The Land Where Beyer, Peacock 2-4-0T Rule

 

Isle of Man Railway

 

By Walter Rice Ph.D.

 

One of my favorite articles from childhood was a Trains Magazine article describing the rail wonders of the Isle of Man.  As an adult I resolved to visit Man.  After six visits, my fascination and excitement about Manx rail has only been enhanced.

 

Live Steam Magazine cover. The island's green countryside is shown off as No. 13 is running backwards Douglas, passes near Ballabeg. Because there are no turntables, trains always run backward to Douglas where No. 13 the Kissack will run around its carriages to return to Port Erin.

The small shrill whistle mounted on No. 1 Sutherland, a three-foot gauge Beyer, Peacock 2-4-0 tank locomotive, sounded for the first time on July 1, 1873, heralding the departure of  the first steam train from Douglas, the capital and most important town on the Isle of Man.  Over a century and quarter later Beyer, Peacock steam engines are still departing Douglas, including Sutherland. The first three of an ultimate fleet of fifteen Manx Peacock 2-4-0 tank locomotives arrived on the island in March and June of 1873 (the order had been placed in 1872). The builder was Beyer, Peacock of Gorton Foundry, Manchester England.  The last Beyer, Peacock product arrived in 1926--fifty-three years later.

 

In the Irish Sea, the Isle of Man lies between the Cumbrian Coast of England and Northern Ireland.  It is thirty miles long and eleven miles wide, with more than a hundred miles of often rugged coast line. With a population of approximately 75,000, Man has been governed independently since 979, although it acknowledges Queen Elizabeth as sovereign.  

 

Besides the Isle of Man steam railway the island boasts four other railway systems. Some two miles north of Douglas is the two-foot gauge steam powered Groudle Glen Railway. It is reached by the the three-foot gauge Manx Electric line stretching nearly eighteen mile long to the northern resort town of Ramsey. The initial stage of the Manx Electric, between Douglas (Derby Castle) and Groudle was opened in 1893.

 

At Laxey, the Manx Electric connects with the 3' 6" gauge electrically powered Snaefell Mountain Railway.  The mountain railway climbs at the rate of one-in-twelve to just 46' below the 2,036 foot summit of the mountain from which the railway takes its name. 

 

The fifth system is the three-foot gauge Douglas Horse Tramway, operating on a 1.6 mile track from the Derby Castle terminal of Manx Electric to the Sea Terminal, running along the sea-front Promenade.

 

Beyer, Peacock’s 2-4-0 Tank Locomotives

 

The Victorian era Isle of Man Railway selected to power their railway with the proven Beyer, Peacock tank locomotive.  Close relatives of the Manx Peacocks plied the rails of Spain, Norway, Australia, Ireland and the London’s Metropolitan Railway.  All Manx Peacocks are a diminutive 21’ in length, 6' 9" wide with a 3' 9" wheel diameter.  They feature steeply inclined 11" diameter cylinders with a 18" stroke.  

 

A distinctive feature of the Manx’s Peacocks is a large highly polished brass-closed dome complete with safety valves.  The Peacocks’ domes are centered upon boilers of varying size ranging from the original  locomotives’ 2' 10¾” diameter boilers to 3' 7" diameter boilers on two of the current in service Peacocks.   Additionally, all engines have a tapered steam-stack with a copper cap. Each engine is named and carries brass nameplates on both their tank sides. 

 

Tractive effort at 85% boiler pressure for the smaller Peacocks is estimated at 4,940 pounds. Coal-fired, the coal supply is carried in a bunker located in the engine’s cab.  The current four in service Peacocks range in weight from seventeen tons twelve hundred pounds to twenty tons ten hundred pounds.  This weight variation is due primarily to larger boilers and tanks with increased water capacity.  Tank size has ranged from 320 gallons capacity of the first three Peacocks to up to 520 gallon tanks on No. 16.

 

Until 2000, it was the policy to paint railway’s locomotive power in schemes reflecting the line’s historic liveries. The current policy is to paint engines as they are shopped in the 1950s Indian red livery as part of the new corporate image for Isle of Man Transport. No. 12 Hutchinson has been recently outshopped in the new corporate scheme, while No.11 Maitland has been Indian red for the past two decades. Until the end of World War II the prime color was Brunswick green.  The bright Indian red replaced the green after the war and that, in turn, was replaced by Apple green starting in 1967. Management started the policy of historic liveries in 1980, the exception being the No. 12 Hutchinson that sported an un-prototypical scheme of dark blue from 1980 to 1997. 

No. 12 the Hutchinson, built only in 1908 is pulling a train from Port Erin that is about to enter the Douglas station.

