Isle of Man Railway rolling stock

The rolling stock used on the Isle of Man Railway today is entirely original although, from an original total of 75 carriages, the number serviceable dropped as low as 14, but this total is once again increasing as a result of recent rebuilds The 3 ft (914 mm) gauge railway was provided with a variety of stock from different manufacturers over its time, and types of coach were categorised according to a lettering system, with the original four-wheeled coaches being of A, B, C and D types, and so on. The F prefix encompassed all bogie vehicles including conversions from the A-D series. Letters G-M denoted goods stock. N referred to ex-Manx Northern Railway 6 wheel carriages. The types of stock can be summarised as follows:-

Four-Wheelers (1873-1874)

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Surviving four-wheel carriage C.1 on the site of Peel Station where it remains on display.

Four-wheeled carriages supplied for the opening of the line to Peel in 1873; these were close-coupled in pairs from the late 1880s. Each class of carriage had a different internal layout. "A" class carriages were 17 ft 6 in (5.33 m) long and the remainder one foot (305 mm) shorter. Class "A" consisted of twelve first class carriages - eleven three-compartment carriages and one saloon. The "B" class consisted of 24 three-compartment third class carriages open above the seat backs. The "C" class (14 built) had two third class compartments and a brake compartment - one coach was later converted to a saloon. The "D" class consisted of a pair of composites arranged 3/1/3, the first class compartment being wider at the expense of the third class passengers. All these were later converted into bogie carriages by mounting pairs of bodies on bogie underframes supplied by the Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co. They became known as the "pairs" coaches and were later renumbered into the F.50-F.75 series, see below. Today only C.1 survives in its original form, albeit only for display purposes.

Key: Paired Preserved
No. Year Builder Configuration Seats Status Paired
A.1 - A.6 1873 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co., Ltd. Guard / 3rd / 3rd 20 See "Pairs" F.50-F.75 Below 1909-1926
A.7 - A.11 1874 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co., Ltd. Guard / 3rd / 3rd 20 See "Pairs" F.50-F.75 Below 1911-1922
A.12 1873 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co., Ltd. 1st Saloon 20 Ducal Saloon With C.9 1926
B.1 - B.10 1873 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co., Ltd. Guard / 3rd / 3rd 20 See "Pairs" F.50-F.75 Below 1909-1922
B.11 - B.22 1874 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co., Ltd. 3rd / 3rd / 3rd 20 See "Pairs" F.50-F.75 Below 1911-1925
C.1 1873 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co., Ltd. Guard / 2nd / 2nd 20 Peel Station Displayed 1910
C.9 1873 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co., Ltd. First Saloon 18 Ducal Saloon With A.12 1926
C.1 - C.7 1873 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co., Ltd. 1st / 1st / 3rd 20 See "Pairs" F.50-F.75 Below 1910-1925
C.8 - C.14 1874 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co., Ltd. 1st / 1st / 3rd 20 See "Pairs" F.50-F.75 Below 1909-1926
D.1 - D.2 1873 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co., Ltd. 3rd / 3rd / 3rd 20 See "Pairs" F.50-F.75 Below 1909-1926

"Small F" Carriages (1876-1896)

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A typical example of a small "F" Carriage, F.18, at the rear of a train passing through Ballabeg Station on the return trip.

The initial batch were supplied by Brown Marshalls and became known as the "Small Fs" as they are noticeably smaller in size than the later vehicles being 35 feet long and 9'6" from rail to roof; all had wooden frames and had the frames concealed by the lower panelling of the carriage bodies, though at various periods where the frames would normally show was indicated with a broad black stripe at the bottom of the lower panels to match later carriages, this feature was reinstated in 2013. Coaches listed with "Guard" in the layout above had a handbrake fitted in a locking housing in one of the end compartments. In addition to the handbrake a lookout window was cut in the end of carriage. This made it possible for a brakeman to ride in this compartment and provide additional braking on heavier trains in the days before continuous vacuum brake. F.19 and F.20 were the first two "half luggage vans" delivered to the railway, half of the carriage being occupied with three third class compartments and the other half by a luggage compartment complete with guard's look-out duckets.

Key: In Traffic Stored Scrapped Preserved Undergoing Rebuild
Year Builder Layout
Type
No.
Seats
Current Status Scrap
Date
F.1 1876 Brown Marshalls & Co., Ltd. Guard / 3rd / 3rd 3rd / 3rd / 3rd 40 Destroyed (Controlled Fire) St. John's 1976
F.2 1876 Brown Marshalls & Co., Ltd. Guard / 3rd / 3rd 3rd / 3rd / 3rd 40 Destroyed (Controlled Fire) St. John's 1976
F.3 1876 Brown Marshalls & Co., Ltd. Guard / 3rd / 3rd 3rd / 3rd / 3rd 40 Sold, Welsh Highland Railway 1975 198?
F.4 1876 Brown Marshalls & Co., Ltd. Guard / 3rd / 3rd 3rd / 3rd / 3rd 40 Destroyed (Controlled Fire) St. John's 1976
F.5 1876 Brown Marshalls & Co., Ltd. Guard / 3rd / 3rd 3rd / 3rd / 3rd 40 Destroyed (Controlled Fire) St. John's 1976
F.6 1876 Brown Marshalls & Co., Ltd. Guard / 3rd / 1st / 1st / 3rd / 3rd 40 Sold Rampton Rail Trust (1975) ~
F.7 1881 Ashbury Carriage & Iron Co., Ltd. Guard / 3rd / 3rd 3rd / 3rd / 3rd 40 Destroyed (Controlled Fire) St. John's 1976
F.8 1881 Ashbury Carriage & Iron Co., Ltd. Guard / 3rd / 3rd 3rd / 3rd / 3rd 40 Withdrawn 1965, Destroyed Controlled Fire 1970
F.9 1881 Brown Marshalls & Co., Ltd. Guard / 3rd / 1st / 1st / 3rd / 3rd 48 Rebuilt 1987-1992 ~
F.10 1881 Brown Marshalls & Co., Ltd. 3rd / 3rd 3rd / 3rd 3rd / 3rd 48 Undergoing Rebuild 2021-2023 ~
F.11 1881 Brown Marshalls & Co., Ltd. 3rd / 3rd 3rd / 3rd 3rd / 3rd 48 Rebuild 2020-2024 ~
F.12 1881 Brown Marshalls & Co., Ltd. 3rd / 3rd 3rd / 3rd 3rd / 3rd 48 To Derby Castle 1982
F.13 1894 Brown Marshalls & Co., Ltd. 3rd / 3rd / 1st / 1st / 3rd 3rd 48 Destroyed (Controlled Fire) St. John's 1976
F.14 1894 Brown Marshalls & Co., Ltd. Guard / 3rd 3rd / 3rd 3rd / 3rd 40 Destroyed, (Controlled Fire) St. John's 1976
F.15 1894 Brown Marshalls & Co., Ltd. 3rd / 3rd / 1st / 1st / 3rd / Guard 40 Rebuilt 2019-2021 ~
F.16 1894 Brown Marshalls & Co., Ltd. 3rd / 3rd 3rd / 3rd 3rd / 3rd 40 Destroyed (Controlled Fire) St. John's 1976
F.17 1894 Brown Marshalls & Co., Ltd. 3rd / 3rd 3rd / 3rd 3rd / 3rd 40 Destroyed (Controlled Fire) St. John's 1976
F.18 1894 Brown Marshalls & Co., Ltd. Guard / 3rd 3rd / 3rd / 3rd / 3rd 40 Roof Replaced 1989-1990 ~
F.19 1894 Brown Marshalls & Co., Ltd. Luggage / 3rd / 3rd / 3rd 24 Destroyed (Controlled Fire) St. John's 1976
F.20 1896 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co. Luggage / 3rd / 3rd / 3rd 24 Destroyed (Controlled Fire) St. John's 1976
F.21 1896 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co. Guard / 3rd 3rd / 3rd 3rd / 3rd 40 Stored Port Erin Partially Restored ~
F.22 1896 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co. 3rd / 3rd 3rd / 3rd 3rd / 3rd 40 Destroyed (Controlled Fire) St. John's 1976
F.23 1896 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co. 3rd / 3rd 3rd / 3rd 3rd / 3rd 40 Frames Scrapped 2011 1983
F.24 1896 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co. 3rd / 3rd 3rd / 3rd 3rd / 3rd 40 Destroyed (Controlled Fire) St. John's 1976
F.25 1896 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co. 3rd / 3rd 3rd / 3rd 3rd / Guard 40 Withdrawn 1998; Stored Port Erin ~
F.26 1896 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co. Guard / 3rd 3rd / 3rd 3rd / 3rd 40 In Traffic ~

