Just before our last issue was posted came the news that the railway staff had received a weeks’ notice on 27th September.  A great shock to all lovers of the railway and particularly severe bloe [sic.] to the staff whose devoted efforts had been contributed to the improved traffics of the 1968 season and who now found themselves without work and winter upon them.

While some amendment to the agreement between Lord Ailsa and the I.M.R. Company might be expected after the experience of the two seasons of operation, it is difficult to understand the need for such drastic action.  Was an inadequate appraisal of the costs of operation made in the first instance?  Why the dispersal - Victorian in its abruptness - of the staff?

At its meeting on 10th October the situation as it affects the Association was thoroughly ventilated but no course of action could be decided upon.  Since then, as members will know from our Chairman’s appeal, a Petition has been organised, to which 17,302 signatures have been appended.  It is hoped that by the time these words reach you this will have been presented to the Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man, Sir Peter Stallard.  It will be remembered that the Transport Commission’s report to Sir Peter's predecessor in 1966 recommended the nationalisation of the ’bus services.

One way of achieving this would for the Government to take over the I.M.R. Company, and in so do acquire the assets now leased to Lord Ailsa for a term of five The way would then be opened for various solutions to the probl a further lease or sale to Lord Ailsa on more favourable terms example. Whether any such scheme is even contemplated we cannot say, but in the circumstances rumour and speculation thrives. The uniqueness of the I.M.R. lies in its completeness a railway system and our most important aim should be the pressing of the whole system against the day when re-opening through becomes practicable.

We have the locomotives and rolling stock hand: not for us the painstaking collection of vehicles and other problems which other light railways in England and Wales suffer before re-opening becomes possible. The Dart Valley has nine years in preparation; Worth Valley nearly as long. The railway is not profitable now, but then none of the privately preserved light railways now operating in England and Wales were so when first re-opened. When we look at these today however, the picture is of continually increasing traffics: the Festiniog [sic.] has to keep three trains constantly shuttling to and fro over its ten miles of line, and this at a fare of 9/-d.  The Tal-Y-Llyn can now afford to construct a new station building at the end of its line. In some cases losses are being converted into profit such as on the Romney Hythe & Dymchurch and Ravenglass & Eskdale lines, (the latter far from any large urban area).  The closing of the branch lines and the withdrawal of steam locomotive throughout the British Isles has caused a tremendous upsurge of interest in light railways, particularly among young people. With the last steam engine gone from British Railways (about 600 are now preserved, many by private individuals and groups a considerable expense), the ever growing army of enthusiasts will turn increasingly to this system of ours.

It is true that success in the operation of private ways has been in large measure due to the help rendered by the responsible volunteers. And herein lies perhaps the greater difficult how to operate our island system utilising to the full those w wish to participate as a hobby. And success will not be achieved overnight; the Festiniog [sic.] has been over twelve years working hard wards achieving its present satisfactory position - with still .lout four miles to be re-opened. It is to be hoped that this lesson of rising interest in reserved steam railways throughout the world will not be lost on those in whose hands the future of the I.M.R. lies. Will the signal be lowered again for a further lease of life for our railway?

A Message From Mr. L.T. Salts

It has given me great pleasure to join up with the Marquess of Ailsa in the new company which we have formed to run the railway in future. All the enthusiasm and hard work in the world cannot make this railway a viable proposition unless arrangements are completed for it to be financially capable of standing on its own feet.

This is the reason for restricting operations to the as to Port Erin Line.  This will enable us to carry more passengers in the shortest space of time and with the minimum of upkeep. It must be remembered that the number of visitors to the of Man is limited and the railway can only claim a percentage of this total (there is no limit to visitors to railways in Britain). We intend this year to attract not only Steam Railway enthusiasts but to aim at the 100% of visitors, men, women and children, by having special attractions at Port Erin Station - and inducement to take the journey.  

One of these attractions will be a wonderful show of Dolls and a miniature set of the Crown Jewels.  These will be great interest to little girls of all ages.  There will also be a similar show for boys of all ages!  With your help, a loyal staff, and keen direction, we look forward to a really record season in 1969 with every train a Pull loads Thank you again for all you are doing. 

The Season In Review

Thanks to our member, Max Crookall, who has been acting as agent for Lord Ailsa during the winter and has also been active “behind the scenes”, we can give a brief survey of the services is hoped to provide this season.

