This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations .(August 2016) |
Raad-Yairn Vannin Thie Tashtee | |
Established | 23 August 1975 |
---|---|
Location | Station Road, Port Erin, Rushen, Isle of Man, IM9 2RR |
Coordinates | 54°05′06″N4°45′29″W / 54.085°N 4.758°W |
Type | Railway Museum |
Accreditation | Recommended Attraction www.visitisleofman.com |
Key holdings | No.5 Mona No.1 Sutherland F.36 Royal Saloon F.75 Ducal Saloon Closed Van G.19 Carriage M.N.Ry. No.6 |
Collections | Various Contributors |
Visitors | Annually c.25,000 (Based On 2015 Figures) |
Owner | Isle of Man Government Department of Infrastructure |
Public transit access | Isle of Man Railway Bus Vannin |
Nearest car park | Street |
Website | http://www.rail.im |
The Isle of Man Railway Museum in the village of Port Erin in the Isle of Man is a small museum of the history of the Isle of Man Railway from its founding in 1873 to the present, including the now-closed lines that served Peel, Ramsey (Manx Northern Railway) and Foxdale, and the remaining open line between Douglas and Port Erin.
The museum opened in 1975 when the Isle of Man Road Services, a subsidiary of the railway company, relocated to their new garage, which still exists today at the foot of the main platform. At that time, the railway operated only between Port Erin and Castletown, in an experimental season with the goal of reducing running costs. The following year, services were extended to Ballasalla, then returned to Douglas in 1977, since when the full line has operated. The building originally consisting of a metal frame with asbestos cladding, was extensively rebuilt in 1999. Prior to the opening, the original locomotive shed was used to store unserviceable locomotives. When rebuilt, the locomotive shed was returned to its original use and the goods shed converted into a shop area and porch added.
The museum is next to Port Erin railway station, the southern (or western) terminus of the railway, on Station Road in the village. The main exhibition hall is housed in a converted bus garage that once belonged to Isle of Man Road Services, itself a division of the old railway company which was nationalised in 1976. Since the museum was extensively rebuilt in 1998–1999, part of the old goods shed has been incorporated into the complex, the other locomotive shed still being used as a workshop to maintain the locomotives and for overnight storage purposes.
The following represents and main exhibits of locomotives and rolling stock contained in the museum since its opening in 1975; during events periods and photographic charters certain items of stock are removed and alternatives take their places where available; since 2014 F.75 and G.19 have been plinthed on an isolated section of track, joined on another plinth in 2020 by No.1 Sutherland. Remaining items are rail connected via the station's locomotive shed. It is common for these items to be swapped as required, with F.36 being removed for restoration in 2023 and its place taken by a variety of wagons for example.
No. | Name | Builders | Year | Exhibited |
---|---|---|---|---|
No.1 | Sutherland | Beyer, Peacock & Co., Ltd. | 1873 | 1976–1997, 2020– |
No.4 | Loch | Beyer, Peacock & Co., Ltd. | 1874 | 1997–2001, in traffic 2024 |
No.5 | Mona | Beyer, Peacock & Co., Ltd. | 1874 | 2023–present I.o.M.S.R.S.A. |
No.6 | Peveril | Beyer, Peacock & Co., Ltd. | 1875 | 1997–2020, 2022–2023 |
No.9 | Douglas | Beyer, Peacock & Co., Ltd. | 1896 | I.o.M.S.R.S.A., due 2025 |
No.15 | Caledonia | Dübs & Co., Ltd., Glasgow | 1885 | 1975–1993, in traffic 2024 |
No.16 | Mannin | Beyer, Peacock & Co., Ltd. | 1926 | 1975–1998, 1999–2020 |
F.36 | Royal Saloon | Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon | 1905 | 1975–1998, 1999–2023 |
F.75 | Ducal Saloon | Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon | 1873 | 1975–1998, 2000- |
N.42 | Six-Wheeler | Swansea Carriage & Wagon | 1879 | 1975–1999, now off-island |
N.45 | Six-Wheeler | Swansea Carriage & Wagon | 1879 | 2023–present, privately restored |
M.78 | Drop-Side | Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon | 1925 | 2000–present, between uses in traffic |
H.1 | Three-Plank | Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon | 2000 | 2000–present, between uses in traffic |
G.1 | Closed Van | Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon | 1873 | 2023–present, I.o.M.S.R.S.A. |
Gr.12 | Closed Van | Swansea Carriage & Wagon | 1879 | 1975–1998, 1999–2023 |
Since it originally opened in 1975, the railway museum has housed a variety of major exhibits. Exhibits in the museum include two engines and two carriages as well as other equipment from the railway. The royal saloon, as used by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in 1963 and by Queen Elizabeth II in 1972, are preserved in the museum. There is also a large display of photographs, posters and other memorabilia. In addition to the framed exhibits of old posters and the like, further displays are mounted on the walls of the station building itself in the waiting room and booking office. These were once part of the museum and donated by a preservationists group when the facility was first opened.