The Empress Vans (1897)

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Modern replica of F.27 which carries the same number, as part of the dining train at Douglas Station; this carriage is fitted with a kitchen, toilet, generator room at guards' compartment.

Two of these identical vehicles were supplied to the railway in 1897 and became known as the Empress Vans to acknowledge the fact that the year of delivery was Queen Victoria's jubilee year. These are the same length as the passenger vehicles but are entirely closed with no windows, but they have guard's lookout duckets attached; they were purchased for the railway's Luggage In Advance service on the South Line whereby passengers' luggage was transported to its destination ahead of them and was already at their hotels on arrival, usually Port Erin or Port St. Mary; their busy careers also saw them in use as an ambulance train in conjunction with the T.T. and Manx Grand Prix races held annually on the island until the closure of the Peel and Ramsey lines in 1968. They were stored for a number of years outdoors and were also used by Campamarina at Castletown Station fitted with bunk beds 1979-1986. Despite poor condition both remain on the railway, having last been used in the 1992. The original F.27 was stripped to form the basis of a replica kitchen for the dining train in 2012, only the underframes surviving today. F.28 remains stored while the replica (also F.27) is used regularly on the dining services.

Key: In traffic Stored
Built Builder Type Status
F.27 (i) 1897 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Open Luggage Van Body Scrapped 2012; Stored Douglas Workshops
F.27 (ii) 2013 Isle of Man Railway Kitchen Carriage / Generator Room / Guards' In traffic
F.28 1897 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Open Luggage Van Withdrawn 1992 Stored Douglas Workshops

The Saloons / "Corridors" (1905)

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Known as the Cardinal's Saloon, composite F.35 now forms the central part of the railway's dining train with the former third class vestibule given over to the bar area; at the platform at Douglas Station.

The amalgamation of the Manx Northern Railway into the I.M.R. in 1905 led to an urgent need to buy more carriages so that the Manx Northern's cramped six-wheelers could be removed from front line service. Like all of the later carriages of the "F" class, the saloons were supplied by the Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Company (who had absorbed Brown, Marshalls in 1902). The sequence begins with F.29 in 1905. They were the first to be built with wooden bodies on steel underframes, and are 37' 0" long and 10'3" from rail to roof. All survive today; F.35,1 F.31 and F.32 were converted in 1980 to form the Bar Set at which time half the seating was removed from F.35 and a small bar and chemical toilet fitted, also through gangways to the adjoining coaches. Later, as F.31 was withdrawn for major bodywork attention, F.29 was fitted with a corridor and replaced the former vehicle. The saloons have remained unpopular with locomotive crews as they are heavy yet do not carry as many passengers as the standard compartment stock. Sketches survive which show that some consideration was given to building these carriages as Saloons with a large brake-luggage compartment. As of February 2015, all saloons with the exception of F.36 have been fitted with corridor connections to form a full dining train with F.27 (ii) at the rear providing the kitchen facilities and generator. 8

Key: In traffic Preserved
Builder Layout Corridor Former Layout Converted Notes
F.29 Metro Cammell Dining (Bay) 2013 3rd / 3rd 2015 Refitted 1990 / As Dining Train 2013
F.30 Metro Cammell Dining (6-0) 2012 1st / 3rd 2012 Bus Windows 1972-2011, Overhauled 2012
F.31 Metro Cammell Dining (Bay) 1981 3rd / 3rd 2012 As Bar Set - To Purple Lake, May 2023
F.32 Metro Cammell Dining (2-2) 1981 1st / 3rd 2013 As Bar Set
F.35 Metro Cammell Bar / 1st 1981 1st / 3rd 1980 Bar Fitted 1979 / Refitted 2014
F.36 Metro Cammell 1st / 3rd ~ ~ ~ Royal Saloon Railway Museum Overhauled 2024

The Hurst Nelsons (1899)

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These were the first two bogie vehicles built for the Manx Northern Railway; they were the first passenger vehicles on steel underframes to enter service on the island's railway network, as well as the first to have electric lighting. They were purchased to act as through coaches to Douglas. Externally they are not terribly different from the other "Big Fs", together with the Foxdale Coach they were allocated numbers in the "F" class upon take-over in 1905. Remaining stock inherited from the Manx Northern Railway was either given the "N" prefix, or, in the case of non-passenger stock, a small "r" was added to the title, as explained below. Both were sold in 1975 to the Phyllis Rampton Rail Trust but were returned to railway ownership in 2022.

Key: Preserved
M.N.R. I.M.R. Builder Configuration Seats Withdrawn
No.15 F.37 Hurst Nelson & Co., Ltd., Motherwell Guard / 3rd / 1st / 1st / 3rd / 3rd 40 1972
No.16 F.38 Hurst Nelson & Co., Ltd., Motherwell 3rd / 3rd / 1st / 1st / 3rd / 3rd 48 1969

The Foxdale Coach (1887)

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As restored in 1979 in the purple lake livery and carrying the M.N.Ry. No.17 fleet decals in the yard at Douglas Station shortly after restoration to commemorate the Manx Northern Railway centenary that year.

