FROM MANX STEAM RAILWAY NEWS

ISSUE No. 144 - SUMMER / AUTUMN / WINTER 2007

Members of our committee often receive requests from members and visitors who seem to have the same interests in the line, its history and rolling stock and we always endeavour to help those with a thirst for information as much as possible. If there is enough interest, we propose to run a regular column (as regular as magazine production will allow! Ed.) in which we will try to answer any specific queries you may have. Firstly, we turn our attention to the ever-popular topic of rolling stock; not the pairs this time though…

Manx Northern “Cleminsons”

In response to various queries, the surviving three six-wheeled “Cleminson” coaches from the opening of the Manx Northern Railway are all still located on-island, with no plans to return them to service in the future. The first is N.41 which saw use for many years outside the workshops at Douglas as a mess hut. This was removed at the request of David Howard in 2001, and another part of the railway’s traditional character was lost. Happily though, the body was not destroyed, but initially placed on a runner for storage, and later removed to Homefield Depot where it remains today. It would be nice to think that this could now be returned to its rightful position between the workshops and steam shed, returning an air of ambience to the much-modernised railway. The second vehicle is N.42 and is under the ownership of the Isle of Man Railways & Tramways Preservation Society. It was housed in Port Erin museum in 1975 when it first opened, having received some cosmetic attention returning to M.N.R. brown and cream livery, although it was not fit for service it was transported by rail to the southern terminus at the time. Since the museum has been rebuilt this coach has not returned and is currently in storage at Douglas workshops. It is the only one of the final three to feature a guards’ compartment. The final coach, N.45 accompanies No. 14 Thornhill in private ownership in the north of the island since 1978.

The railway had these coaches delivered for the opening to Ramsey in 1879 and the remaining members were damaged in the St. John’s carriage shed fire of 1975 and scrapped on side thereafter. They had resided on a siding behind the carriage shed for many years unused until this time. If anybody knows their last usage on the line we would be interested to hear from them at the usual contacts on page three of this journal.