M.N.Ry. No.3 Thornhill (I.M.R. No.14)
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M.N.Ry. No.3 Thornhill
19 Tons, 10cwt
1880
2-4-0T
Beyer, Peacock & Co., Ltd.
B.P.2028
October 1964
803,728 (@1964)
Residence Of Chairman
11” x 18”
3’ 9”
Built as the Manx Northern Railway's No.3 and renumbered upon the 1905 merger, in 1967 the locomotive was repainted in an approximation of her original livery and placed on display at St. John's Station after withdrawal, a paint scheme the locomotive was to continue wearing for over half a century into private preservation; work carried out to M.N.Ry. No.4 Caledonia for her return to service in 1993 revealed original paint samples to prove the shade of red applied was in reality considerably darker.
(Photo: Michael Bishop)
M.N.Ry. No.3 Thornhill was built for the Manx Northern Railway by Beyer, Peacock & Co., in 1880 concurrently with No.7 Tynwald for the Isle of Man Railway and was largely identical. Seeing extensive use in the earliest of days, the first new boiler was fitted in 1896. Becoming No.14 upon the merger with the Isle of Man Railway Company in 1905 (though not initially receiving its number and chimney numeral) it was the only Beyer, Peacock & Co., locomotive provided to the Manx Northern Railway. After the merger it received the 1896 boiler from No.4 Loch in 1910 which remained until 1913 when the 1893 boiler from No.2 Derby was fitted in its place. There was a further swap in 1916 when the boiler provided in 1895 for No.5 Mona was installed in the locomotive. The final swap came in 1921 when another boiler from No.5 dating from 1914 was placed in the frames and it is this boiler that remained in use until the end of the locomotive's service career which came after a reduction to reduced pressure, the final workings being in 1961. Fitted with chimney numerals after the take-over, these were removed in 1956 when a new shorter chimney was fitted. Retaining the distinctive Salter safety valves until withdrawal from service in 1963 after which is was placed into storage in the carriage shed at Douglas Station.
Along with other out of service locomotives it was repainted and placed on display at St John's station during the 1967 and 1968 seasons, in what was thought to be close to the original colour scheme; after the close of the Peel and Ramsey lines in 1968 the display was moved to Douglas Station where it remained periodically until 1974 after which is returned to storage. In 1978 shortly after the nationalisation of the railway it was sold for private preservation on the island by an Association member where it remained in a purpose-built shed with six-wheel carriage M.N.Ry. No.6. The owner is in the process of having work carried out on the locomoitve and it is no secret that it is presently at the premises of John Fowler Ltd., in Ulverston, Cumbria. The locomotive is considered by many to be the holy grail of Isle of Man locomotives, and one longed for to tick off the “I’ ve seen that one” list - watch this space.