Lord Ailsa who expects to visit the Island once a month will leave the day-to-day management to Max.  Services will be based on one steam loco stationed at Douglas and one at Port Erin.  Each loco will make one round in the morning and one in the afternoon, crossing one another at Ballasalla, or Castletown.  A third loco will be in steam as a reserve, and will shunt or bank as required.  A relief train for the first down and last up service is also being considered for the season’s peak.  In the summer of 1965 the 10.00am and 10.30am to Port Erin would each load to eight carriages at the busiest times.  One of the conditions attached to the subsidy is that the railcars are to be used for regular services, except in emergency.  Fares will be much as last year, although a small increase is probable to cover the attractions mentioned in Mr. Salts’ letter.  No season or runabout tickets will be issued. Concessionary fares will be available to old age pensioners, and it is hoped these be extended to members.  It is not envisaged at present that services will be provided on Sundays, but a limited service may be considered later; to some extent is dependent upon the new boat service to be provided by a Norwegian vessel from Fleetwood. The first advertised trains will run, however, on Whit Sunday afternoon 25th May, and will continue every weekday following. The Foxdale Coach, F.39, now converted to a camp coach1 will be available for hire.  No special trains can be run over the other lines as I believed they would not satisfy the Government’s Inspector for passenger traffic.

3rd May Special Train

The first passenger-carrying train of the season left Douglas Station at 10.30am on 3rd May, chartered for the Institute of Engineering Consultants.  The train, consisting of five tourist saloons F.35, F.36, F.29, F.30 and F.31, was drawn up to the end of the platform a few minutes before departure to be photographed by Bill Peters, photographer to the Isle of Man Times, with the lady members of the staff in Victorian dress, and Bobby Cowin for the moment arrayed in the Station Master’s caped and gold-braided coat.  The engine, No.4 was much admired, many remarking as “quite a museum piece”. The party, numbering about 160, arrived at the station in three coaches and were to continue their tour from Port Erin by coach, the train then returning empty.  Waving the green flag was our member, Robert Tunnicliffe, very smart in a new uniform with broad gold bands.

Permanent Way

A considerable amount of work was envied out on the permanent way prior to opening.  Sleepers were renewed and a considerable length of ditches were cleaned out, but perhaps the most spectacular was the spraying of the line with weed-killer.  The effect of this weed-killer - I.C.I. Gromoxane - was mediate and virtually all the weeds sprayed appear to have died.  The majority of this work was carried out from 19th to 23rd May.  It is expected that “bog ore” (the odiferous blue material) will be available next winter for spreading to complete the work.  The end of April and the beginning of May saw the hedges trimmed back by what, in effect, was a circular saw fixed to a tractor.  The tractor was placed on a flat and propelled by the diesels.  

In May a works train ran to Peel to collect Permanent Way materials and new gates have been fixed on the top crossing at Port Erin.  The timbers on the Nunnery Bridge were replaced in May.  This proved to be a difficult job as the timbers (which were supplied by Quiggin's, a firm of builders’ merchants adjoining the station) were very heavy.

The Scene At Douglas Station : Peter Craine

As a result of the disuse (fog operating purposes) of Platforms 3 and 4, and the change in venue of the stored locomotives, the appearance of Douglas Station has changed.  An important change from the volunteers point of view is that the door into the Booking Hall from the platforms is kept locked and all access is via the Enquiries Room, which has been decorated with posters.  All volunteers reporting for duty should therefore go there instead of direct to the Booking Office as previously.  Platforms 3 and 4 are now used as a park for patrons’ at 1/-d per car and nine runners have been placed on No.2 road prevent cars reversing off the platform. Only No.5 road is used for the arrival and departure trains and F.27 has been put against the buffer stops on No.6 road acting as the Exhibition and Excess Fares Ticket Office.  Most of the Goods Yard has been fenced off, leaving the small area in the occupation of the freight side of the Road Services.

