Breakdown Crane No.1
No.1 crane was obtained for the opening of the Peel Line in 1873 from Thomas Kiss & Co., of Birmingham and survived until 1969 when it was sold for scrap; latterly it was a common sight at Ramsey Station where it could be found on the spur that once extended to the Harbourside Tramway, without its jib. There appear to be no operational records to suggest that it was used latterly.
By September of 1965 No.1 crane was stored in the goods yard at Ramsey Station and had its job removed having not been used for many years.
September 1965 and No.1 crane stored in the goods yard at Ramsey Station with its jib removed having not been used for many years by the time this image was captured.
Right: the crane at Castletown Station, note the cattle dock to the right and one of the drop-side wagons to the rear
Moved by October 1969 to the rear of the goods shed at Ramsey Station awaiting its fate, the cranes retained its counter-weight.
In June 2019 the surviving makers’ plate was photographed, this is in the possession of an Association member, the last part remaining.
The crane at Peel Station with wagon M.40; views of the crane in use and anywhere other than its usual haunt at Ramsey are relatively rare. The counterweight is absent, this may indeed be a different crane!
There have been a total of three rail-mounted cranes on the railway, find out more about each of these here. A fourth crane is owned by the Association but has never operated on the railway.