Isle of Man Railway Museum

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Isle of Man Railway Museum
Raad-Yairn Vannin Thie Tashtee
Imrmsm.png
Isle of Man Railway Museum
Established23 August 1975
LocationStation Road, Port Erin,
Rushen, Isle of Man, IM9 2RR
Coordinates 54°05′06″N4°45′29″W / 54.085°N 4.758°W / 54.085; -4.758
Type Railway Museum
History Museum
AccreditationRecommended Attraction
www.visitisleofman.com
Key holdings No.5 Mona
No.1 Sutherland
F.36 Royal Saloon
F.75 Ducal Saloon
Closed Van G.19
CollectionsVarious Contributors
(Railway Company, Donations)
VisitorsAnnually c.25,000
(Based On 2015 Figures)
Owner Isle of Man Government
Department of Infrastructure
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.

Contents

History

Main Exhibition Hall, 2006 IOMR Port Erin Railway Museum, 2006.JPG
Main Exhibition Hall, 2006

The museum first 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 museum building, originally consisting of a metal frame with asbestos cladding, was extensively rebuilt in 1999. A souvenir shop was subsequently added in the goods shed, where locomotives were originally kept overnight. Prior to the museum's opening, the original locomotive shed was used to store unserviceable locomotives. When the museum was rebuilt, the locomotive shed was returned to its original use and the goods shed converted into a shop area and a new porch added.

Location

From Station Road Port Erin station and railway museum - geograph.org.uk - 4299131.jpg
From Station Road

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 museum is accessible from the station platform off the train, or from the nearby car park.

Shop and opening times

No.16 Mannin Viewed From Footplate Of No.6 Peveril IOMR peveril, mannin, Port Erin, 2006.JPG
No.16 Mannin Viewed From Footplate Of No.6 Peveril

The souvenir shop is in the entrance/exit area to the museum and is accessed via Station Road at the foot of the platform. The shop has a small range of memorabilia including books, postcards, stationery, ephemera, replica nameplates and generic souvenirs. The stock of the shop is now a fraction of what was available in the boom of the centenary seasons beginning with the Year of Railways in 1993 and extending to Steam 125 in 1998. Opening dates tie in with the operational dates of the railway itself, usually between March and the beginning of November each year. The shop is in the old goods shed and features a station-type building as a staff/store room as well as old luggage trolleys and framed displays before entering the museum proper. There ia a small admission charge for those without a valid railway ticket.

Exhibits

Major (Previous & Present)

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 avaiable; 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.6 Peveril (1875) IMR-Loco-6.jpg
No.6 Peveril (1875)
Wagon H.1 (2000) Port erin railway museum 2 2018-06-28.jpg
Wagon H.1 (2000)
No.16 Mannin (1926) Isle of Man (2995365795).jpg
No.16 Mannin (1926)
Ducal Saloon F.75 (1873) F.75 Port Erin Museum (05-04-14).JPG
Ducal Saloon F.75 (1873)
No.NameBuildersYearExhibited
No.1Sutherland Beyer, Peacock & Co., Ltd. 18731976-1997
2020-
No.4Loch Beyer, Peacock & Co., Ltd. 18741997-2001
In Traffic 2024
No.5Mona Beyer, Peacock & Co., Ltd. 18742023-
I.o.M.S.R.S.A.
No.6Peveril Beyer, Peacock & Co., Ltd. 18751997-2020
2022-2023
No.9Douglas Beyer, Peacock & Co., Ltd. 1896 I.o.M.S.R.S.A.
Due 2025
No.15Caledonia Dübs & Co., Ltd., Glasgow 18851975-1993
In Traffic 2024
No.16Mannin Beyer, Peacock & Co., Ltd. 19261975-1998
1999-2020
F.36Royal Saloon Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon 19051975-1998
1999-2023
F.75Ducal Saloon Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon 18731975-1998
2000-
N.42Six-Wheeler Swansea Carriage & Wagon 18791975-1999
Off-Island
N.45Six-Wheeler Swansea Carriage & Wagon 18792023-Date
Restored
M.78Drop-Side Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon 19252000-Date
Between Uses
H.1Three-Plank Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon 20002000-Date
Between Uses
G.1Closed Van Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon 18732023-Date
I.o.M.S.R.S.A.
Gr.12Closed Van Swansea Carriage & Wagon 18791975-1998
1999-2023
Station Diorama (1998-2014) WP 20140202 006.jpg
Station Diorama (1998-2014)

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.

Minor (Previous & Present)

  • Workshops' Wood-Turning Lathe
  • Original (1873) Carriage Door
  • Mock-Up Station Masters' Office
  • Permanent Way Diorama Display
  • Framed Original Ticket Displays
  • Photographs Of All Locomotives
  • Old Planes & Lathes From Workshops
  • Recreation Of Station Master's Office
  • Old Snow Plough From The Line
  • Visual Display Boards Charting Histories
  • Past & Present Headboards
  • Anniversary Commemoration Displays
  • Knockaloe Internment Camp Displays
  • Glen Wyllin Pleasure Ground Display
Exhibition Hall Overview
H.1, F.36, F.75, G.19 Port erin railway museum 1 2018-06-28.jpg
Exhibition Hall Overview
H.1, F.36, F.75, G.19
No.16 Mannin
2001 Port erin railway museum No16 mannin 2018-06-28.jpg
No.16 Mannin
2001
No.6 Peveril & No.16 Mannin
2006 IOMR mannin, peveril, Port Erin, 2006.JPG
No.6 Peveril & No.16 Mannin
2006

See also

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References