FROM MANX STEAM RAILWAY NEWS

ISSUE No. 110 - WINTER 1994

The boiler off No. 15 Caledonia finally returned to the railway of Friday 9th September having passed its insurance company steam test at McEwans earlier that week.  It was reunited with its frames during the second week of October.  The new tanks and cab were temporarily fitted so that the positions of fittings and openings on the tanks could be marked; these were removed so that the various tasks could be completed.  With work continuing on the tanks attention was turned to lagging the boiler with rockwool and the fitting of new cladding sheets.  At the time of writing the tanks were ready for fitting permanently to the frames and work was proceeding on the many other tasks involved in the rebuild, such as the overhaul of boiler fittings and the fitting of a steam brake cylinder.  On completion of restoration the plate shown above [reproduced within the magazine only] designed by Dave Booth and based on the Dubs & Co., builders' plate will be mounted inside the cab.  It is hoped that the locomotive will be ready for use as a banking engine on the Santa Trains of Saturday 10th December.

No. 4 Loch and No. 10 G.H. Wood continued as motive power until the end of the season, with No. 12 Hutchinson providing cover when maintenance was required on either of the other two locos.  No. 12 was also used as the third engine in steam when any special trains were run.  With the Deutz engine off No. 17 Viking still off the island for repair the railcars have been in frequent use for shunting purposes and on permanent way duties.  In order to provide more space in Douglas Steam Shed No. 9 Douglas was towed down to Port Erin and put in the original engine shed.

The 40 h.p. Simplex diesel which has resided at the back of the Douglas Carriage Shed for a number of years was advertised for sale of Isle of Man Railways in the December issue of Railway World; this locomotive, acquired during the 1980s has never been used on the island due to its unsuitable wheel profile and flange depth.

Coach F.48 emerged after its repaint and the fitting of a new roof in October, it has been replaced in the workshops by identical sister F.47 which is to receive the same treatment.  F.18 received a touch-up to some of its panels between the end of the season and the half-term train services.  The construction of the new F.54 is advanced will with the roof, ends and internal partitions being in place by mid-November; the next task being to fit the internal and external body sude panels.  The body repair of F.26 is also well advanced, with all the woodwork to the body complete and the only outstanding items requiring attention being the doors.  Hopefully all three of the above-mentioned carriages will be available for traffic next season.  The bar set (F.31, F.35 and F.32) has been withdrawn from service pending an overhaul due to its poor condition.

In order to provide rails for Snaefell Mountain, the rails between the Blackboards and Ballaquaggan were lifted and replaced with "new" 75lb/yd. rail.  Again, like the relay done between Port Erin and Port St. Mary earlier this year the new rail has been placed on existing sleepers.  The replacement took place in the three weeks between the end of the main season and the start of half-term service.  This is the traditional time that most of the traffic staff take their holidays, therefore a number of staff from the Manx Electric Railway were used to supplement those I.M.R. staff still remaining.  Stephen Carter's Taylor & Hubbard steam crane was used to lift the rails, the first serious work it has done in over 40 years..

Traffic dropped off as usual after the Manx Grand Prix, with both Douglas and Port Erin trains being reduced to three coaches for the remainder of the season.  A number of specials have been out, including one for InterCity.  The half-term service was very quiet, with most trains only consisting of two coaches, and on one occasion only one coach.  As the clocks went back an hour at the start of the week the last train in each direction had to have its carriage lights on.  The whole ensemble was very atmospheric and reminiscent of years gone by when the railway provided an all year round service, it's a pity there were so few people to witness it.  The railway will be running its popular Santa Trains on Saturday 10th December, with seven trains operating during the day to Santon (Santa's Halt); at the time of writing a number of trains were already full, and the others filling rapidly.

Peter Hodgett