 

The oldest Peacock in service is No. 1 Sutherland, dating from 1873.  After being out of service, No.1 returned to operation in 1998 for its 125th birthday. The No. 1 is named for the Duke of Sutherland who rode the footplate on the first train from Douglas.   No. 1, like all Manx Peacocks, has been rebuilt many times and probably only the name plates are original.  Over the years, many alterations, modifications and improvements were made by the railway to its Beyer, Peacock products.

 

The Manx Peacocks, however, do not monopolize the current steam roster, nor have they since 1904 when the Isle of Man Railway acquired the failing Manx Northern Railway.  The Northern’s 16½ mile line ran to the northern resort city of Ramsey, connecting at St. Johns with the Isle of Man Railway’s cross island Douglas-Peel line. Besides its mainline the Northern also operated a lead ore hauling branch south from St. Johns to Foxdale.  To handle the anticipated heavy loads on this branch the Northern purchased a large 22' 0-6-0 tank engine built in 1885 by Dubs & Co. of Glasgow. Still in service today, this engine is Manx No. 15 Caledonia.

 

By the late 1950s, passenger traffic was in serious decline as an ever increasing number of British holiday makers now found Spain a more attractive destination.  Service was cut and totally suspended in 1966.  In 1967, the whole system was reopened under a lease to the Marquis of Ailsa.  Despite new management the Ramsey line was permanently closed on September 6, 1967 to be followed a day later with the closure of the Douglas-Peel route.

 

In an attempt to reduce operating costs in 1961, two diesel railcars were purchased from the former County Donegal Railway in Ireland at only £160 each and were refurbished for Peel winter service. After being out of service for many years they await work on the two cab power units before returning to service. Work has been finished on rebuilding the passenger compartments. 

 

The last piece of operating power to be acquired is a small twenty-foot twenty-one ton diesel engine purchased from Germany in 1992.  Numbered 17 and named the Viking, it is used for “works duty,” notably shunting cars at the Douglas station.  Number 17 joined four small diesel engines built between 1956 and 1961.

 

All Aboard to Port Erin

 

The first whistle blast, for the Douglas-Port Erin southwest 15d mile line service, sounded on August 1, 1874, thirteen months after the Douglas-Peel line had opened.  Now operated (since 1978) by an agency of the Manx government, this route survives because it had proven to be the most economically viable. Most important was the recognition by the Manx government that the railway was a positive asset for a major component of the island’s economic base--tourism.  Operations are limited to the summer season with the winter being used for line and equipment maintenance.

Here is classic view of the a Beyer Peacock tank engine in route with a passenger train.

 

When today’s passengers arrive to board a Port Erin train pass they through a brick arch under the Douglas station clock and enter a forecourt.  The scale of the very well maintained station reflects the era when it was common to have 800 to 1,000 passenger boardings for a single movement.  Passing beyond the waiting room area are the uncovered train platforms (the platform coverings were removed in the 1970s).  

 

The waiting carriages can be painted in the scheme adopted in the late 1980s, when the current running fleet was re-painted back into the old 1876 livery of white upper panels and purple lake lower panels. Unfortunately, this color scheme weathered badly after a couple of seasons. As a result, the management has reverted to the carriage livery of the 1950s--red and cream.  Carriages of both schemes are currently operated.

 

Most of the eighteen in service (another ten are in storage) classic Victorian era design carriages feature both first and third class compartments with a section for the guard.  Not counting rebuilding, the oldest in service carriage dates from 1881 and the newest from 1926.  F54 built in 1923 with components from older cars, for example, reentered service in March of 2000 with a new body.  F75, a 1926 product, is the line’s only in service “saloon” (non-compartments). Cars range in length from 34’ 2" to 37' with a height between 9' 4" and 9' 6." 

 

Upon leaving Douglas, the railway climbs sharply through rocky cuttings with the Irish Sea in view far below. The first stop is Port Soderick 3c miles from Douglas. The platform is on the south side of the line, while the former two-storey station building (now a private dwelling) is on the opposite side. Then comes a climb through a wooded valley and a steep descent to Santon (5e miles).  Santon features a row of palm trees, thanks to the infamous Captain Bligh of Mutiny on the Bounty fame. 

Continuing, the line travels through hilly terrain to Ballasalla (8d miles) with its plain station facilities, where until the 2000 season the Douglas bound and Port Erin trains passed.  Since the line is single tracked staffs are passed for clearance.  The line then continues in shallow cuts to a halt for the island’s Ronaldsway Airport. Here connecting air passengers climb a set of stairs to clear a fence and then walk approximately a half-mile to a modern air terminal opened in 2000.  Yes, people do use the railway for airport connections!

