Drop-Side Wagons M.67 - M.78

This was the final delivery of this series of drop-side wagons and were supplied in 1925 with the arrival from the Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co., Ltd. of Saltley Works, Birmingham - but were not permitted to be used until paid for the following year; they were stored at St. John's Station until this time (some records indicate their build date as 1926 for this reason).  Of all the seventy eight wagons of the series supplied these were the longest lived and three survived past nationalisation.  M.71 (together with M.61 and M.66) had their wagon side removed in 1967 and tanks fitted for the short lived oil trains.  Of these twelve wagons, some of which were the longest surviving and represent the sole surviving member of the series, M.78 was restored by the Association in 1998.  M.71 (together with M.61 and M.66 of a previous batch) had its sides and ends removed and was fitted with tanks from road tankers for the short-lived oil train traffic.  *M.70 was stored latterly at Santon Station, and was dismantled to provide parts for M.78.

Scrapping Dates


M.67 & M.68 - 1962

M.69  & M.72 - 1974

M.70 - Dismantled*

M.71 - 1974 (Oil Tanks)

M.73 & M.74 - 1963

M.78 - Still Extant

Numbers:

Makers:

Year:

Length:

Width:

Height:

Wheelbase:

Status:

Extant:

M.67 - M.78

Metropolitan

1925

14 6 

6 6 

4 8 

8 0 

Scrapped

M.78 Only

M.77 was in the yard at Douglas Station in April of 1950.

M.72 loaded with timber sheets in the goods yard at Ramsey Station.

M.70 outside the carriage shed at Douglas Station in August of 1977.

M.68 in poor condition in Douglas Station goods yard in July 1969.

M.78 in Douglas Workshops following repaint in January of 2013.

M.70 in the goods yard at Port Erin Station in 1944 loaded with lamps.

M.77 beside the loading dock at Castletown Station in June of 1963.

M.78 displayed in the Railway Museum at Port Erin Station