The fenced area has been turned into an Exhibition (Admission: Adults 1/-d, Children 6d), which is presided over by George Crellin.  Members will remember him as the highly competent Station Master at St. John’s.  The following items are on display:-

ON No.9 ROAD:-

Empress Van F.28

Manx Northern Van Gr.14 

Manx Northern Van Gr.10 

Runner R.3 (the large well-wagon) 

Mobile Crane (No.2)

Drop-Side Wagon M.72

Runner R.5 (With Ex-B.R.container)

Small Well-Wagon 

Fish Wagon

ON No.10 ROAD:-

No.1 Sutherland

No.15 Caledonia (in the maroon livery)

No.14 Thornhill (in the maroon livery)

No.9 Douglas

No.6 Peveril

No.16 Mannin

ON No.11 ROAD:-

Five “M”-Wagons

Rail Wagons (close-coupled four-wheel underframes)

Small Flat (adapted from four-wheeler frame)

On Nos. 6, 7, and 8 roads is kept the spare rolling stock.

Broken Rails

There was a minor epidemic of broken rails at beginning of the season - one on the Port Erin engine road, one a road into the carriage shed at Douglas, and one by the Signal at Douglas.

 Opening Day : 25th May 1969

The morning of Opening Day saw the Association special train, headed by No.11 with F.34, F.35, F.75 and F.41; the timings were as follows, with stops for photographers in the cutting 11.25 to 11.27:-

                                 Arr.    Dep.

Douglas                              10.46

Pt. Soderick              10.58 11.06

Santon                      11.15 11.22

Ballasalla dep.          11.34 11.41

Castletown                11.46 11.54

Ballasalla                    11.59 12.00

Douglas                     12.26

The train also carried a party from the British Railways S.R. Lecture & Debating Society.  It left Douglas 46 minutes late owing to a lack of steam. The afternoon train was again headed by No.11 and consisted of F.17, F.75, F.35, F.46, F.47, F.48 and F.41.  It left Douglas nine minutes late owing to delays in attaching an extra carriage, arriving Port Erin ten minutes late, but the return working was to schedule. The timings were:-

                                 Dep.  Arr.

Douglas         2.24

Port Soderick 2.37  2.38

Ballasalla        3.00  3.03

Castletown    3.08  3.10

Port St. Mary 3.24  3.25

Port Erin       3.30  4.15

Port St. Mary 4.19  4.20

Castletown    4.38  4.40

Ballasalla         4.45  4.47

Port Soderick 5.04  5.05

Douglas                                5.15

Fare Alterations

The current fares from Douglas are as follows:-

      Single                  Return

Child    Adult        Child    Adult

Port Soderick 1/-d  2/-d  1/6d  2/6d

Ballasalla        2/-d  3/-d  3/-d  4/6d

Castletown         2/6d  3/6d      3/6d  5/-d

Colby            3/6d  5/-d  5/-d  7/6d

Pt. St. Mary/Pt. Erin 4/-d  6/-d  6/-d  10/-d

First Weekend Operations

The first week of operation this year was highly satisfactory, and the Manager has been observed wearing a satisfied expression.  No detailed figures as yet are available.  As expected, No.4 has been stationed at Port Erin and No.11 at Douglas.  The following rolling stock was used during the first week:-

Based Port Erin: F.57, F.74, F.71, F.30, F.44, F.25

Based Douglas:  F.75, F.35, F.45, F.46, F.41, F.47, F.31, F.72

Toward the end of the week F.45 joined the stock based on Port Erin; timekeeping was not exceptional at the beginning of the week but the Working Time Table amendment of 23rd May (mentioned elsewhere) corrected matters and by the end the week timekeeping was excellent.

Halts Closed

 A Special Notice, dated 15th May 1969, stated trains will not call at Santon and Ronaldsway Halt either to set down or to pick up.  The same notice said that Colby will continue to be a Request Stop.  It is probable that the only train to stop at Santon will have been the Association Special on 25th May.

Locomotives & Rolling Stock

The season’s programme of routine maintenance began on 17th June when No.4 had a boiler washout.  She was temporarily replaced by No.12 which went out to Port Erin on the 4.5pm on 16th June.  No.4 was back in service on 18th June.  No.12 had previously been fitted with a new steam pipe. No.11 had her first boiler washout on 19th June and a birdcage (spark arrester) was fitted to No.4.  Port Soderick was used as a crossing for the first time on 9th June.  Trains were running late and it was used instead of Ballasalla for the mid-day crossing.  Santon was not used as the points are locked out of use.  F.49 was brought out of the Paint Shop after repainting and re-upholstering by relief driver Jeffrey Kelly, and No.11 on 18th June.

