Yours truly has recently been on his jollies. Where have you been, I hear you ask? That wee rock in the Irish Sea, known of course as the Isle of Man. Last week (24th to 31st July 2017), I was over there to attend the annual Manx Transport Festival event, with an array of activities going on over the island's main rail transport systems. I've got a lot of snaps taken throughout the week, and I'm going to share them with you all here. In this case, we're looking at the 13 mile, 3ft gauge Isle of Man Steam Railway, that runs from Douglas to Port Erin via Port Soderick, Santon, Ballasalla, Castletown, Ballabeg, Colby and Port St Mary. This thread shows the railway's stalwart Beyer Peacock 2-4-0 tank engines in action throughout the week, including a photography evening at Douglas station. YouTube footage to follow shortly. Comments welcomed as always.
Really good photo's David, many thanks. I went to the IoM in 1968 for the TT races and didn't know about the railway then!! Ron
Ron wrote: Thanks Ron. Very funny you should mention 1968, as that was the year when the Peel and Ramsey lines closed; 2018 will mark 50 years since it happened...
Really great photos David thanks for sharing They are very nice looking locos and they looks in top notch condition.
Great photos David , like Ron, when I used to go to the TT races, every year from '79 to '89, the steam railway was always on the to do list, its good to see that Douglas station hasn't changed much, apart from the addition of the conservatory, though that looks in keeping with the rest of the building. The other ride I always took was the tram to Ramsey, seemed to take for ever, the station at Laxey was always busy with folk going to the Laxey Wheel, "Lady Isabella" I think its called. I also went on a very narrow gauge railway, Groudle Glen railway if I remember right, I believe it has been extended since then, not sure, it was behind the Groudle Glen hotel, a busy venue TT week! We used to watch the racing at Ballaugh Bridge, just to the back of the main drag through the town, the railway ran alongside the road, and there was an abandoned bridge, the track had been lifted, and we used to take our lives in our hands crossing it to get to better viewing points . Thanks mate, you've rekindled some great memories for me . Cheer's, Pete.
jakesdad13 wrote: Thanks Pete; glad this stirred up happy memories for you. The Isle of Man is always a pleasure to head to, and the charming rail systems are a delight to behold. The canopy at the station isn't to everyone's taste, but it's there nonetheless. There's been a lot of change to the station over the years, and not all of it is sympathetic. I've also done the Groudle Glen and Manx Electric Railways; got photos of those coming up, so stay tuned!
Hi David, Great to hear from you again and thank you for posting up these terrific shots. Loads of character these engines have. In pristine condition as well. Toto
You can get some very nice models of these little Gems 1:19 Scale live steam for those nice days out doors or electric. Attached files
Did somebody mention GEM and TT (scroll down a bit) http://www.lytchettmanor.co.uk/lytchett-manor/narrow-gauge-loco-kits Dunno if you can still get the chassis. Great pictures David Ed
