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 |
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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 History 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 |
Collections | Various Contributors (Railway Company, Donations) |
Visitors | Annually 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.
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.
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.
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.
No. | Name | Builders | Year | Exhibited |
---|---|---|---|---|
No.1 | Sutherland | Beyer, Peacock & Co., Ltd., Gorton | 1873 | 1976-1997, 2020-Date |
No.4 | Loch | Beyer, Peacock & Co., Ltd., Gorton | 1874 | 1997-2001 |
No.5 | Mona | Beyer, Peacock & Co., Ltd., Gorton | 1874 | 2023-Date |
No.6 | Peveril | Beyer, Peacock & Co., Ltd., Gorton | 1875 | 1997-2020, 2022-2023 |
No.15 | Caledonia | Dübs & Co., Ltd., Glasgow | 1885 | 1975-1993 |
No.16 | Mannin | Beyer, Peacock & Co., Ltd. | 1926 | 1975-1998, 1999-2020 |
F.36 | Royal Saloon | Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co., Ltd. | 1905 | 1975-1993, 1994-1998, 2000-2023 |
F.75 | Ducal Saloon | Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co., Ltd. | 1873 | 1975-1998, 2000-Date |
N.42 | Six-Wheeler | Swansea Carriage & Wagon Co., Ltd. | 1879 | 1975-1999 |
N.45 | Six-Wheeler | Swansea Carriage & Wagon Co., Ltd. | 1879 | 2023-Date |
M.78 | Drop-Side | Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co., Ltd. | 1925 | 2000-Date, Periodically |
H.1 | Three-Plank | Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co., Ltd. | 2000 | 2000-Date, Periodically |
G.1 | Closed Van | Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co., Ltd. | 1873 | 2023-Date, Periodically |
Gr.12 | Closed Van | Swansea Carriage & Wagon Co., Ltd. | 1879 | 1975-1998, 2000-Date, Periodically |
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.
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 Isle of Man Railway (IMR) is a narrow gauge steam-operated railway connecting Douglas with Castletown and Port Erin on 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 small western hamlet of Peel, the northern town of Ramsey and the small mining village of Foxdale. Now in government ownership, it uses original rolling stock and locomotives and there are few concessions to modernity.
Newton Abbot railway station serves the market town of Newton Abbot in Devon, England. It is 214 miles 5 chains (345 km) from London Paddington. The station today is managed by Great Western Railway, who provide train services along with CrossCountry.
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.
Colby railway station is a small railway station on the southern edge of the village of Colby in the south of the Isle of Man served by the Isle of Man Railway; it forms part of the sole remaining section of the network which once covered over 46 miles island-wide.
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.
Ballasalla railway station is located in the village of Ballasalla in the south of the Isle of Man, close to the airport, and is served on a seasonal basis by the Isle of Man Railway. It forms part of the sole remaining section of the once extensive network that operated across the island. Ballasalla was the usual crossing point for trains, making it popular with photographers, until the introduction of the 2015 timetable which saw all trains passing at Castletown.
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.
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.
The Manx Northern Railway (MNR) was the second common carrier railway built in the Isle of Man. 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.
Peel Railway Station was a terminus on the Isle of Man Railway; it served the hamlet 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 hamlet. 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.
Ramsey Station was a station on the Manx Northern Railway, later owned and operated by the Isle of Man Railway; it served the town of Ramsey in the Isle of Man, and was the terminus of a line that ran between St. John's and this station, which was the railway's headquarters.
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.
Bus Vannin - styled as bus vannin - is the government-owned and operated bus service on the Isle of Man. The name was adopted in June 2009 to replace Isle of Man Transport. The company was founded on 1 October 1976, as National Transport, which was an amalgamation of two other operating companies.
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.