Later it was provided with numbers and crests. It is the newest carriage, dating from 1926, and is fitted with Timiken roller bearings.  Its first train was the 2.5pm ex-Douglas on 19th June.  The spring hangar on F.46 fractured on 13th June and was replaced by one taken from R.9 (a runner) on 17th June. On 25th June No.10 was steamed for the second time and double-headed the 4.5pm to Ballasalla in order to bank the 4.15pm ex-Port Erin up to Blackboards.  On 5th July F.41 was taken to Port Erin and put against the buffers in the bay platform.  It was to remain at Port Erin to provide a brake for unbraked carriages stabled there and to provide a mess-room for the Port Erin crew.  

No.11 dropped her brick arch on 8th July, ran without it on 9th, and went into the shed on 10th for a new arch and brake-blocks. The opportunity was taken to give her a boiler washout at the same time and she was back in service at the beginning of the following week.  She was replaced temporarily by No.12 which promptly produced a hot box on her pony truck.  The fault was, however, soon remedied.  At the end of July, No.3 Pender came out of the shops having been repainted in the brown livery. All three liveries (the others being maroon and green), are now represented in the preserved locomotives on display at Douglas Station.

The Castletown Show was held on Thursday 31st July and gave rise to the longest train this year to date.   The 4.15pm ex-Port Erin was banked all the way by No.12 and consisted of F.15, F.71, F.57, F.74, F.66, F.54, F.32, F.45 and F.44.  Three carriages were reserved for passengers joining the train at Castletown.

Retirement Of Mr. Evan Cain

On 30th June 1969 Mr. Cain retired from his post as Secretary of the Isle of Man Railway Company Limited and the Isle of Man Services Limited.  He joined the Company in 1915 as a junior clerk and except for a brief period from 1918-1919 has been with them ever since is well-known on the Island for his voluntary work, particularly the St. John Ambulance Brigade. Mr. Alfred Stewart has taken over from him; another long-serving officer of the Companies - he has been with them for the whole of his working life except for a period in the Army.  Your Editor would like to take this opportunity of giving Mr. Cain best wishes in his retirement and hopes that he will cc ue to be interested in the affairs of the Railway.

Castle Rushen High School Outing

A party of about 130 pupils and staff from the Castle Rushen High School (a secondary school at Castletown) travelled to Douglas and back. The arrangements started on the previous day when the 2.10 ex-Port Erin detached F.32 on arrival at Douglas.  The 4.5pm ex-Douglas conveyed four extra carriages (at the rear of the train) to Castletown where they were berthed in the goods siding.  On Friday the 10.00 ex-Port Erin shunted into the goods siding, attached the stock (which by now was occupied) at the rear of the train and took them to Douglas.  There they were duly attached by the train engine and shunted to No.7 Road.  The party toured the station and had lunch in the train.  The carriages were shunted on to the front of the 4.5 ex-Douglas and stopped at Santon to set children down. There was a further stop or this purpose at Colby, but most of the passengers alighted at Castletown. The extras ran through to Port Erin and returned to Douglas on the 10.00 ex Port Erin the following day. F.32 was attached to the 11.25 ex-Douglas. A full report of the excursion appeared in the Isle of Ian Examiner on 17th July with a very large picture of the party with the preserved locomotives at Douglas.

The Queens Special

As last year, a late Special Train was run this year from Port Erin in connection with the Douglas Carnival on Thursday 21st August.  The train was headed by No.4 (the locomotive stabled this at Port Erin) and consisted of F.43, F.48, F.75, F.35, F.36 and F.17.  Of these, the third, fourth and fifth were lit by vehicle batteries which proved to be adequate.  The train left Port Erin at 5.43, reaching Douglas at 6.40pm.  It left at 9.35 and arrived back at Port Erin at 11.05.  The staff and ticket m was not needed and the line was worked on the “one engine in steam” principle.   The return working was in darkness and therefore identified by two white lamps on the front of the engine and one red lamp on the rear.  The train was well patronised, especially by local people.  Just under half the “up” passengers were from Port Erin and a very large number were picked up at Castletown.  A party of enthusiasts travelled on the return working as far as Castletown and went back to Douglas on a late bus.  The Governor’s Saloon proved much in demand on the return journey for passengers with fish and chips and according to on the spot reports the saloon was also popular with young children who were happy to play in the corridor.