Yet another oddity is this carriage originating from the Foxdale Railway. It was built by the Oldbury Railway Carriage and Wagon Co[1] in 1886 for the small branch to Foxdale; this is a true survivor of the system and is still in operation today. It is the smallest bogie carriage on the system being only 30' 0" long, and rides on plate frame bogies. As constructed it had four third class compartments and a small luggage and guard's compartment complete with lookout duckets, which took up a little over a third of the length of the vehicle. One of the compartments was converted into a first class section, which led to the carriage acquiring the nickname Kitto's Coach after the Captain of the Foxdale Mines who had a first class free pass on the Manx Northern. It was converted into a camping coach in 1967 and painted into a non-typical blue and yellow livery. It was painted into original livery and re-numbered No. 15 for a short time in 1979 to mark the centenary of the Manx Northern Railway, before reverting to fleet livery of purple lake and regaining the fleet number F.39. She carried the red and cream livery from 1999 until 2013 when the coach was repainted into the Manx Northern Railway livery and renumbered M.N.Ry. No. 17. The first class compartment was also reinstated at this time reducing the seating capacity by two seats as armrests were provided. It was withdrawn at the end of the 2021 season and the bogies removed for attention, the carriage also underwent a full repaint retaining the purple lake scheme with additional gold/blue lining detail applied to the lower panelling and relocation of fleet detailing.

M.N.R. I.M.R. Year Builder Configuration Seats Notes
№17 F.39 1887 Oldbury Carriage & Wagon Co. Guard / 3rd / 1st / 3rd 3rd 28 Restored 2013

"Large F" Carriages (1905-1926)

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A rake of large "F" carriages (F.46-F.49) at Port Erin Station; they commonly are marshalled in this way.

Built to the same larger profile as the saloons, those that remain still provide the backbone of the service fleet today in everyday service and have rarely been out of traffic since their arrival on the island. They all now carry the standard red and cream livery and are the best represented type of carriage on the railway today. Generally operated as a set with other carriages added subject to traffic demands, a number remain in storage withdrawn, notably F.43, the earliest surviving example. Other earlier carriages in the series have all had their bodies scrapped, these were all 'half luggage' or sometimes referred to erroneously as 'brake vans' or commonly 'big brakes'. Now scrapped, F.41 had its luggage space converted in 1979 to create what was to date the railway's only dedicated disabled access carriage. This was achieved by glazing the luggage panels and fitting the carriage with longitudinal bench seating and creating glazed bulkhead panels.

Key: In Traffic Stored Scrapped
Built Builder Type Seats Notes Scrap
F.33 1905 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co. 3rd / 3rd / 3rd / Luggage 24 Frames Remain - See Below 1983
F.34 1905 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co. 3rd / 3rd / 3rd / Luggage 24 Destroyed (Controlled Fire) St. John's 1976
F.40 1907 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co. 3rd / 3rd / 3rd / Luggage 24 Underframe Retained (Flat Wagon) 1977
F.41 1907 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co. 3rd / 3rd / 3rd / Disabled 24 Withdrawn 1990 - Underframe Scrapped 2019 2003
F.42 1907 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co. 3rd / 3rd / 3rd / Luggage 24 Destroyed (Controlled Fire) St. John's 1976
F.43 1908 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co. 3rd / 3rd / 3rd / Luggage 24 Withdrawn 1983 - Stored Port Erin Station ~
F.44 1908 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co. 3rd / 3rd / 3rd / Luggage 24 Frames Scrapped 2010 1983
F.45 1913 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co. 3rd / 3rd / 1st / 1st / 3rd / Guard 40 Turned 1985 (Guards' Douglas End) ~
F.46 1913 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co. Guard / 3rd / 1st / 1st / 3rd / 3rd 40 Guards' Port Erin End ~
F.47 1923 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co. 3rd / 3rd / 3rd / 3rd / 3rd / 3rd 48 All Thirds & Braked ~
F.48 1923 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co. 3rd / 3rd / 3rd / 3rd / 3rd / 3rd 48 All Thirds & Un-Braked - Through-Piped ~
F.49 1926 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co. 3rd / 3rd / 3rd / Luggage 24 Last Carriage Delivered - Rebuilt 2018-2020 ~

The "Pairs" (1909-1926)

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One of three restored "Pairs" carriages, F.62, in use at Douglas Station shortly after re-entering service for the first time since 1987. This example, and F.54 feature three first class compartments whereas F.63 has a triple open compartment making it popular with larger groups travelling.

To simplify the marshalling of trains and reduce their overall length, the original four-wheeled stock was close coupled in pairs from 1887 onwards. This involved removing the chopper couplers from one end of each vehicle and replacing them with conventional side buffers on one carriage and rubbing plates on the other. A link and pin coupling then joined the inner ends of the carriages, whilst conventional chopper couplings were retained on the outer ends of the each pair. There was a further development of this policy between 1909 and 1926, when the bodies of the four wheel coaches were removed from their original chassis and mounted in pairs onto bogie underframes supplied by Metropolitan. By the late 1950s, relatively few were used in regular service, but two sets were reserved for schools traffic. These were used in regular service on exceptionally busy days, such as Tynwald Day, but otherwise were confined to the school runs. By this time they were painted in a utilitarian all-over brown colour scheme. Oddly, several of the pairs were rehabilitated in the early 1970s, as their steel frames were of relatively recent date. A number had their bodies removed and later scrapped in 1968. The frames were used as runners for the short-lived Mantainor scheme; these were later sold to the Welsh Highland Railway. Surviving unrestored examples (F.66, F.67 and F.74) are in poor condition, as their bodies date from 1873, and they have been surrounded by a certain amount of controversy in recent years, having been removed from the railway for storage. The Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters' Association has campaigned for their retention on the railway. Three have been fully restored and are now in regular traffic. The final example, F.75, is unique in consisting of two saloon bodies known as the Ducal or Governors' Saloon; this is resident in the railway's museum in unrestored condition.