The Narrow Gauge Railway Museum is a purpose-built museum dedicated to narrow-gauge railways situated at the Tywyn Wharf station of the Talyllyn Railway in Tywyn, Gwynedd, Wales.
Port Erin is a seaside village in the south-west of the Isle of Man, in the historic parish of Rushen. It was previously a seaside resort before the decline of the tourist trade. Administratively it is designated as a village district, with its own board of commissioners. The district covers around 1 square mile, and is adjacent to: Port St Mary to the south-east; the main part of Arbory and Rushen parish district to the north and east; the sea to the west; and an exclave of Arbory and Rushen parish district to the south. Following recent residential expansion, the settlement is now contiguous with that of Port St Mary, and on 18 July 2018 Tynwald authorised a public enquiry into the proposed expansion of the district boundary to include some of this expansion.
The Manx Electric Railway is an electric interurban tramway connecting Douglas, Laxey and Ramsey in the Isle of Man. It connects with the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway at its southern terminus at Derby Castle at the northern end of the promenade in Douglas, and with the Snaefell Mountain Railway at Laxey. Many visitors take an excursion on the trams. It is the oldest electric tram line in the world whose original rolling stock is still in service.
The Snaefell Mountain Railway is an electric mountain railway on the Isle of Man in Europe. It joins the village of Laxey with the summit of Snaefell, at 2,036 feet (621 m) above sea level the highest point on the island. It connects with the Manx Electric Railway (MER) in Laxey. The line is 5 miles (8 km) long, is built to 3 ft 6 in gauge and uses a Fell Incline Railway System centre rail for braking on the steep gradients. It is electrified using overhead wires at 550 volts direct current, with bow collectors.
The Isle of Man Railway (IMR) is a narrow gauge steam-operated railway connecting Douglas with Castletown and Port Erin in the Isle of Man. The line is 3 ft narrow gauge and 15+1⁄2 miles long. It is the remainder of what was a much larger network that also served the western town of Peel, the northern town of Ramsey and the mining village of Foxdale. Now in government ownership, it uses original rolling stock and locomotives and there are few concessions to modernity.
Douglas Railway Station is the main terminus of the Isle of Man Railway and is located at the landward end of the quay in Douglas, the capital of the Isle of Man. It was once the hub for now closed lines to Peel, Ramsey and Foxdale.
Santon Railway Station is a request stop near Newtown in the parish of Santon, Isle of Man; it forms part of the sole remaining line of the Isle of Man Railway which once encompassed over 46 miles of network and retains its original station building. The halt sometimes plays host to Santa's Grotto each December as part of the railway's Santa Trains service although between 2010 and 2013 it was not utilised for this purpose. The railway station is situated off the A5 Port Erin to Douglas road, between the railway stations of Ballasalla and Port Soderick.
Castletown Railway Station is an intermediate station on the Isle of Man Railway on the Isle of Man forming part of sole remaining section of the once extensive network that operated across the island. The station is the busiest of the railway's intermediate stations, being the closest to a number of local visitor attractions. In peak season service trains often pass here, making the station one of the railway's more active stopping places. The station occupies a site within walking distance of the main town and is in close proximity to the local playing fields.
Port St Mary Railway Station is a station in Port St Mary in the south of the Isle of Man and is served by the Isle of Man Railway, having first opened in 1874 when the line to nearby Port Erin was completed. It forms part of the sole remaining section of the railway which once covered a network of some 46 miles across the island. The station is less than a mile away from the terminus and has no passing loop or run-round facilities, but a siding serving the goods shed was lifted in the 1979 but reinstated in 2002 at the same time as the whole of the permanent way was replaced along the line. When reinstated, the siding was not connected to the imposing goods shed, however in the winter of 2007/2008 rail connections were restored. A second siding which once served the rear of the shed was removed in 1974 and has not been replaced. Both sets of facing points were on the northern approach, the second lifted siding running parallel to the shed access as far as the exterior loading platform.
