Isle Of Man Steam Railway

It's not the temp or weather-tightness, tbh ...

When did you go to Jurby, then ?

 

Does that question really need an answer but I would hazard a guess a lot more recently than you given your location is stated as Haltwhistle....

 

I was on the Island last month !

 

Still more recently than you then...

 

Longer term readers will remember that you have never really done anything productive, other than complain vociferously, hat no-one is doing anything constructive to achieve the the goals you are setting for them. Cough up, show up, or shut up should be your motto if you want to get anywhere! Criticising others who have a long history of restoring stuff is not particularly helpful, nor will it win you any supporters. Just sayin'!

 

I'll take that as a "Thank You" for the past 20 years or more ! It's nice to be appreciated.
Even if two "Pairs" are all that are currently showing on the sheet for the IoM, plenty of other projects on the mainland.

 

Following on from the 2024 relay in Douglas yard the mainline alongside the workshops has been lifted in preparation for the next stage of the relay programme which must be completed before services recommence on 19th March.. Prior to the rationalization of Douglas station in the 80's there were 3 tracks here - the Peel line, the South line and the carriage shed headshunt. The area behind the fence, including the site of the former carriage shed, is now part of IoM Transport's bus maintenance facility. In recent years IMR No.21 (aka "The Cabbage") has rested here, on blocks, but was lifted out last October to be re-united with its bogies and now resides under a tarpaulin on Peel East siding.
Ray.

 

In recent years several buildings and other structures on the Isle of Man Railways network have been placed on the Protected Buildings Register. On September 2nd last year Kirk Michael Station (now the fire station), Peel Station (now part of the House of Manannan), some MER viaducts and the IMR's Douglas workshops were added to the Register. This, latter, not only protects the workshop buildings but the historic machinery and other features inside the buildings as shown in the drawings below (courtesy of the IoM Steam Railway Supporters Association).
Workshop tours will, once again, be a feature of the 2026 Heritage Transport Festival which runs from 28th July to 2nd August - see https://www.iombusandrail.im/heritage/events-and-experiences/manx-heritage-transport-festival-2026/ for details.
Ray.

 

How far are they going this time ?
I was under the impression that quite an area was originally planned for the winter relay this year.

 

From outside the Superintendent's office to the yard gates AIUI.
Ray.

 

Well you're wrong there I have done productive things in terms of heritage restoration in the past from the age of 13 for example working on Peveril, and got involved in other none railway projects too.

There's plaques in Laxey that attest to what I HAVE contributed to heritage restoration. I've given time to other projects too. This started off as a simple enquiry about the possibility of salvaging the cleminsons followed by a patronising post telling me something I was already fully aware of, which did nothing constructive towards answering the request for information.

I have coughed up in the past to support things, showed up for some projects.

Your attitude is what puts people off wanting to be involved in preservation and is illustrative of the unnattractive side of heritage movements - elitist cliques that fail to realise they were simply in the right place at the right time and who do little to attract or even positively discourage people from joining in whether it be dismissing the ideas of others who make suggestions or just generally being obnoxious and bullying younger members.

We all have lives outside of railways and heritage, sometimes especially shift work gets in the way of doing what we enjoy. Such is life.

And if I was critical then what's unreasonable about that in response to someone who's only contribution to the question asked was to patronise by telling someone something that they were fully aware of without actually contributing anything productive as to who has plans for what is to be done with those cleminsons or who to speak to if they do not.

The irony is with your attitude you're illustrating exactly what is unnattractive to those who want to get involved.

And if something concerns me why shouldn't I speak up?

What exactly have you done to facilitate the involvement of new blood in the movement?

 

Well, I led a group that restored 7 Gresley teak carriages on the NYMR, as well as building up a collection of carriages followed by a collection of spares described by a former head of the NRM as a "national treasure" and since I stepped down as Chairman it has gone from strength to strength. On the way, I have organised supplies to teak panels to most of the other groups restoring teak carriages, and on the way I have organised a couple of "Carriage Restorers Conventions", one at the NYMR, the other at the NRM. In contrast, though, I have heard nothing about you contributions, but this is not a willy waving contest - if you can reassure me that you have somehow raised the funds to meet your goals I'll take you seriously.

If you want to be recognised for restoring a Cleminson, the answer is to get on and do it. No-one respects someone who simply fulminates about bit - which seems to be mostly your modus operandi!

 

For my part, I apologise if I've come across as a bit terse, I don't mean to, but I do get a little cheesed off as a lot of people don't seem to realise how much can be involved in doing proper, long-term restorations - nor how much they actually cost !
I can't currently comment on progress of certain projects as they are, effectively, embargoed.

 

Ditto from me. proper restoration costs can be eyewateringly expensive, so really anyone who particularly wants to a particular item of rolling stock restored needs to think in terms of carrying out three preliminary stages - a detailed condition assessment by someone who knows what they are talking about, using that condition report to produce a realistic costing for the work (and by realistic I mean that one has to produce a realistic assessment of how long it might take - and a good rule of thumb is to double or even triple that if it is to be a volunteer project!) that allows for inflationary pressures, and then finally produce a fundraising plan. It will be a sobering process, but far better than jumping up and down exclaiming "we must do this carriage" with no real idea of what will be involved. If you don't do the costings etc. I have outlined you will have a whole world of pain ahead of you - but if you do do them you've a far better chance of convincing people to support you.

 

And don't forget transport, "fixed" overheads and most importantly, INFLATION !
some specialist materials are eye=wateringly expensive ...