Key: Runner Stored Preserved Scrapped Restored
Frame Builder (Underframe) Former №s Seats Notes Scrap
F.50 1925 Metro Cammell B.7 - B.8 48 Frames as runner (1975 as "R.13"), Later Scrapped 1974
F.51 1912 Metro Cammell B.3 - B.5 48 Frames converted 'R' Series (as below) Later Sold 1968
F.52 1912 Metro Cammell A.2 - C.2 48 Frames converted 'R' Series (as below) Later Sold 1967
F.53 1919 Metro Cammell A.5 - B.21 48 Frames converted 'R' Series (as below) scrapped 1968
F.54 1923 Metro Cammell A.7 - C.10 48 Restored, rebuilt 1993-1999 In Traffic 1972
F.55 1912 Metro Cammell B.2 - C.6 48 Frames Converted 'R' Series (as below) Later Sold 1968
F.56 1924 Metro Cammell A.8 - C.8 48 Frames converted 'R' Series (as below) Later Sold 1968
F.57 1919 Metro Cammell B.16 - B.20 48 Frames In Departmental Use (As Flat Wagon) 1995
F.58 1918 Metro Cammell B.18 - C.3 48 Frames Converted 'R' Series (as below) scrapped 1968
F.59 1920 Metro Cammell A.6 - C.4 48 Frames converted 'R' Series (as below) scrapped 1968
F.60 1916 Metro Cammell B.13 - B.24 48 Frames converted 'R' Series (as below) scrapped 1968
F.61 1910 Metro Cammell A.10 - C.12 48 Frames converted R.6 (as below) Later Sold 1968
F.62 1926 Metro Cammell A.1 - B.1 48 Withdrawn 1987, Restored 2018-2021 In Traffic ~
F.63 1910 Metro Cammell B.6 - B.10 48 Withdrawn 1987, Restored 2021-2023 In Traffic ~
F.64 1912 Metro Cammell C.1 - B.19 48 Frames Extant (C.1 Body Displayed Peel Station) 1978
F.65 1910 Metro Cammell B.22 - C.7 48 Ballast Hopper No.1 (as below) scrapped 2020 1983
F.66 1910 Metro Cammell B.11 - B.15 48 Withdrawn 1999 - Stored Jurby Airfield 2020 ~
F.67 1922 Metro Cammell B.23 - C.14 48 Withdrawn 1999 - Stored Jurby Airfield 2020 ~
F.68 1909 Metro Cammell A.9 - C.13 48 Displayed Vale of Rheidol Railway Aberystwyth ~
F.69 1923 Metro Cammell B.4 - B.17 48 Frames converted 'R' Series (See Below) scrapped 1969
F.70 1922 Metro Cammell B.9 - B.14 48 Withdrawn 1987, In Traffic (As Ballast Hopper No.2) 2000
F.71 1911 Metro Cammell B.12 - C.5 48 Withdrawn 1979, Frames extant departmental use 1983
F.72 1926 Metro Cammell A.3 - D.2 48 Frames converted R.8 (as below) Later Sold 1967
F.73 1920 Metro Cammell A.4 - D.1 48 Withdrawn 1979, in departmental use as flatbed 1982
F.74 1921 Metro Cammell A.11 - C.11 48 Withdrawn 1999 - Stored Jurby Airfield 2020 ~
F.75 1926 Metro Cammell A.12 - C.9 48 Withdrawn 1974 Isle of Man Railway Museum ~

"N" Six-Wheel Carriages (1879)

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Cleminson carriages were latterly stored in the open at St. John's Station following withdrawal, though several were saved and preserved with one now being restored and in serviceable condition, though in private ownership and extant in the Isle of Man Railway Museum; view dates from September 1971.

For its opening in 1879, the Manx Northern Railway ordered fourteen carriages; these were 30-foot-long (9.1 m), six-wheel carriages built on Cleminson's patent underframes: five feet shorter than the Isle of Man Railway's "small Fs". Cleminson's patent enjoyed a brief vogue in the late 1870s as an alternative to bogie carriages, mainly due to its low tare weight. The Southwold Railway, which opened the same year as the Manx Northern, also used Cleminson's patent underframes for its passenger stock, and also for some high capacity freight wagons. The North Wales Narrow Gauge, and West Donegal Railways also used the system on coaches, and a Cleminson wagon survives on the Ffestiniog. Two of the Manx Northern "N" class carriages were built as firsts; two as composites; and ten as either third class or third-brake carriages. The first class carriages were arranged as three small saloons and seated 42. The third class carriages must have been quite cramped internally as the compartments were only 4'10" (1.47 m) wide: ten inches less than the IMR bogie carriages. Both of the composites and about half of the third class carriages were built with handbrake wheel in an end compartment that could be locked away when not in use and the compartment used for passengers. Two of the third class carriages were damaged in minor collisions, or suffered underframe failure before the Manx Northern was taken over by the Isle of Man Railway. Twelve of the class passed to the IMR's ownership in 1905. J.I.C. Boyd (The Isle of Man Railway Oakwood Press, 1967) states that the original intention was to number them into the "F" series, hence the numbers 40 to 51, but as they were six-wheelers they were given the prefix "N" – the next available letter in the IMR's coding system – to distinguish them from the bogie carriages. Photographs suggest that at least some of the "N" series carriages remained in service in the 1920s and 30s. It is not clear when they fell into disuse. For many years they were stored in a siding behind St. John's station carriage shed. The body of one of the "N" class carriages survives on the line today as the mess hut at Douglas station. This body came from N.41 and was placed in front of the locomotive shed in 1964, replacing another former six wheeler. Between 1999 and 2013 it was stored on a runner behind the carriage shed at Douglas, but it has now returned to its former position, has been partly restored, and is used as an oil store. Another – composite carriage N.42 – was kept at the Port Erin museum until it was rebuilt in 1998, when it was placed in store. It was not returned to the completed museum but, despite being owned privately, it remained on the railway until finally removed (in the face of much objection) to Southwold in 2013. A third is in private preservation in the north of the island together with a Beyer Peacock locomotive, No. 14 Thornhill (Ex-Manx Northern). Of the other ten carriages, one was withdrawn in 1903, a second in 1905, and a third in the 1920s. This was used as a Mess Room at Douglas Station and was later replaced by the body of N.41; the other eight were scrapped, some after being damaged in a fire in 1975 which also destroyed most of the 1876 batch of wooden bogie carriages.