End Of Season Workings

On Monday, 15th September a special train (consisting of No.12, F.49 and F.46) left Douglas at 10.55 for Port Erin.  It was intended to be a works train, but a number of potential passengers turned up of whom thirty-five travelled to Port Erin.  Gates were worked by the train crew.  On arrival at Port Erin an “M” wagon full of coal (used for the Port Erin engine) was picked up together with the spare carriages.  It left at 3.30 with sixteen passengers and gradually made its way back to Douglas tidying up stations on the way.  Tickets and sales items were brought back.  It arrived in Douglas at 4.40.  Shunting in Douglas on the following day resulted in rake consisting of F.65, F.74, F.71, F.73, F.68 and F.7.  This was taken to St. John’s on Wednesday 17th by No.11 and was put in the carriage shed for winter storage.

Arthur Buttell : Obituary (Michael Fay)

Members who knew the I.M.R. in the early 1960s or before will be sorry to learn of the death in June last of Arthur Buttell of Port Erin. Son of Joe Buttell, Arthur was for many years driver of No.16 on the South line, and his photograph appears in Boyd’s book.  I met him on my first trip to the Island in April 1963; when driving the railcars and pestered him with questions every I travelled on the Peel line.  All were gladly answered and one day when the only passenger, I was very grateful for an unofficial photograph stop at Union Mills, then officially closed!  Later that year Arthur joined the Airport Police so we met him every time I arrived at Ronaldsway, but it was not until year when we visited his Port Erin home that I realised just h much he valued the photographs sent to him by enthusiasts all the country. His interests were legion, not the least being work, as a result of which he produced a magnificent model of Mannin from plywood at a scale of one inch to the foot.   I feel sure many members will wish to join me in send our sympathy to Joan Buttell and their two children. The Island lost a true railwayman . . . I have lost a great friend.

A New Boy's Impression...

Although the aforesaid “new boy” was new this 1969 to the Isle of Mann Victorian Steam Railway, he can scarcely be said to be now to railway work, having commenced his railway career as long ago as 1922 with the old Great Central Railway, then shortly to boos part of the London & North Eastern Railway, as a timid junior o: in the Great Central Railway General Manager's office at Marylebone Station, London.

Serving with the London & North Eastern Railway for the whole of its twenty-five years life, and eventually booking head of a department known as the Central Timing and Diagramming Office, which covered the preparation of timetables and engineering diagrams for the former Great Northern and Great Central lit he was eventually “nationalised” in 1948 upon the formation of British Railways. Although in the category of “reserved occupation” at the time of the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, our hero foolish enough to obtain special authority to join the army, but only on condition that this was the Royal Engineers (Movement Control Branch).  Little did he know at the time that this would in April 1941 in his being 'put in the bag' in Greece and spending the remaining four years of the War as a Prisoner of War in Germany.

There is no doubt that this experience seriously reacted upon state of health as by 1950 he found himself in a certain sanatorium for nervous diseases where he remained on and off for the next two years. Endeavouring to make a fresh start with British Railways upon discharge, this was found impossible of achievement, and was before long retired on grounds of ill-health in November 1 at the comparatively early age of 49, on pension. However, he was not to be eventually entirely defeat') this cruel trick of fate, and being a life-long railway enthusiast in addition to having become a professional railwayman at the age of 18, we find him in the summer of 1960 in the employ of the Romney Hythe & Dymchurch Railway with which he remained until the end of their 1968 season, latterly as Station Master (a everything else) at St. Mary’s Bay Station, a rather quaint job a “crusty old bachelor” as this Station exists mainly to servo the children’s holiday camp.

There was in fact the summer of 1962, he was not with the Romney Hythe & Dymchurch Railway, having worked that season looking after the souvenir stocks on the Snowdon Mountain Railway in North Wales, only to return to the Romney and Dymchurch Railway in the 1963 season for personal reasons. Advancing years made it rather desirable that our hero who up to 1968 had only worked for five different railway concern (Great Central Railway, London & North Eastern Railway, British Railways - four years only-then the Romney Hythe & Dymchurch Railway and Snowdon Mountain Railway) should seek to exchange a 55-hour week for something involving somewhat shorter hours of duty, with the result that he found himself in May 1969 as Station Master at Port Erin on the Isle of Mann Victorian Steam Railway, delighted to find that it did not run on Sundays, unlike the Romney Hythe & Dymchurch Railway.

