THE VIEW FROM THIS SIDE

Isle of Man
1965/67, 1975/76

The 13 sample pictures of the IoM that are on the Ireland cd are included on this show for completeness. However this selection is devoted entirely to IoM rail systems, and is somewhat larger than most of the other shows. Just about every line that was still in existence in the two timespans is included, including the Douglas Horse Trams, the Groudle Glen Railway (if only sleeping peacefully) and even the Ramsey Pier Tramway as well as the expected IoMR,  Manx Electric and  Snaefell Mountain Railway. There are also glimpses of two IoMSP steamers moored in Douglas Harbour, as well as the odd bus. The result is quite a cornucopia -  especial gems are –
(i) MER - a view of Derby Castle MER terminus with the ‘boat car’ about to leave for Ramsey surrounded by an absolutely fascinating amount of background and tramcar-side detail,
(ii) Snaefell Railway – the departmental stock that used to be hidden away behind the works,
(iii) Ramsey Pier Tramway - with all the stock freshly painted and the flag flying,
(iv) IoMR - a set of views of the Sunday Pilgrim trains that used to run on the IoMR from Douglas to Kirk Bradden,
(v)  Poignant views at St Johns and elsewhere after closure of parts of the IoMR.
A much larger than usual selection  – there are 100 different pictures arranged over 93 panels.

Samples from this show. These images are compressed. Actual images on the CD are high resolution:-

Ramsey, 10th August 1965. One of the British Isles’ lesser known minor lines, this is the Ramsey Pier Tramway. The locomotive is a Hibbert Planet 4wD. This may be the entire fleet on view here, though it is not known exactly what the flat vehicles are on the furthest line from the viewpoint.
 
 


 
 
 
 
 
 

Snaefell Summit, 9th August. A frogless switch is well seen, as is the operating lever. No 4 waits for customers, who are mostly in the adjacent hostelry.
 


 
 

Douglas, 11th August 1965. Car 32, trailer and van all form the ‘boat car’ service for Ramsey, so called because it catered for incoming passengers off the morning boat from Liverpool. Just look at: the weighing machine, the cabin trunk and parcel, the booking clerk peering out of the office window, the ‘keep left’ bollard, the horse tram loading up, the Commer chassis half cab roadsweeper (for the horse exhaust!), and at very extreme left there is a glimpse of a Douglas Corporation bus.
 


 
 
 
 

Bradden, 9th August 1965. This was the first ‘station’ out of Douglas on the St. John’s line, however by this time it only received trains on a Sunday, carrying pilgrims to the Kirk Bradden open air church service nearby. The red board carried on ‘Maitland’’s  buffer beam is the indicator for the train’s status as a return ECS working.


 
 

St John’s, 10th August 1965. Left to right:- The Donegal Railcars just arrived from Douglas, No 8 ‘Fenella’ ex Peel, and the Ramsey train which has arrived behind No 5 ‘Mona’, now detached and out of view ready to pilot ‘Fenella’ back to Douglas with the combined Peel/Ramsey trains. The crowds mill about, all is confusion.
 
 
 


St John’s, 12th August 1975. The carriage sheds and sidings here still held an enormous amount of rolling stock, which had simply been abandoned when the full system had ceased to operate. It is difficult to imagine this happening now – but much of this priceless Victorian equipment was just left to the ravages of vandals and the elements before the scrappers eventually burnt it and reclaimed the remaining metalwork.
 
 
 
 

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