Cosmetic Restoration : No.9 Douglas
Following the success of our work on No.5 Mona in readiness for the 150th anniversary celebrations the Association has also undertaken to carry out similar works to younger sister locomotive No.9 Douglas with work commencing in January 2023 by work on the pony truck; at the present time progress is being made alongside that on No.5, mindful of the deadline we are hopeful to have the locomotive at least largely reassembled for the summer, if not completely painted, so that it can take place in the celebrations. The Association has a long history with the locomotive dating back to an aborted attempt to restore her to service in 1977 which was ultimately abandoned when it was sold to a third party. Happily in 2012 it returned to railway ownership and by 2020 work commenced on decontamination of asbestos; since this time it has remained dismantled but some progress in stripping and painting has already been undertaken. Updates on this project will be posted to the official news page on this site, the dedicated blog is defunct as at March 2023, earlier posts will remain viewable.
With the locomotive dismantled following asbestos work the ideal time to carry out jobs inside the frames was identified as a starting point. The current plan once the pony truck has been completed and returned beneath the frames is to begin painting the inner frames which cannot be accessed once the boiler is reunited, once this has been completed and the boiler has been lifted back into the frames work can commence on undercoat and reassembly of the smaller components. It is our intention to carry out these works and have the finished paint job carried out by a professional painter (as was the case with No.5).
The proposal will see the locomotive returned to the Brunswick Green livery with early lining detail using photographic records, this will include lining around the spectacle plates and a much broader design of lining than is seen on the locomotives today. A number of components will also need to be sourced, most notable of which is a new smokebox door, the original having been removed many years ago. Despite the short deadline we are optimistic that the locomotive will be capable of taking part in the anniversary event in July 2023; as ever if you can help please contact granttaylor@manx.net for further details.
No.9 Douglas at Colby Station en route to Port St. Mary in June 2020 for decontamination work to commence; also pictured is No.5 Mona which underwent similar treatment and has now been cosmetically restored by the Association.