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Sea Lion is a narrow-gauge steam locomotive built in 1896 for the Groudle Glen Railway on the Isle of Man.
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Sea Lion is a narrow-gauge steam locomotive built in 1896 for the Groudle Glen Railway on the Isle of Man.
The locomotive was built by W. G. Bagnall & Co., Stafford and delivered in May 1896. It was the railway's only locomotive until it was joined in 1905 by sister locomotive Polar Bear . By the 1920 season the locomotive was deemed too costly for repair and the line purchased two battery electric locomotives that inherited their steam engine names. The modern engines proved to be financially disastrous and within a few years "Sea Lion" had been returned to the works for re-build. It continued to operate the line until closure at the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939.
When the line eventually re-opened in 1950 it was decided to operate with Polar Bear only owing to a decrease in demand and the poor condition of Sea Lion which had been stored in the open air for some time. The railway survived until 1962 but by this time Sea Lion was virtually derelict having had many of her brass components removed or stolen. She was saved from scrapping by local preservationist John Walton who transported her to his Steam Centre in Kirk Michael where the engine lay in the car park as an exhibit. When he moved to Loughborough he took the locomotive with him. When the project to restore the railway began, the remains of the locomotive were transported back to the island for restoration and ultimately operation on its original line and a campaign to have the engine restored was begun. The apprentices of British Nuclear Fuels however stepped in and the engine was taken to Sellafield in 1986 where the restoration was carried out.
By 1987 the engine had been transported to the nearby Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway where a section of 2 ft (610 mm) track was laid and the engine turned a wheel under its own steam for the first time since 1939. Thereafter it was returned to works for completion and painting before arriving at Groudle Glen that September to the delight of the railways' restorers, the Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters' Association. The engine first performed passenger duties that Christmas, appearing in its original olive green colour scheme and entered service thereafter. Reboilering was completed in 2003 at which time the locomotive was repainted into the darker Brunswick green that it carried in the 1920s and it remains painted this way since then.
To honour one of the line's engineers, Alastair Lamberton, a plaque in his name was erected inside the cab in 1999, and the rebuild plates were also removed from the exterior as part of the reboilering, making for a more authentic appearance. Sea Lion carried a back lamp bracket between the cab windows which is inaccurate (although correct on Polar Bear) as it was originally on the waistband of the cab sheet.
Sea Lion visited the Ffestiniog Railway in 1997, and made a visit to Amberley Museum in 2005 to celebrate Polar Bear's centenary. This visit was immediately followed by a return visit of Polar Bear back to the GGR.
It was withdrawn from service following Christmas 2011 for her ten-year overhaul. Its boiler was taken to the Isle of Man Railway Workshops for re-tubing, with its frames and motion receiving attention at the Isle of Man Steam Packet Workshops on the island. It was re-assembled and back in service by July 2012 still in its 1920s livery. Following the end of the season it was stripped back to bare metal and received a full re-paint, reappearing at Christmas with a return to its 1896 livery with its name now appearing in gold leaf. The volunteers extensively researched to ensure this livery was accurate down to the shades of paint used and fine detail, including the early design of lined out green and black buffer beams which she now carries.
When delivered, the locomotive carried an olive green livery with vermilion and yellow lining and the name carried on the side water tank in gold leaf with blue shadowing. Originally fitted with distinctive round cab windows back and front which were changed to rectangular ones early in the engine's career to improve driver visibility. A displacement lubricator was mounted on the brass dome. The locomotive had unusual valve gear patented by E.E. Baguley and is one of only four remaining locomotives with this; the others are Isabel at Amerton Railway, Rishra on the Leighton Buzzard Narrow Gauge Railway, and an unknown Bagnall locomotive on display in India.[ citation needed ]
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 Groudle Glen Railway is a 2 ft narrow gauge railway near Onchan in the Isle of Man, on the boundary of Onchan and Lonan, which is owned and operated by a small group of enthusiastic volunteers and operates on summer Sundays; May to September and Wednesday evenings in July and August along with a number of annual special events.
