Isle Of Man Steam Railway

I’ll be over on the Island next week - EasyJet permitting - so really looking forward to seeing these locos in action.

 

A few more pics from last weekend's Rush Hour on the Railways event. Participants on the station and workshop tours were able to see progress on MNR No.4 Caledonia. The wheelsets have been reprofiled and the axleboxes have had new bronze thrust faces fitted. It had been hoped that Caley would have been in service by now but the workshop staff have been occupied with No.11. One of the advantages of having a fairly standard fleet is that No.12's eccentric straps could be used to get No.11 back in service for Sunday's two diner trains. Further down the workshop the IoMSRSA sponsored rebuild of G1 (1873) could be seen to be approaching completion. Having returned from Castletown on the lunchtime diner train No.11 ran round and set the train back to the stops so it could be serviced in time for the afternoon tea train ex Douglas at 16.10.
Full details of the Summer Heritage Transport Festival (27 - 31 July) will be released very soon.
Ray.

 

Should be an interesting week as there is a photo charter group over, look out for a few extra private trains and unusual combinations on all three railways.
Please note though, no timetabled steam trains on Tuesday and Wednesday during that week and if you want to do one of the dining trains you are advised to book in advance

 

IOM No8 Fenella is to go to the Beyer Bash at the Welshpool and Llanfair Railway from May 20 to 22
I’ll be taking the trip with her, and two others from our group @hrviom are there also, so hopefully will see some of you there.
The grand old lady has been out of traffic for a couple of years and will be on show in. “As is” condition.

 

Full details of the 2022 Isle of Man Railways Summer Transport Festival (27 - 31 July) have now been released. A lot of work has gone into the planning of this after 2 yrs without a full HTF and we've tried to cater for all (railway) interests. The leaflet can be downloaded here https://www.iombusandrail.im/media/...l1HW0q6fegBtAaecMwQLZ04RVa1jFs43wKnugqXOkSD8U Regular updates will be posted on the Heritage Railway Volunteers Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/hrviom/
Hopefully some Nat Pres members will be able to visit us.
Cheers,
Ray.

 

Cheers Ray
As ever, if you are hoping to get to see us, pre booking for events us highly recommended as they do sell out quite quickly. Ticket sales open on Tuesday afternoon next

 

Only just seen this. I’m part of the charter group and it’s been a great trip.

 

You’ve been blessed with some great weather. Glad it’s all gone so well, been dealing with these charter trips for a few years now, always a good crowd. The show I put on at the hotel on Wednesday was one of the best ones yet, I hadn’t seen those pictures for a few years and had forgotten how great they were.

 

This was No8last week inside Douglas shed.

 

Looks like a start has been made in getting her ready

 

Volunteers from the IoMSRSA were in Douglas running shed today to spruce up No.8 Fenella in preparation for her forthcoming trip 'across' where she will attend the W&LLR's Beyer Bash over the w/e 20 - 22 May. There are still a few jobs to do including top-coating the boiler cladding. No.4's former regular driver, now retired, Jeffrey Kelly can be seen applying the 'elbowgrease'.
Ray.

 

No11 Maitland was out on another Ultimate Driving Experience run on Saturday, these have been very popular this year with two or three every week. No8 Fenella has been turned out smartly in advance of its trip to Welshpool at the weekend. Several of our volunteers and including myself will be at Welshpool with the loco, if you are going along pop over and say hello. We’ll also be promoting next years 150th anniversary celebrations.

 

@Mike Buttell Out of interest, Is the UDE uptake coming from the other island(s), or is this something else which is taking root locally?

Any scope for an Ultimate Cleaning Experience to keep sprogs of Ultimate Drivers busy whilst the latter are off down the line?

 

A mix of both, as well as visitors there have been quite a few locals taking on the experience, including a few who have been back after doing the beginners to progress through intermediate and advanced. Further info @ https://www.iombusandrail.im/heritage/events-and-experiences/ultimate-driving-experience/

 

No8 Fenella has been loaded up ready for transport to the Welshpool Beyer Bash event at the weekend. Next move will be on to the ferry and then a journey by road to Wales
Picture courtesy of IOM Transport

 

Unloading Fenella at Heysham
Photo from the IOM Steam Packet Company

 

I know sloping smoke box doors was a BP feature but why to some of the IoM locos have them and some not? They seem to be scattered randomly through the fleet.

 

They were BP’s design at the time I guess, all the IOM locos from 1 to 9 had them and the ex MNR Peacock Thornhill (14) No8 actually had a straight front on the final closed dome boiler it received from BP, I think, and am happy to be contradicted, that the sloping box on the boiler was added for the loan period to No1 Sutherland in the 1990’s and has never been altered back. 10,11,12,13 and 16 were all supplied with straight fronts

 

So were MNR 'Sharpies' Nos. 1&2 ..... if anyone's thinking of a new build.

Can't make out in any photos in books I have, did Nos. 4-6 emerge from rebuilding to 'medium' with flat front smokeboxes?

 

4,5 and 6 got their straight fronts when they received the bigger boilers, there was a fair bit of swapping round of boilers before then. The Sharpies I’m sure were new with straight fronts as in the makers photo below