you know if there any talk of a possible (scaled down) Heritage Transport Festival?

 

Nothing planned at the moment and, at the last meeting we had with IoM Rlys, we were told there was no budget for any special events this year. As I think I mentioned a week or two back the Gov's plan is to re-open to visitors at the end of June but, as always, it depends on infection rates in the U.K. Even without a Heritage Transport Festival there is plenty to see and all the railways will be running by this weekend. Until today we hadn't any new cases detected for a fortnight so our total is now 2 - both young males who had travelled back from the U.K. and are now self-isolating. Other than the travel restrictions things are pretty normal here - fortunately.
Cheers,
Ray.

 

Query: Does recent experience with (now out of ticket) Fenella suggest a small boilered loco returns significantly (or even vaguely) better coal consumption figures on lighter services than the "mediums"?

OK, so no prizes for guessing that a certain question concerning any credible excuse decent business case to overhaul a loco with a 3'-0" dia boiler is lurking in my mind!

 

Despite numerous visits to the IoM, I have never seen Caledonia in steam.

Does anyone know when her current boiler ticket expires?

 

The small (2'10 3/4" dia) boilers have a *grate area of 42.28 sq.' whilst the 3'3" dia ones have a grate area of 51sq.'. I've never heard anyone mention a difference in coal economy. No8 is the only 'small' loco to have worked in recent years and her cylinders are knackered so she is likely to have used more coal anyway. The only locos with 3'0" dia boilers were the MNR Sharpies - or do you mean 3'6"? If the latter we'll have to wait and see .... but there are still 3 more to come from the SVR.
Oh! a further update as No12 has now moved into the workshop for stripping (the workshop looked very strange on Monday as it was the first time in 40+ years that I'd seen it empty). No6 Peveril was moved into the Museum, as expected, yesterday. Things are really happening now.
Cheers,
Ray.
Edit Read * as firebox heating surface. Senior moment there!

 

Caley only returned to service after a boiler overhaul in Sept. 2018 so there is plenty of time left on the ticket. Since then she has been a regular performer.
Ray.

 

Thanks Ray. Not sure even I could come up with a credible non-lottery related case for recreating a MNR 'Sharpie'. You'd previously mentioned the less than optimal mechanical condition of Sutherland, but wasn't aware of the state Fenella's cylinders, naïvely assuming her rehabilitation by her previous guardians had sorted them out. Mind you, I assumed that about the valves too. S'pose I really ought to know better by now!

Kindly note, I never mentioned a 3'-6" diameter boiler, no siree and neither of us mentioned the IMR loco to which one would be applicable. No unhatched chickens being counted here.

Of interest, what's been the story with the 4w body you were working on (at Jurby, IIRC) a few years back?

 

Are you sure about those numbers? A Stanier Duchess has a grate area of 50sq ft; a BR 9F is 42sq ft. So 51 and 42 for small narrow gauge Victorian 2-4-0s seems like something has been lost in translation! Are those perhaps the firebox heating surface rather than the grate area?

Tom

 

Absolutely correct Tom, I was trying to several things at once and misread the tables - I should have said "firebox heating surface".
Thanks for the 'heads up'.
Cheers,
Ray.

 

Thanks Ray - they looked odd! Would be interesting to know the grate areas if you have them - that’s always interesting.

Tom

 

The BP drawing of Nos 1-3 shows 3'11" by 1'9" inside. No16 is 5' by 21". Sorry I haven't got a figure for 10-13.
Ray.

 

Fenella's previous owners had the boiler overhauled at the SVR but no work was done on the chassis AFAIK. The IMR workshop staff have worked on the valve faces several times to keep the old girl going but the cylinders really are worn out now and No8 struggled through last season. There is a new set of castings (in the M wagon in P.E. museum last time I saw them) and the boiler is thought to be in reasonable condition... so who knows.
That would be Stuart, not me, working on the 4W bodies at Jurby. There were 2 bodies at Jurby. They were from a 'Pairs' dismounted at St.Johns in 1967 and taken to the erstwhile 'Steam Centre' at Kirk Michael. When the site was cleared they went to Jurby. AFAIK they were later dismantled there and some parts salvaged.
Cheers,
Ray.

 

Thanks for the info Ray, I am looking forward to see her in steam as soon as I can get over there.

 

Many thanks for that reply, Ray. Excellent to learn about the new cylinder castings. A case of "sit back and watch this space", eh? Exciting times on the IMR.

 

Lots of nice photos and video of the first trains of the 2021 season on the Heritage Railway Volunteers Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/hrviom/ The event even made it to the BBC news and the trains appeared well patronized. Enjoy.
Ray.