 

The railway continues its travels through shallow cuts to the delightful town of Castletown (9f miles).  True to its name, Castletown has a castle.  It also provides some excellent railway photographic opportunities.  Castletown is where trains now pass.  During the peak of the season when extra service is offered, Santon is also a passing point. Leaving Castletown the railway crosses over a stream and then runs through open country before a slight climb brings it to the next stop--Colby (12¾miles). From Colby the line descends to Port St. Mary (14¾ miles) which features impressive station buildings. 

 

After a short climb, the Port Erin terminus (15d miles) is reached. Immediately upon reaching the terminal the engine is uncoupled, run around the carriages and serviced before being reattached to the carriage set if it is to provide another trip to Douglas. Because the railway does not have any turntables, the engines are operated cab first going to Douglas. 

 

Situated next to Port Erin’s handsome brick station is the Isle of Man Steam Railway Museum. The museum  houses locomotives which often they rotate in and out of service (No. 4 Loch was recently moved to Douglas to be evaluated for a possible return to service), carriages, memorabilia  and relics going back to the opening of the Island's first passenger steam railway in 1873.

With steam up No. 4 the Loch built in 1874 awaits passengers to board at Douglas. Trains from Douglas operate with the engine running forward.

 

Normally trains leave Douglas and Port Erin daily during the season between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., with additional high season service added Monday through Thursday. Until recently all road crossings were controlled by gates that gate-keepers shift 90 degrees from being across the railway track to block the roadway.  The gate-keepers live in adjacent railway owned houses.  Flashing lights now control some crossings.

 

The Tynwald, the Isle of Man Government, has now authorized the next construction stage of the all-Island sewerage system, known as IRIS.  IRIS will use the steam railway alignment between Meary Veg, Santon and Castletown. The construction will involve removal of the track and eventual replacement by completely new rails allowing for higher running speeds.

 

Accordingly, during the 2002 season, the steam operation will be in two sections between Douglas and Santon, and Castletown and Port Erin. A connecting coach will operate between the two sections for a maximum of ninety passengers. If the Tynwald agrees to a further IRIS scheme, the section between Castletown and Port Erin would be subjected to a similar reconstruction during 2003. This means renewal of the entire steam railway’s track by 2004.  When the project is completed the government will have made a substantial £4 million investment in the steam line’s track.  Thus, ensuring continued safe reliable service for many years in the future.

 

Epilogue

 

At its peak the Isle of Man  Railway carried more than a million passengers annually (1956 was the last year this level was obtained), consisted of 46¼ track miles, with 16 in service locomotives, 118 passenger carriages and 151 freight cars.

 

Today the remaining steam railway is a unique example of Victorian and Edwardian technology that continues to be lovingly maintained by Manx railway men.  Thus, the steam railway passenger has an authentic feeling of traveling back in time while enjoying some of Man’s prettiest scenery. 

 

 

 

 

 

Isle of Man Railway All-Time Steam Locomotive Roster

 

 

No.	Name	Builder	Type	Date	Notes
1	Sutherland	Beyer Peacock	2-4-0T	1873	In service
2	Derby	Beyer Peacock	2-4-0T	1873	Dismantled 1951
3	Pender	Beyer Peacock	2-4-0T	1873	Sold 1978, Displayed Manchester Museum of Science
4	Loch	Beyer Peacock	2-4-0T	1874	Moved recently to Douglas to evaluate for possible rebuilding for service.
5	Mona	Beyer Peacock	2-4-0T	1874	Stored Douglas
6	Peveril	Beyer Peacock	2-4-0T	1875	Stored Douglas
7	Tynwald	Beyer Peacock	2-4-0T	1880	Dismantled 1946
8	Fenella	Beyer Peacock	2-4-0T	1894	Stored Douglas
9	Douglas	Beyer Peacock	2-4-0T	1896	Stored Douglas
10	G H Wood	Beyer Peacock	2-4-0T	1905	In service
11	Maitland	Beyer Peacock	2-4-0T	1905	In service
12	Hutchinson	Beyer Peacock	2-4-0T	1908	In service
13	Kissack	Beyer Peacock	2-4-0T	1910	Stored Douglas
14	Thornhill	Beyer Peacock	2-4-0T	1880	Formerly MNR No. 3, withdrawn 1958 Privately preserved on Man
15	Caledonia	Dubs & Co.	0-6-0T	1885	Formerly MNR No. 4 In service
16	Mannin	Beyer Peacock	2-4-0T	1926	Stored - On display in Port Erin Museum
	Ramsey	Sharp Stewart	2-4-0T	1879	Formerly MNR No. 1, Scrap 1923
	Northern	Sharp Stewart	2-4-0T	1879	Formerly MNR No.2, Scrap 1912