Port Erin Railway Station is the western terminus of the Isle of Man Railway in the village of Port Erin on the Isle of Man; it is the sole remaining outer terminus of the railway. Until 1968 there were termini at both Peel and Ramsey in the west and north of the island respectively. This station was the second established terminus of the Isle of Man Railway: the first opened at Peel in 1873.
The Manx Northern Railway (MNR) was the second common carrier railway built in the Isle of Man. It was a steam railway between St John's and Ramsey. It operated as an independent concern only from 1879 to 1905.
The Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters' Association Ltd (IoMSRSA) is a railway preservationist group dedicated to ensuring the continued operation of the Isle of Man Railway on the Isle of Man. Since its inception in 1966 the group has provided volunteer workers, acted in a watchdog role and undertaken the restoration of the Groudle Glen Railway on the island, as well as supporting projects on the railway and producing the journal, Manx Steam Railway News.
The rolling stock used on the Isle of Man Railway today is entirely original although, from an original total of 75 carriages, the number serviceable dropped as low as 14, but this total is once again increasing as a result of recent rebuilds The 3 ft gauge railway was provided with a variety of stock from different manufacturers over its time, and types of coach were categorised according to a lettering system, with the original four-wheeled coaches being of A, B, C and D types, and so on. The F prefix encompassed all bogie vehicles including conversions from the A-D series. Letters G-M denoted goods stock. N referred to ex-Manx Northern Railway 6 wheel carriages. The types of stock can be summarised as follows:-
The locomotives of the Isle of Man Railway were provided exclusively by Beyer, Peacock & Company of Manchester, England between 1873 and 1926; other locomotives that appear on this list were inherited as part of the take-over of the Manx Northern Railway and Foxdale Railway in 1905, when the railway also purchased two more locomotives from Beyer, Peacock. All the steam locomotives have or had the 2-4-0T wheel arrangement, apart from No. 15 Caledonia which is an 0-6-0T.
Steam 125 was a series of events held in 1998 to mark the 125th anniversary of the Isle of Man Railway opening its first route from Douglas to Peel the railway ran a large number of special events. Most notable was the return to service of the original steam locomotive No. 1 "Sutherland" which hauled special services all year, including excursions on the Manx Electric Railway; other highlights included night trains, arranged photography sessions, slide and film shows, unusual tram trips, and visiting locomotives on the Groudle Glen Railway and many more. This was the last of the "big" railway events on the island, which had begun with the "Year of Railways" in 1993 to mark the centenary of the Manx Electric Railway. Although there are still annual events periods on the island these are now a very half-hearted affair and do not bring the enthusiasts as they once did.
Peel Railway Station was a terminus on the Isle of Man Railway; it served the town of Peel in the Isle of Man and was the final stopping place on a line that ran between the city of Douglas and the town. It was part of the Island's first railway line.
St John's Railway Station was on the Isle of Man Railway (IMR), later merging with the nearby station of the Manx Northern Railway (MNR); it was the junction of lines to Douglas, Peel, Ramsey and Foxdale. It was close to Tynwald Hill. The station began life in 1873 as the penultimate stop on the Peel Line, the island's first passenger railway line; it consisted of a simple wooden waiting shelter with accommodation for the station master, and a passing loop. This layout remained until the arrival of the new line from the north in 1879 when a second station was established, later merging with the existing one. The station was the hub of the island's railway network, where the lines to Douglas, Peel, Ramsey and Foxdale met.
This page details the rolling stock on the Manx Electric Railway on the Isle of Man, which is unique insofar as the railway still operates with its original tramcars and trailers, all of which are over one hundred years old, the latest dating from 1906. Save for a fire in 1930 in which several cars and trailers were lost, all of the line's original rolling stock remains extant, though many items have been out of use for a number of years, largely due to the decrease in tourism on the island over the last thirty years. Despite this, members of each class are still represented on site today, though not all are in original form or in regular use.
00n3 is the description given to modelling 3 ft narrow gauge railways in 4 mm scale with 12 mm gauge track. 3 ft prototypes were common in Ireland and the Isle of Man, but the scale is not generally used outside the British Isles. 12 mm gauge track is the same as that used in TT scale and HOm, so some components used for those scales can be used.
Ramsey Station serves the town of Ramsey in the Isle of Man; it is the northern terminus of the Manx Electric Railway. It was formerly known as Ramsey (Plaza) Station after the nearby Plaza cinema, now demolished and turned into a car park. Today it is often also known as Ramsey Tram Station and signage to this effect adorns the station, despite the line being described as a railway. It should not be confused with Ramsey's former station on the Isle of Man Railway.