Picture in Time: Manx Electric Railway 33

Our latest visit to the archives sees us arrive on the Isle of Man once again; this time the year is 1998 and we find ourselves on the Isle of Man Steam Railway but don’t let that location put you off as we very much feature a tram in the form of no. 33.

This photo was taken in September 1998 and is inside the Steam Sheds at Douglas on the Steam Railway; the two vehicles featuring are Manx Electric Railway Crossbench no. 33 and Isle of Man Steam Railway no. 1 Sutherland – the original locomotive constructed for use on the island in 1873. At this time 33 was carrying a red with varnished window frames and uprights livery and had spent the summer on the Steam Railway as part of the Steam 125 celebrations. This had included limited operations offering Electric on the Steam experiences powered by a generator in a four wheel van.

No. 33 was actually the last motor delivered to the MER arriving in 1906 following construction by the United Electric Car Company in Preston. It soon settled into a regular pattern of operation on the line between Derby Castle and Ramsey and has remained a key member of the fleet ever since save for a few periods of inactivity including a time with the Permanent Way department. As seen in the below photo it is also the only MER car to have ever operated on another line when it visited the Steam Railway in 1998 and 1999.

Photograph by David Mee

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