After all this preliminary chatter we must surely hasten now to live up to the title of this article and chronicle one’s reactions to and impressions of railway life in the Isle of Man, to which island it should be said that one was by no means a stranger having first come over on holiday about 1925, at which time it was possible to take an enjoyable rail trip from Douglas to Port Soderick on the long defunct Southern Electric tramway running along the Marine Drive.  Having through the good offices of a well-known member of railway staff become installed in pleasant and comfortable accommodation on the promenade at Port Erin, one set out with vigour to master the demands of the job as Station Master.

First impressions were that Port Erin was quite the most extraordinary railway station one had encountered in some forty-seven years (on and off) railway life, and there has been no occasion to revise this opinion the light of subsequent familiarity.  Where else would one d a country terminal layout where the main platform would accommodate no less than some twenty carriages, with a level crossing protected by gates at the far end of the layout and not content with a another level crossing (not protected by gates) midway along platforms.

Furthermore, the first mentioned crossing, although protecting a very minor road counts as a “statutory highway”, which means that the gates by the insistence of the Local Authority to remain closed against the railway except when a train is actually entering or leaving the station.  There is no shadow of doubt that almost a decade of work for a concern such as the Romney Hythe & Dymchurch Railway provided the best possible training for taking a job on the Victorian Steam Railway, as the day-to-day problems which arise are common to all railway undertakings operating on a seasonable basis to cater for holidaymakers. One found that the average holidaymaker on the Isle of Man was just about as dim (or almost so) as his counterpart on holiday in the Romney Marsh area of Kent, although maybe this view is just a bit jaundiced.  “Have I missed the next train to Hythe?”, merely replaced by “Have I missed the next train to Douglas?”.  True to type it was confirmed that the aforesaid “average holidaymaker” (whether in Kent or the Isle of Man) usually has his or her watch (if one is worn at all) some twenty minute, slow, which is not conducive to their catching the 4.10pm last train back to Douglas.  In fact the most extreme case of this kind of thing in the Writer’s experience was the couple who turned up at Port Erin station at 4.50pm to catch this 4.10pm train and up the lady expressing great surprise that the train had left, she remarked:- “But my watch only says six minutes past four!”.  

Upon a slightly less frivolous note, one has been considerably impressed by the efficient conduct of the train service throughout the season, which reflects great credit in particular upon the enginemen responsible for the working of our ancient locomotives, of which the “newest” in actual operation on the railway this season was built in 1908 - a mere sixty-one years ago; as far as the Port Erin end is concerned, our most unpunctual departure was when the 10.12am train left at 10.50am one Monday morning owing to the 95-year old Loch being distinctly short of steam.  However it appeared to the Station Master that this occasion, to their being on holiday, no passenger was too seriously inconvenienced - it transpired in answer to his enquiry that no one wall their way to ca12tch a plane for Australia.

When one reflects the Douglas-Port Erin line is 15¾-miles in length, with some not inconsiderable gradients (unlike the Romney Hythe and Dymchurch which is practically dead level) and at first only two intermediate crossing places on the single line - increased to three in July the addition of Port Soderick - a railwayman of the Writer's experience is bound to be impressed by the general efficiency of operation, in particular at such stations as Ballasalla, where to the of crossing trains is added the responsibility of controlling A level crossing over the busiest main road in the Island. Harking back momentarily to the Romney Hythe and Dym( Railway for old times' sake, a current timetable of this line 1 been exhibited in the booking hall at Port Erin, being duly or “This is only some 350-miles from Port Erin”. Judge of the surprise of the Station Master one morning when a prospective passenger enquired “Is this Hythe Station?”.  It was thought at first a leg-pull was intended, but it became clear that this was a genuine enquiry: How dim can one get?  It is now high time to draw these random reflections to a close.

The Writer would like, in conclusion, to express his appreciation of the helpful co-operation of all members of the staff working into and out of the Station as well as those at Port Erin Station itself and not forgetting the Management, and he looks forward to further spells of railway service in the lovely isle of Man.

Some Early Editions Of Manx Steam Railway

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