Key: Scrapped Preserved Sold
M.N.R. I.M.R. Builder Layout Seats Notes Scrap
№1 N.40 Swansea Carriage & Wagon All 1st Class 24 Sold Off-Island 1975 Rampton Railway Trust
№2 N.41 Swansea Carriage & Wagon 3rd & 1st Class Saloons 24 Frames Scrap, - Body "Bothy" (Butchers' Coach) 1964
№3 N.42 Swansea Carriage & Wagon Guard / 3rd 3rd / 3rd 48 Sold 1975 - Extant Weetings Farm, Suffolk
№4 N.43 Swansea Carriage & Wagon Guard / 3rd Class 32 Withdrawn 1944, Fire Damaged - St. John's Shed Fire 1975
№5 N.44 Swansea Carriage & Wagon Guard / 3rd Class 24 Withdrawn 1944, Fire Damaged - St. John's Shed Fire 1975
№6 N.45 Swansea Carriage & Wagon Guard / 3rd Classes 24 Sold 1975; privately restored 1978-2020
№7 N.46 Swansea Carriage & Wagon Guard / 3rd Class 24 Withdrawn 1944, Fire Damaged - St. John's Shed Fire 1975
№8 N.47 Swansea Carriage & Wagon Open 3rds / Open 3rds 32 Withdrawn 1944, Fire Damaged - St. John's Shed Fire 1975
№9 N.48 Swansea Carriage & Wagon Open 3rds / Open 3rds 32 Stored Latterly Douglas Station 1967-1972 1972
№11 N.49 Swansea Carriage & Wagon Open 3rds / Open 3rds 32 Withdrawn 1944, Fire Damaged - St. John's Shed Fire 1975
№13 N.50 Swansea Carriage & Wagon Open 3rds / Open 3rds 32 Withdrawn 1944, Fire Damaged - St. John's Shed Fire 1975
№14 N.51 Swansea Carriage & Wagon Open 3rds / Open 3rds 32 Sold Off-Island 1975 Rampton Railway Trust
№10 Swansea Carriage & Wagon 3rd Class Compartments 32 Scrapped Early - Never Allocted I.M.R. Fleet Number 19??
№12 Swansea Carriage & Wagon Open 3rds / Open 3rds 32 Original Bothy - Douglas Station - Replaced by N.41 1964

"E" Class Brake Vans (1873-1895)

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G.19 (on the far right) which was built as brake Van E.3 and later converted; now in the Isle of Man Railway Museum displayed with other rolling stock.

These were four-wheeled brake and luggage vans fitted with lookout duckets, but otherwise entirely sealed with only two drop-sash windows at the guard's door. Originally, these vans were intended to be capable of carrying ten passengers in a single compartment, according to Metropolitan's original drawings (conjecturally shown adjacent), but this was never carried out. None of these vans survive today, and they were effectively made redundant when later passenger coaches had their own braking systems. The primary purpose of the "E" van was to provide luggage accommodation and braking for the original "A" - "D" class most of which did not have their own brakes when supplied in 1873/4. One surviving member of the class sat at the end of the Port Erin arrival platform at Douglas for many years and retained its pre-war two-tone brown livery. The Manx Northern Railway owned a pair of similar vans for use with the "N" class carriages, but these seem to have been replaced in the 1890s and then used for goods traffic until they were scrapped in the 1920s.[2] The possibility of the Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters' Association recreating one of these vehicles has been mooted in the past but never reached fruition.

Key: Scrapped Preserved
No. Built Builder Status Scrap
E.1 (i) 1873 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co. Destroyed (Collision), Frames To G.7 1893
E.1 (ii) 1894 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co. Renumbered E.4 (ii) "Ballasalla Bonfire" 1974
E.2 1873 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co. Body To Santon Station Grounded Store 1975
E.3 1873 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co. Frames Converted G.19 (1921) Extant Isle of Man Railway Museum ~
E.4 1873 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co. Frames Converted Fish Wagon No.3 & Body Scrapped 1923
E.5 1876 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co. Mobile Store Douglas Station Until 1963 1974
E.6 1876 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co. Body To Peel Road Grounded Store 1975
E.7
1895 Isle of Man Railway Co., Ltd. Body To Sulby Bridge Grounded Store; Frames To K.5 (ii) 1937
Er.8 1895 Manx Northern Railway Co., Ltd. Ex-M.N.R. No.16 - Body To Colby Station Grounded Store 1972
Er.9 1895 Manx Northern Railway Co., Ltd. Ex-M.N.Ry. No.19 - Renumbered E.1 (iii); "Ballasalla Bonfire" 1974
Er.10 1879 Swansea Carriage & Wagon Co. Ex-M.N.R. No.16 - Later E.4 (ii) - Used With Crane "Ballasalla Bonfire" 1974
1879 Swansea Carriage & Wagon Co. M.N.R. No.15 - I.M.R. Number Not Allocated 1974

"G" Closed Vans (1873-1921)

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Gr.12 which was built as M.N.Ry. No.15 in the yard at Douglas Station in 2019 with original fleet detailing.

These were four-wheeled closed vans, quite often these were attached to the rear of a passenger train to transport goods to the rural communities that the railway served for many years. Upon amalgamation with the Manx Northern Railway in 1905 five were inherited. Today, there remain three in existence, all of which remain on the railway, these are G.1, of the original 1873 batch, Gr.12, (the small "r" prefix denoting that it is ex-Manx Northern stock) and G.19 which saw use for many years by the permanent way crews, distinctive for being fitted with clambour boards for tree felling, and having a small wood stove installed, these were removed for its display in the museum during 2013. Nine of the class were sold for scrap in the infamous Ballasalla Bonfire of 1974 together with many other items of redundant non-passenger stock. In 2017 the Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters' Association announced plans to fully restore the sole surviving 1873 vehicle G.1 to service. All were painted in a variety of shades of grey with white lettering and tare loadings, often with black drop-shadow.

Key: Restored Scrapped Preserved
No. Built Builder Notes Withdraw Scrap
G.1 1873 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co. Restored I.o.M.S.R.S.A. 2019-2023 1990 ~
G.2 1873 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co. No Details 1959 1964
G.3 1873 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co. "Ballasalla Bonfire" 1965 1975
G.4 1873 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co. "Ballasalla Bonfire" 1962 1974
G.5 1877 Ashbury Carriage & Iron Co., Ltd. Vacuum-Piped Fitted (Between Railcars) 1962 1965 1974
G.6 1877 Ashbury Carriage & Iron Co., Ltd. "Ballasalla Bonfire" 1960 1974
G.7 1879 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co. "Ballasalla Bonfire" 1960 1974
G.8 1879 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co. "Ballasalla Bonfire" 1964 1975
G.9 1879 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co. "Ballasalla Bonfire" 1963 1975
Gr.10 1879 Swansea Carriage & Wagon Co. Ex-M.N.Ry. No.13, "Ballasalla Bonfire" 19?? 1975
Gr.11 1879 Swansea Carriage & Wagon Co. Ex-M.N.Ry. No.14 Destroyed (Arson) 1965 1973
Gr.12 1879 Swansea Carriage & Wagon Co. Ex-M.N.Ry. No.15, Rebuilt 1998-1999 2021 ~
Gr.13 1879 Swansea Carriage & Wagon Co. Ex-M.N.Ry. No.16, Disposal Detail Not Recorded 19?? 19??
Gr.14 1897 Manx Northern Railway Co., Ltd. Ex-M.N.Ry. No.32, Scrapped "Ballasalla Bonfire" 19?? 1974
G.15 1915 Isle of Man Railway Co., Ltd. Frames Ex Four-Wheeler B.19 - "Ballasalla Bonfire" 1964 1974
G.16 1915 Isle of Man Railway Co., Ltd. Frames Ex Four-Wheeler C.11 - "Ballasalla Bonfire" 19?? 1974
G.17 1916 Isle of Man Railway Co., Ltd. Frames Ex-Bolster L.5 - "Ballasalla Bonfire" 1967 1975
G.18 1918 Isle of Man Railway Co., Ltd. Frames Ex-Bolster L.6, Destroyed (Arson) 1965 1972
G.19 1921 Isle of Man Railway Co., Ltd. Frames Ex-Van E.3 Railway Museum 1991 ~

"H" Three-Plank Wagons (1873-1925)

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H.27, one of the three-plank wagons, built As M.N.Ry. No.1, note the central dropping door and timber brake blocks.

