Isle Of Man Steam Railway

Have the 2-4-0s always spent half their time cab first? One might expect the running to be a lot livelier than when the pony truck provides guidance.

 

No, originally they ran chimney first out of their respective “home” sheds, but were were all turned the same way possibly in the 1920/30’s. They occasionally get turned around for events.

 

Well, as the fog descended, racing was called off, so I'm rolling into Douglas on the tram, for the 12.50 to port erin.

Breezy in a toastrack today...

 

Missed the thing by a whisker (it was pulling out as I ran in). As I walked back towards town I found a bus, and beat the train by 7 minutes to Ballasalla. So I'm now steaming behind Loch...

 

At Douglas IMR No.4 Loch (1874) awaits depart time on the 16.00 to Port Erin as No.11 Maitland off the incoming train pauses on its way to the shed for servicing. There is a Curry Club train to Castletown tonight and tomorrow is another timetable S day.
Ray.

 

So they did run cab first on their way back to those sheds? Is the running livelier that way?

 

The time I spent on the footplate (1979/81) it was lively whichever way you were facing

 

They have always run bunker first in one direction. The IMR only ever had one turntable, at St.John's, in the V between the Ramsey and Foxdale lines. This was primarily used for periodically turning carriages in order to even out the weathering of the paintwork. When the CDR railcars arrived in 1961 a second turntable was also purchased (a modified CDR loco frame) but never installed. After lying oou behind Douglas carriage shed it was scrapped in 1974 at the same time as the 'Ballasalla Bonfires' when the old company burned the majority of the goods stock.
Ray.

 

Was that before or since the great relaying, following installation of the pipeline?

When I look at the line today, it's overall condition is better than at any point during my lifetime .... even accounting for the loss of so much of the station site at Douglas. I doubt the operational locos and (with the rebuilds undertaken) stock have been in such good condition since the prewar era.

.... and what's looking increasingly like rather too much of the passenger stock.

IIRC, the ex-CDR turntable mentioned utilised the frames of a "Class 2" 4-6-0T, the last of which was withdrawn in 1937. How does one turn the frames of a single (not overly long) loco into a turntable? I could understand two, lashed together "back to back". Do any photos exist of this .... piece of metalwork?

 

Well before the relay

 

The turntable 'bridge' was a fairly complete loco frame i.e. frame plates and stretchers and had been used as a turntable on the CDR . Several photos of it at Douglas and Ballasalla have been published but I don't have a scan to post.
Ray.

 

Originally used at Killybegs. I'll see if I can get a decent pic

EDIT:Not a pic, but if you move to around 1min 16 secs on this video, you can see the turntable in use at Killybegs. The whole video us worth a watch anyway!

 

I first saw reference to it in a history of the CDR, but any photos have consistently eluded me. The Class 2 locos were "compact', so unless involving extensions, I can't see how any turntable could be expected to handle anything with a wheelbase longer than they were.

Incidentally, the reason for their demise seems to have been the downturn in trade following the Wall Street Crash. Well regarded from the point of view of power and sure footedness, it was their lack of coal capacity which led to the axe falling on the class. Had traffic held up, maybe the energetic and creative Forbes might have looked to the NER's solution to similar issues with their 4-6-0T (Class W), rebuilt to what would become LNER Class A6. There's one for fans of 'neverwazzas'!

 

Here you go Howard

 

Cheers Keith. One of the smaller railcars, I notice. Pity none of the 'red vans' survived to complement Nos.19/20 when they return to service. On this occasion, I see no harm in a spot of baseless optimism.

I wonder who looked at the main frame from a withdrawn loco and said "Know what? That'd make a really good turntable" .... and I though my brain worked weirdly!

 

Sadly this is now a common event, so much for integrated transport system, not helped of course by the mess on the Prom with the horse trams, it was unique, it still is, don't serve a purpose as it only goes half way!!

 

Here’s a pic of the ex-CDR turntable from 1971 courtesy of IOMSRSA FB page:

https://m.facebook.com/IOMSRSA/photos/a.10151944639759249/10151944641959249/?type=3

 

I think that the increasing number of railcars reduced the need for so many steam locos

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If that had not been scrapped we would have had a good basis for a new build project .

I wish more of the Irish 3' gauge locos had survived into preservation. I would happily swap a couple of Bulleids and a Hall for Erne and L&LSWR number 12

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Not a Castle?