Manx Electric Railway

Hello

Can any of the three-legged brigade give any information on the tram?

In particular, Ramsey station - is the main station likely to come back?

No axe to grind, but it's always the first non-racing thing on the list when we go over.

 

The official line was that the track in the station needed urgent repairs/replacement ... but that was 3? years ago and the 'temporary' station across the road seems more like a permanent fixture. My suspicion is that the station is still the preferred site for the long-planned bus/rail interchange for which the plans were previously rejected and the Dept. are playing the 'waiting game'. I know they weren't exactly pretty but the, now demolished, car and goods sheds did add to the ambience/heritage appeal of Ramsey MER station of which there is now precious little left.
Ray.

 

Not good (and entirely plausible). I would say that the track layout doesn't make best use of the space. Wonder it an intelligent compromise could be reached?

Always love a good trundle on the tram

 

What a shame - I didn't even realise those had gone

 

Anyone aware if the whole Northern section is operating? Earlier in the year there was a derailment and services North of Laxey were suspended scuppering my hopes to get some journeys in on the MER (being Northern based). There doesn't seem to have been much in the news about it reopening since but I've seen a few recently dated images of services operating north of Laxey but these may just be old images reposted?

Edited to say that I managed to find an article which did infact confirm it reopened in July so I will have to get some journeys in before the season ends...

 

Whilst on holiday in Port e Vullen in August we travelled over the entire MER, although single line working was in force between Lewaigue and Ramsey. I have to say that if you've seen pictures of workings North of Ramsey I'd love to see them! Branch line to Point of Ayre perhaps?

John

 

Corrected to say North of Laxey, there's not much 3' gauge action North of Ramsey Station these days... though there is some of interest to the West of it....

As an aside I was reading about the movements of MNR 1 Ramsey to the MER for construction using sleepers and timbers progressively laid and lifted through the street and was trying to work out the route for it... wondering if the movement was direct from the station or the end of the harbour tramway. Also considering that the Ballure viaduct was built after the initial opening I wonder if Ramsey was moved to Ballure rather than the current station site (I guess it would have to be)?

 

In the period I had a 5-day GoExplore ticket during my recent visit (Wed 29/6 - Sun 3/7) I was pleasantly surprised to find that the MER service was being operated by the oldest cars in the fleet, with 1, 2, 6, 7 & 9 all being out in service each day on the full length of the line. When I first studied their timetable, I was expecting 1 & 2 to be restricted to the highlighted 11.40 trip ex Douglas to Ramsey & return, so to find both out in all-day service was certainly unexpected.
Last time I was there (admittedly in 1995...) No 2 was the only one of that group that I saw in service during that week and that was only on a Douglas-Laxey & return evening trip.





Note for anyone going there :- The Mines Tavern at Laxey don't do food anymore, as they can't find a Chef - apparently a common problem on the Island at the moment.

 

Outside of my usual comfort zone, but a treat to see car 19 looking very festive at Laxey Station on Sunday night

 

In post#2 I related how and why Ramsey MER station had been closed and a 'temporary' station built on the Laxey side of the road crossing. Over the last few weeks the crossing has been relaid and today the finishing touches were being made with the aim of bringing the station back into use tomorrow. As on the Steam Railway the MER trams have been busy, particularly with coach parties one of which can be seen queuing for the last Douglas bound tram (car No.2 of 1893) at 16.40. I hope that our numbskull of a DoI minister who thought that closing the Heritage Railways "for a couple of years to save money" wouldn't do any harm is noting how many trains and trams are running full!
Ray.

 

On my visit up to Ramsey on the MER a few years ago - just before we were starting with F62 - I commented on the "temporary station" and the unused open area that should have been [was] the terminus, so I am very pleased if that work means trams will go just that bit further ...

[Something else for my next visit !]

e2a - I really want to go to those buffer stops, which means I sound like a member of the Branch Line Society !!

 

Good to see. Out of interest (yes, I'm sure I could just look this up), where was the Manx Northern terminus relative to the MER one? Were they different stations?

 

Very much so. The MNR station was at the head of the harbour on the south side of the Sulby River i.e. the opposite side of the town. If you look on Google Earth the recently closed Ramsey Bakery is on the former station site.
Cheers,
Ray.

 

Thanks. Looking at Google Earth, apart from the bakery there doesn't look to be too much preventing a re-instatement! (Yes, I know there are some large bridges missing elsewhere, and it will never happen... I can dream!)

 

It's a nice walk.......

 

It looks nice in your photos. I never made it to Ramsey; starting at St. Johns (having done Foxdale-St. Johns a day or two previously) and after squelching through mud and gloop and getting frozen and thoroughly soaked through to the skin by the storm blowing in sideways off the Irish Sea I gave up at (I think) Kirk Michael and went and caught a bus back to Douglas. It was a miserable but thoroughly memorable experience which only served to alert me to what a fantastic railway the MNR must have been (but I would be amazed if it ever made any money).


Edited: No, Man is not quite in the Atlantic, oops!

 

I went to the Jurby Transport Museum bus running day at the end of last month and couldn't be bothered to wait for the rather infrequent Sunday bus route back into Ramsey, so walked to Sulby, and on seeing the trackbed, decided, as it was a nice day, to have a bit of a walk.
Got to Ballaugh, and after a couple of pints in the Raven, decided the 2 hour bus frequency would allow a continuation of the walk to Kirk Michael.

I was absoloutely k'erd when I got back to my Hotel in Douglas and worked out I'd walked about 11 miles altogether that day (not just the trackbed bit)....!!!

 

Looking at, if not walking, some of the MNR track-bed is already on my "Would Like To Do List" for my next visit to the Island.
And probably visiting the station site in Ramsey.

 

Other than the rear boundary wall there’s nothing to see at Ramsey, it’s all gone. You can walk along the quayside route of the harbour branch line one way or uk to Milntown gatehouse the other, the crossing lodge is still there, it’s been extended. Outside of Ramsey the old track bed is in private hands as for as Sulby Glen but afterwards is a fantastic walk

 

Some of you may remember that in 1993 for IMR 120 and MER 100 (and again in 1995/8 IIRC) we had 'Steam on the Electric'. The first photo below shows IMR loco No.4 Loch at Laxey in May 1993 prior to running to Dhoon and back with 2 MER trailers. As we were planning the events for IMR 150 which take place in July https://www.iombusandrail.im/heritage/events-and-experiences/isle-of-man-year-of-the-railways-2023 it was suggested that having a steam loco running on the MER out of Ramsey would be an added attraction.
Accordingly, on a bitterly cold January 12th, the chassis of IMR loco No.9 was unloaded at Ramsey MER station from where it was propelled south by MER diesel-electric No.34 (aka Maria the coal car) and shadowed by Wickham No.22 the aim being to check clearances on the sharper curves. Whilst there were several places where No.9's pony truck wheels were very close to touching the frames it was, ironically, the recent track improvements which scuppered the idea. In places where the pointwork had been replaced the checkrails had, quite correctly, been set to suit the finer flange profile of the MER cars and would no longer accept the thicker flanges of the IMR loco causing the wheels to 'ride-up' through the checkrails. It was deemed unsafe to continue past Cornaa so, despite all the hard work put in by IoM Rlys. staff to try to make the event happen, it will have go down as "at least we tried". There will still be plenty to see and do over IMR 150 so please come and support us!
Ray.