Twenty of these 6-ton three-plank, centre door, open wagons were built for the opening of the Peel and Port Erin lines in 1873 and 1874. A dozen similar vehicles were delivered to the Manx Northern Railway when it opened in 1879, and further small batches brought the total to 46 by 1926. One of these wagons was used (with suitable side rails attached) to carry the military band to Peel on opening day in 1873. The Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters' Association built one of these from scratch in 2000. It has been given the number H.1, and has been through piped for vacuum brakes to meet with current safety regulations. This was the second project undertaken by the supporters, the first being the re-building of a ballast wagon M.78. All carried a variety of shades of grey on timberwork with black metalwork as standard and fleet numbering on the sides in white, sometimes with black drop-shadow.

Key: Restored Scrapped
Built Builder Scrap Notes
H.1-H.20 1873 Metropolitan Carriage & Wago 1928-1960 H.1 Rebuilt As Below
H.21-H.26 1877 Ashbury Carriage & Wagon Co. 1921-1962 Only Batch With Coil Springs Fitted
Hr.27-Hr.38 1879 Ashbury Carriage & Wagon Co. 1944-1963 Ex-Manx Northern Railway No.1 - No.12
Hr.39-Hr.45 1900 Swansea Carriage & Wagon Co. 1957-1962 Ex-Manx Northern Railway No.13, No.37 - No.42
Hr.46 1918 Isle of Man Railway Co., Ltd. 1953-1961 Using Frames Ex-Cattle Van K.15 (Above)
H.41 (ii) 1925 Isle of Man Railway Co., Ltd. 1962 Replacement - Original Damaged & Scrapped
H.1 (ii) 1998 I.o.M.S.R.S.A. ~ Rebuild - Extant Isle of Man Railway Museum

"K" Cattle Vans (1873-1926)

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Unroofed K.6, built as the Manx Northern Railway's No.9 in 1879 and scrapped in 1963.

These were cattle carrying wagons, and were ostensibly similar to the "G" class as above but rather than being completely sealed, the top quarter of them was ventilated and featured horizontal rails where the "G" vans had only ventilated slots. The first batch were delivered for the opening of the Peel Line in 1873, with some early versions being delivered roofless. K.10, K.11 and K.12 were built for the Manx Mining Company and were converted in 1916 from 'M' series (M.45, M.43 and M.44 respectively). None survive today but it has been mooted, for historical purposes, that the Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters' Association may take on the reconstruction of one of these, so that the railway ultimately has an example of each type of stock in their possession. Standard livery was pale grey, later a deeper shade, with black metalwork and fleet detailing in white, shadowed.

No. Built Builders Scrap Notes
K.1 - K.2 1873 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon 1921 Both Remained Unroofed, K.1 Chassis to H.41
K.3 - K.4 1877 Ashbury Railway Carriage & Iron 1965 K.3 Roofed 1924 / K.4 Remained Unroofed & Scrapped 1946
Kr.5 - Kr.7 1879 Swansea Carriage & Wagon Co. 1963 Ex-M.N.Ry. No.7-No.9 / Kr.6 Roofed 1916, Kr.5 Scrapped 1924
K.5 (ii) 1899 Isle of Man Railway Co., Ltd. 1961 Chassis Ex-Brake Van E.7 - Replacement
K.8 - K.9 1899 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon 1960 Roofed 1916 & 1927 Respectively
K.10 - K.12 1908 Isle of Man Railway Co., Ltd. 1961 All Roofed 1916 - K.10 Scrapped 1947, K.11 in 1946
K.13 - K.14 1912 Isle of Man Railway Co., Ltd. 1927 Ex-B.12 & C.5, Became K.13A in 1924 & K.14A in 1925
K.15 - K.16 1912 Isle of Man Railway Co., Ltd. 1947 Chassis Ex-B.5 & B.16
K.17 - K.18 1914 Isle of Man Railway Co., Ltd. 19?? No Portholes, Chassis Ex-B.2 & C.6
K.19 - K.20 1920 Isle of Man Railway Co., Ltd. 1965 Chassis Ex-B.20 & B.21, K.19 Scrapped 1960
K.21 - K.23 1921 Isle of Man Railway Co., Ltd. 1962 Chassis Ex-B.11, B.15, B.4
K.24 - K.26 1923 Isle of Man Railway Co., Ltd. 1964 Chassis Ex-B.17, B.13, B.24
K.13-K.14 (ii) 1924 Isle of Man Railway Co., Ltd. 1964 Chassis Ex B.12 & C.5 - Replacements, K.13 Scrapped 1949
K.1-K.2 (ii) 1926 Isle of Man Railway Co., Ltd. 1962 Chassis Ex-C.11 & B.6 - Replacements

"L" Bolster Wagons (1874-1910)

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Bolster wagon L.4 dated from the opening of the south line in 1874 and was one of four identical vehicles initially delivered.

The railway had six of these four-wheel vehicles which saw use carrying long loads commonly being used in pairs; each had manual parking brakes and they survived until the final years of the railway largely out of use latterly. All had a grey livery on woodwork and black metal and frames, they were numbered along their edges.

No. Built Builder Notes Scrap
L.1 - L.2 1874 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co. 1975
L.3 - L.4 1874 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co. 1959
L.5 - L.6 1910 Isle of Man Railway Co., Ltd. Rebuilt, G.17 & G.18 ~

"M" Two-Plank Wagons (1877-1926)

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M.43, one of the two-plank drop-side wagons from the 1911 batch of twelve identical vehicles, all scrapped between 1955 and 1969.

Two plank, drop sided wagons, broadly similar to the "H" class. They were intended as Ballast Wagons but their ease of loading and unloading made them useful for many types of goods traffic, eventually totalling 78 of these wagons on the line. Three were leased as private owner wagons to the Mona Chemical Company in Peel. Other private owner wagons possibly existed. At least six were still serviceable in 1975, and a couple survived into nationalisation. M.70 was resident on the old goods siding at Santon Station for many years. M.78 also survived and it was this vehicle that inspired the Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters' Association to restore it in 1998. The "rebuilt" wagon is now part of the railway's historic fleet of vehicles and bears plaques denoting its origins. It is coupled to H.1 as the Troublesome Trucks each September for the Friends of Thomas event. All carried a variety of shades of grey with black metalwork and fleet detailing on the sides in white, shadowed in black though this was later dropped.

