M.N.Ry. Carriage No.2 (N.41)
As supplied this was identical to No.1 but was stripped of its first class interior in 1903 after the delivery of the bogie stock from Hurst Nelson, with one of the partitions removed making two unequal compartments. The larger of the two made it popular with butchers travelling to the mart on Mondays, a convivial atmosphere being enjoyed leading to it becoming known as the “Butchers’ Coach”. In 1964 it was removed from its underframes and placed on the plinth outside the workshops at Douglas Station to be used as a crew mess or “bothy” (replacing No.12 which was scrapped), where it remained until 1999 when it was taken off-site for storage; it spent a period in the former Road Services depot at Homefield Garage until this space was vacated, when it returned to home metals, being placed on a bogie runner and stored in Douglas yard; happily in 2009 it was returned to its original position and is now used as a store, being very much part of the look of the yard. It was painted into the purple lake colours scheme with off-white upper panels and it original fleet designations. A further repaint in 2023 saw the vehicle repainted into the post-war red scheme with the later fleet numbering applied.
Original No.:
Later No.:
Built:
Width:
Builders:
Length:
Wheel Dia.:
Wheelbases:
M.N.Ry. No.2
I.M.R. N.41
1879
6’ 9”
Swansea
30’ 0”
2’ 3”
24’ 0”
Above: none of the six-wheelers survived in use after the second world war, but were stored out of use, first at Ramsey Station in the carriage shed and then at St. John's on a spur laid to the side of the carriage shed known as Harry Cubbon's wing; this rendering imagines the unlikely scenario that the carriages remained in use and had the standard post-war red and cream livery applied to them, making a marked difference from the bogie stock. It is even less likely that the roof-mounted oil lamp housings would have remained in situ but these have been retained for context.
(Photo: I.o.M.S.R.S.A.)
Stored in the open at St. John's Station following withdrawal, seen in what appears to be reasonable condition in April 1955
Two years after being installed as a bothy outside the workshops at Douglas Station, photography courtesy of Michael Bishop from May 1966.
Bodywork attention ongoing at Douglas Station in June 2021 following the replacement of some of the time-expired lower panels, June 2021.
Outside the workshops at Douglas Station in May 2013 shortly after completion of a repaint into purple lake prior to fleet decal addition.
Painted in the inappropriate red and white bus livery, a scene very much of its time at Douglas Station in May 1983 with No.13 Kissack.
With M.N.Ry. No.6 being delivered back to the railway in June 2022 showing the before-and-after views of two similar