With an unprecedented amount of feedback from visitors and multiple expansion occuring thereafter the month of February 2009 proved to be a busy one on the site.  The early part of the month was dedicated to some reformatting and standardisation of the "Passenger Coaches" section which is now happily looking somewhat smarter than its original incarnation.  Each individual coach now has its own section within a page, with information about each vehicle and (where possible) an accompanying photograph although the project of including images of all carriages may well be a longstanding one!  Regular visitors to the site will also have seen that the "Freight Stock" section was the next to be similarly treated albeit not quite as comprehensively!  The thought of sourcing photographs of all 78 "M" wagons doesn't bear thinking about, but who knows, maybe one day . . . ?

As well as individual articles being tweaked and refined, there have also been some purely synthetic changes made.  The most noticable of these was the amended header which currently features a long shot of No. 10 "G.H. Wood" on the descent into Ballasalla Station with a three-coach train; ultimately we hope to create a gallery of suitable images for these header meaning that every time you visit the site (or even refresh the page) you will see a different image.  We are always happy to receive suitable images from visitors who are happy for their work to be reproduced and welcome contributors with open arms.  Likewise, any layout suggestions are always received with interest.  Also, the header font has been changed to be in line with our marketing material, letterheads, brochures, posters, etc., as part of the new corporate image of the Supporters' Association.

At some point soon the later Railway Company crest will be used on the header, featuring No. 16 "Mannin" in indian red (which also appears on locos and rolling stock today, and on the front cover of each edition of Manx Steam Railway News) to further enhance the corporate image.  We have had some feedback that the screen format is not always clear on certain screens, especially the more recent wider screens of computers.  For a period (hopefully soon) we will be changing the appearance of the site to see if a reformatting will be better/worse for viewers and look forward to more feedback from visitors accordingly.  Watch this space for further details!

Each of the articles on "The Lines" have also received attention during the month, with expansion being concerntrated mainly on the Ramsey Line stations and points of interest, with the "barebones" information being expanded as time has permitted.  Some standardisation of articles on the Peel Line and Port Erin Line have also been embarked upon so that ultimately they each have a similar appearance.  Where no photographs have yet been offered/scanned/uploaded the standard "no photo available" icon has been inserted.  Copious review of back issues of Manx Steam Railway News has also meant that smaller items of information relating to certain pieces of rolling stock, stations, etc., have been added, but these have proved too innumerable to include on the updates pages!  We are sure that these will however become apparant to regular visitors . . .

At the request of some members, the list detailing what I.M.R. items of interest are being stored at Homefield Garage was added to the news page, having been initially published in two issues of Manx Steam Railway News as well as scattered around this site of respective pages.  We have also been developing the "Projects" pages, with new and updated articles on the Port Erin Re-Paint of 1970, the report commissioned for the ex-County Donegal railcars in 2007, archive items on the Return Of No. 9 "Douglas" in 1977 and the locomotive line ups at St. John's included from back-issues.  Eagle-eyed visitors will have spotted that the I.M.R. crest now also appears in the address bar if you save the site to your favourites it also appears as a thumbnail version here as well.

The two biggest additions to the site in the last month have been the creation of a "Bibliography" which ultimately aims to detail every publication produced about the railway (save for periodicals) and this will also include videos, cassettes, dvds, etc., in the fullness of time.  We are also looking to include images of front covers of the books mentioned as time permits, but the uploading of such matters is one of the more time-consuming tasks involved in the maintenance of this site.  The other big section is "Douglas Terminus" which, again, is very much ongoing but will ultimately include an assortment of articles on each of the buildings, areas and points of interest.  It was felt that a short description akin to the intermediate station pieces on the site would not be satisfactory for the grandiose of this fine terminus.  In the fullness of time similar articles may be produced on the other termini of the railway.

Again, we welcome all forms of comment on this site and look forward to receiving your further suggestions to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or care of the address on the "contacts" page of the site.  Finally, keep checking back for word on the "Forums" pages, which we hope to have online as soon as time permits.