The Isle of Man has a rich transport heritage and boasts the largest narrow-gauge railway network in the British Isles with several historic railways and tramways still in operation. These operate largely to what is known as "Manx Standard Gauge" and together they comprise about 65 miles (105 km) of Victorian railways and tramways. The Isle of Man Railway Museum in Port Erin allows people to find out more about the history of the Manx railways, and was until 1998 accompanied by a similar museum in Ramsey, which was dedicated to the history of the electric line, but this was closed and converted into a youth club. The steam railway to the south of the island, electric to the north and mountain line to the summit of Snaefell, the island's only mountain, are all government-owned, and operated under the title Isle of Man Railways, as a division of the island's Department of Infrastructure. The lines at Groudle Glen and Curraghs Wildlife Park are both privately owned but open to the public.
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.
Groudle, or Groudle Glen, a glen on the outskirts of Onchan on the Isle of Man, is formed in a valley leading to the sea at the small port of the same name. It is one of the officially-listed Manx National Glens.
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.
The Year of Railways was a series of special events held on the Isle of Man during 1993 to commemorate the centenary of the opening of the first section of the Manx Electric Railway from Douglas to Groudle in September 1893.
Kirk Michael Railway Station was an intermediate station on the Manx Northern Railway (MNR), which ran between St. John's and Ramsey in the Isle of Man, later owned and operated by the Isle of Man Railway. It served the village of Kirk Michael.
This is a general list of rolling stock and locomotives currently or formerly on the Groudle Glen Railway on the Isle of Man.
Groudle Glen Station is the first mandatory stopping point and major station on the Manx Electric Railway which serves the village of Groudle Glen in the Isle of Man, and is situated between Groudle Lane and Eskadale on the route to Laxey and Ramsey.
The Amberley Museum Railway is a 2 ft narrow gauge railway based at Amberley Museum, Amberley, West Sussex. It has a varied collection of engines and rolling stock ranging from 18 in gauge to 5 ft 3 in gauge. It operates passenger trains at the museum using a mixture of steam, internal combustion and battery-electric locomotives.
Lhen Coan Station is the landward terminus of the Groudle Glen Railway in the Isle of Man. It is reached by visitors from the nearby Groudle Glen railway station on the Manx Electric Railway.
Headland Station was the temporary terminus of the Groudle Glen Railway in the Isle of Man between 1983 and 1991, after which time the line was reinstated to its original terminus at Sea Lion Rocks. It also served as the terminus between 1950 and 1962.
Sea Lion Rocks is a railway station and outer terminus of the Groudle Glen Railway in the Isle of Man. It served as the outer terminus from 1896 until 1939 and again from 1992 to date.
Polar Bear is a narrow-gauge steam locomotive built in 1905 by W. G. Bagnall for the Groudle Glen Railway. It is now preserved and runs on the Amberley Museum Railway.
Annie is a steam locomotive that operates on the Groudle Glen Railway on the Isle of Man.
Dolphin and Walrus are diesel locomotives that are operated on the Groudle Glen Railway.
Parracombe was the name of a steam outline Baguley diesel locomotive that currently resides on the Groudle Glen Railway on the Isle of Man in private ownership.
Polar Bear was a 2 ft gauge battery-electric locomotive built by Wingrove & Rogers in 1921 as works no. 314 for the Groudle Glen Railway on the Isle of Man. Together with its sister, Sea Lion, they were intended to replace two Bagnall steam locos of the same names. The locos were not a success, and despite Polar Bear being rebuilt with bogies and a battery truck, the steam locos were reboilered and returned to traffic. Polar Bear was eventually scrapped in 1926.
Sea Lion was a 2-foot gauge battery-electric locomotive built by Wingrove & Rogers in 1921 as works no. 313 for the Groudle Glen Railway on the Isle of Man. Together with its sister, Polar Bear, it was intended that they would replace Sea Lion, and Polar Bear, two Bagnall steam locomotivess of the same names. However, the battery locomotives were not hugely successful, with Sea Lion being scrapped in 1922 following an incident where it fell down the side of the Groudle Glen.
 | This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations .(August 2009) |