Key: Restored Scrapped
No. Built Builders Notes Scrapped
M.1 - M.4 1877 Ashbury Carriage & Wagon Withdrawn 1955-1962 1960 - 1965
M.5 - M.7 1884 Ashbury Carriage & Wagon Withdrawn 1960 - 1965 1959 - 1964
M.8 - M.19 1888 Ashbury Carriage & Wagon Withdrawn 1955 - 1965 1944 - 1965
M.20 - M.27 1889 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Withdrawn 1954 - 1967 1952 - 1965
Mr.28 - Mr.35 1884 Matthew Baird & Co., Ltd. Manx Northern Railway No.22 - No.29 1958 - 1966
Mr.36 - Mr.42 1898 Manx Northern Railway Co. Manx Northern Railway No.30 - No.36 1955 - 1964
M.43 - M.54 1911 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Withdrawn 1955 - 1966 1955-1969
M.55 - M.60 1911 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Withdrawn 1958 - 1965 1955 - 1969
M.61 - M.67 1925 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon M.55 Converted Oil Tanker 1967 1960 - 1975
M.68 - M.72 1926 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Withdrawn 1952 - 1960 (Parts M.70 Remain) 1966 - 1978
M.73 - M.77 1925 Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Withdrawn 1949 - 1971 1962 - 1999
M.78 1925 I.o.M.S.R.S.A. Rebuilt 1996 - 1998 - In Traffic ~

Breakdown Cranes

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Crane No.2 on display on the site of Union Mills Station since 1992 and seen here in 2003.

The railway possessed a total of three cranes, the first being delivered in readiness for the opening of the Peel Line in 1873; a third crane was converted for use on the railway and later became self-propelled but was generally only used for demonstration purposes before being sold privately. This carried a red and vermilion scheme, the other two were predominantly red oxide in colour, though No.2 spent a period in burgundy when displayed at Ballasalla and Castletown. Today all lifting on the railway is done by hired road cranes, notably when locomotives are turned as part of the annual event galas.

No. Built Builder Notes Withdrawn Scrap
№1 1873 Thomas Kiss & Co. Delivered for opening of Peel Line 19?? 1969
№2 1893 Richard C. Gibbins & Co. Extant, Union Mills Railway Station 19?? ~
№3 1902 Taylor & Hubbard Sold privately off-island in 2001 2000 ~

"R" Bogie Runners

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Bogie well No.3 stored at Douglas Station in the summer of 2018, the only vehicle of its kind.

In 1967 as part of a short-lived experiment to use the railway to carry shipping container traffic, under the title of "Man-Tainor" (alternatively Isle of Man Ferry Express), a new "R" series was created as below using former 'Pairs' carriages' underframes, the bodies of which were removed and dumped in the goods yards at St. John's Station (with F.69 similarly treated at Castletown Station; no stock carries this prefix today, the frames having been sold off in 1974 to the scrap dealer Manx Metals, the experiment having ceased in 1968. The series letter and numbering were entirely unofficial, having been applied by a party of visiting enthusiasts.[3] The numbers were applied in the order they found the vehicles, not in order of their former "F" numbers. The exact correspondence between "R" and "" numbers in not known. R.3 was converted to a rather unsatisfactory well wagon and was cut up by Manx Metals, but the remaining ten were purchased from MM by the Festiniog Railway[4] where six have been used under new coaches and two as wagons. The final of the batch was converted experimentally into a bogie well wagon by crudely dropping the solebar sides though this was not successful and later scrapped.

No. Was Built Builder Notes Sold To Sale
R.1 F.53 1919 Metro Cammell Stored, Ffestiniog Railway Manx Metals, Onward Festiniog Railway 1974
R.2 F.60 1916 Metro Cammell Now F.R. Waggon No.57 Manx Metals, Onward Festiniog Railway 1974
R.3 F.55 1912 Metro Cammell Man-Tainor Traffic Manx Metals, Scrapped Upon Sale 1975
R.4 F.52 1912 Metro Cammell Now F.R. Wagon No.56 Manx Metals, Onward Festiniog Railway 1974
R.5 F.58 1918 Metro Cammell Now F.R. Carriage No.111 Manx Metals, Onward Festiniog Railway 1974
R.6 F.61 1910 Metro Cammell Now F.R. Carriage No.118 Manx Metals, Onward Festiniog Railway 1974
R.7 F.56 1924 Metro Cammell F.R. Carriage No.121 (Scrapped) Manx Metals, Onward Festiniog Railway 1974
R.8 F.72 1926 Metro Cammell Now F.R. Carriage No.117 Manx Metals, Onward Festiniog Railway 1974
R.9 F.69 1923 Metro Cammell Stored, Ffestiniog Railway Manx Metals, Onward Festiniog Railway 1974
R.10 F.59 1920 Metro Cammell Now F.R. Carriage No.119 Manx Metals, Onward Festiniog Railway 1975
R.11 F.51 1912 Metro Cammell Now F.R. Carriage No.120 Manx Metals, Onward Festiniog Railway 1974
R.13 F.50 1925 Metro Cammell Bogie Well Wagon Manx Metals, Onward Festiniog Railway 1974

Permanent Way

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Runner F.71 stored at Douglas Station in 2012; it remains in departmental use today.

The railway still has a number of runners and these are based on the underframes of former bogie carriages and are stored mostly on the siding outside Douglas Station on the former Peel Line which now acts as a stock siding. Today, these still carry their "F" class fleet number either painted on, or in some cases just in chalk. In 1975 F.65 and F.50 underframes were seen briefly numbered as part of another series, becoming R.12 and R.13, but they later reverted to their "F" numbers, the former when converted to become the first dual ballast hopper. The majority of these surviving examples use frames from the "pairs" series (F.50-F.75) with the exception of F.33 which was a bogie luggage van. All carry a plain black livery with white lettering on the solebars, some examples see occasional use during the Manx Heritage Transport Festival each summer as part of demonstration works' trains.


