Isle Of Man Steam Railway

Ummm, want to work on those !
Being what I think is teak, they should be fixable by a specialist.
If can't get teak, then one of the Iroko type timbers should be a suitable substitute.
mostly 'cos Cleminson running gear.

 

Sounds like a job for Boston Lodge

 

Other restoration businesses specialising in “the conservation, repair and restoration” of heritage items, including “railway carriages in several gauges” are available!

Tom

 

Correct !
Including one that isn't "attached" to a railway ... and therefore isn't distracted by on-going / home maintenance needs.

 

It might be worth talking to the LNERCA about teak availability! The LNERCA are also getting involved in contract restoration!

 

Didn't they run out of Teak a few years back after all the salvage teak they had got used up?

Something which bothers me a lot, and that is the burning of illegally felled Teak. OK, I get the fact that you don't want Criminals to benefit from the illegal trade, but once felled, what can you do with it? You either burn it or sell it, as you can't put it back.

I get that this is the point where politics comes into play, and I am sure that in the countries where the illegal felling is taking place, it would be an advantage to the country to sell the timber to recognised suppliers/wholesalers rather than burn it. Sometimes things like this are just beyond me.

 

Same with burning confiscated ivory.

Perhaps the items should be sold and the monies raised poured into conservation & enforcement - or supplied to restoration projects.
[also education to persuade certain groups that their ethnic medicines are snake oil and should be put back into history, where they belong.

 

No the LNERCA haven't run out - we built up sufficient to restore all the carriages we then had, although since then we've acquired more carriages but, in fact, 4-5 years ago we bought a large lot from a timber merchant in Essex, who had stored it in a barn since (I think) the 1960s. Apart from that, we bought a log 2ft sq x 40ft long from the SS Pegu which I don't think is used up yet either. 3" or so or heartwood the heart defects prevent any panels being cut - one is then left with a slab of teak with heart defects in the middle a strip of good material on either side. We might possibly burn the heart defects but the good material is used as joinery timber for frame repairs etc. In other words, we don't waste anything that is usable! Over the years we have bought and sawn into panes several large logs, but with these one saws from either side towards the heartwood - and as one gets down to the last

I don't know anything else v about teak being burned. It may happen in the countries where it grows, but a piece has the be pretty tiny not to get used or re-used here!

 

Thanks for the update

 

A very pleasing news item from IoM Today :- "Isle of Man heritage railways see strong passenger growth"
There was a 4.5% increase in the number using the trains and trams last year
The Isle of Man’s heritage railways have recorded strong growth in passenger numbers.


All four lines have seen increased use since 2023 - and growth of 4.5% from 2024 to 2025.


Last year there were 129,245 passenger journeys on the Isle of Man Steam Railway, 155,494 on the Manx Electric Railway; 124,500 on the Snaefell Mountain Railway and 53,879 on the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway.

The steam railway saw a 3.86% increase in passengers between 2023 and 2025, alongside a 3.15% rise from 2024 to 2025.


Ray.

 

Excellent News !

 

@marshall5 ...
Hi Ray
I think I'm right in saying this bit has been relaid already, and the work then moved over to between the station and the works.
Please tell me that the track is all back down, ready for tomorrow !

I'm over again Wednesday next week ...

 

As you say the service starts tomorrow, initially Th -SuO. I haven't been into Douglas this week but photos posted last week on the Supporters FB page (below) showed that work was still ongoing on roads 1 & 2 (the platform and loop normally used) but roads 3 & 4 looked usable (apart from the pile of old sleepers) and access to/from the running shed/works was possible. Hope you have a good trip over - the ones earlier this week would have been 'lively'!
Ray.

 

posts on IoM Railway online indicate that the services did run today.

 

...... and the photo below was posted on the Supporters' Facebook page of IMR No.4 at Castletown station with the first train of the season (09.50 ex Douglas). No.13, in the background, was departing on the first northbound train (10.00 ex Port Erin). No.13 had worked south yesterday with a couple of Small F's and will, initially, be the Port Erin based loco.
Cheers,
Ray.