Key: Scrapped Dismantled In Service
Built Builder Type Notes Status
F.23 1896 Brown, Marshall & Co Bogie Runner Timber Framed, Condemned 2009 Scrapped 2011
F.33 1905 Metro Cammell Bogie Runner Extant Douglas Works Departmental Useage
F.44 1908 Metro Cammell Bogie Runner Condemned 2010 Scrapped 2013
F.57 1919 Metro Cammell Bogie Runner Extant "Peel East" Siding Carries New Underframe
F.64 1912 Metro Cammell Bogie Runner Extant Douglas Works Components' Storage
F.65 1910 Metro Cammell Bogie Ballast Hoppers Replaced (By F.70 Below) Scrapped 2020
F.70 1922 Metro Cammell Bogie Ballast Hoppers Extant Douglas Works In Service
F.71 1920 Metro Cammell Bogie Runner Extant Douglas Works In Service
F.73 1920 Metro Cammell Bogie Runner Extant Douglas Works In Service
B.A.T.1 2009 Isle of Man Railway Accommodation Truck Extant Douglas Works Dismantled 2015
W.W.1 1936 Isle of Man Railway Four-Wheel Well Wagon Replaced (Parts To W.W. No.2) Dismantled, Scrapped 1998
W.W.2 1998 Isle of Man Railway Four-Wheel Well Wagon Extant Port Erin Station In Service
W.W.3 2012 Isle of Man Railway Bogie Well Wagon Extant "Peel East" Siding In Service

Fish Wagons (1909-1914)

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Fish Wagon which was constructed using four-wheel carraige C.13's underframes while the bodies were later scrapped.

Five low-sided wagons were built on four-wheeled underframes released from coaches which had been put on bogie underframes ("pairs" ). They were numbered in a separate sequence with no letter prefix. They did not survive into the nationalisation era although some excellent photographs of them appear in the many books dedicated to the railway's history and rolling stock. They were labelled "Fish Wagon" at the left-hand side and carried their nominal fleet numbers to the right. All were painted deep grey with black metalwork.

Built Builder Frames Scrap
№1 1909 Isle of Man Railway Co., Ltd., Douglas Works Ex-A.9 1974
№2 1909 Isle of Man Railway Co., Ltd., Douglas Works Ex-C.13 1965
№3 1910 Isle of Man Railway Co., Ltd., Douglas Works Ex-E.4 1951
№4 1914 Isle of Man Railway Co., Ltd., Douglas Works Ex-A.2 1960
№5 1914 Isle of Man Railway Co., Ltd., Douglas Works Ex-X.?? 1960

Carriage Liveries

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M.N.Ry. No.17 (the Foxdale Coach, later numbered as F.39) at Douglas Station in September 1979
 
C.1 painted all-over brown on the site of Peel Station as part of a diorama display in July 2010
 
F.45, F.39, F.11 and F.26 in the then-standard purple lake scheme at Port Soderick Station with No.4 Loch in August 1995
 
All-thirds carriage F.11 in red and cream at Douglas Station being marshalled onto a busy train in June 2006
 
A typical rake consisting of F.18, F.26 and F.54 in red and cream at Douglas Station in May 2017

1873-1885 Initial New Stock

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Series "A" carried off-white upper panels: green lower panels and yellow lining with the exception of A.12, the Ducal Saloon which had gilt lining, and according to some sources was painted green. Series "B"-"E" were chocolate brown with yellow lining and from 1881 new Bogie Stock chocolate brown lower panels and off-white upper panels, lettering, etc. gold shaded blue. A sole surviving door from one of the "E" series brake vans is extant in the works at Douglas and carries a faded and cracked brown/purple scheme with white droplight surrounds and vermilion/yellow beading detail. This was replicated in 2023 on saloon F.31.

1879-1905 M.N.Ry. Only

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The Cleminson six-wheel carriages were described as being "Polished Teak."; this is the appearance that restored carriage No.6 appears in today, commonly on display in the railway's museum at Port Erin. From 1899 bogie stock on the Manx Northern (e.g. the Hurst Nelsons and the Foxdale Coach) had "Chocolate lower and creamy white upper panels." prior to the amalgamation with the Railway Company. The teak finish was found to not weather very well and was replaced with paint relatively early.

1886-1934 Mixed Schemes

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All passenger stock now in bogie carriage livery (as above); from 1917, Light brown upper window panels replace off-white. The dark brown and tan livery now resembles that of the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway. Certain stock in these colours lasted until the mid 1930s. From 1931 secondary carriage stock were painted in a utilitarian dark brown. New stock delivered during this period had white upper panels and lake lower panels. Lining was vermilion and yellow.

1935-1945 Utility Liveries

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Most stock had off-white upper window and purple lake lower panels, similar to London and North Western Railway colours. Remainder was in Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway colours. From 1940 any repainting done was in dark brown; some photographic images from the time appear to show a two-tone brown scheme though records do not indicate whether or not this was the case; images exist of some saloons and "pairs" which appear to clearly show varying shades of brown in the mid-sections, in a similar position to the post-war cream scheme.

1946-1971 Post World War Two

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Firstly all-over deep red. Latterly deep red with off-white window panels. Older stock that had not been repainted was still all brown. Since 1968 all service carriages had cream (off-white) upper panels and red lower panels. One notable exception was the Foxdale Coach which, in 1968, was painted into a bright blue and yellow scheme for use as Lord Ailsa's personal camping coach.

1972-1978 Latter Railway Co.

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The post war scheme was retained, with the exception of five of the saloons which, in 1972, were fitted with bus-style windows and an all-over bright red scheme (F.36 was not so treated but was repainted for the Royal Train that same year). The Foxdale Coach was painted into the standard red and cream scheme in 1978 and later restored.

1979-1999 Post-Nationalisation

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Upon nationalisation much of the carriages were gradually returned to the purple lake livery, ending with F.45 in 1991, although the "pairs" were outshopped in an all-over maroon scheme (with the notable exception of F.66), the last of these were withdrawn in this condition in 1987. The bar set of saloons (F.31, F.35 and F.32 in that order) received a red and white scheme in 1982 making them unique, this was changed to purple lake in 2001.

2000-2024 Standardisation

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Since 2000 all passenger stock has carried the post-war red and cream scheme though with a notably brighter shade of red, as standard; in 2013 the Foxdale Coach (F.39) was restored to its 1887 condition in purple lake and off-white panelling, and gold/blue lining and lettering detail. In 2022 saloon F.31 reverted to this scheme, but with red/gold lining to emulate its original appearance, this will be followed by all other carriages in the dining train to a uniform appearance. The other exception is the privately owned six-wheeler M.N.Ry. No.6 which is varnished teak with gold/blue letter and shadow detail, all other carriages are red and cream as standard.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Boyd, J.I.C., The Isle of Man Railway vol 3 (Oakwood Press, 1996)p257
  2. ^ Hendry and Hendry - "The Manx Northern Railway" - David and Charles, 1979
  3. ^ Railway Bylines Vol 7 No 7, June 2002, p346 (Irwell Press)
  4. ^ Boyd, J.I.C., The Isle of Man Railway vol 2 (Oakwood Press, 1994) p191.
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