The Snaefell Mountain Railway may not be running in its 125th anniversary year – its all gone quiet over the offer by the Manx Electric Railway Society to help fund its operation for short period – but that doesn’t mean the milestone hasn’t been marked by Isle of Man Railways with one of the trams which usually operate the service being treated to a repaint in a style not seen for a very long time.
The tram chosen is no. 5 which is in the process of receiving the livery as carried from 1896. The teak and ivory colour scheme hasn’t been seen on one of the Snaefell Mountain Railway cars for a number of years and now means that there are four different livery styles being carried on the operational trams.
To mark the actual 125th anniversary – the line opened on 21st August 1895 – no. 5 (which still requires a few finishing touches to its new look) – was posed outside the Snaefell shed at Laxey alongside 1 (Blue and Ivory) and no. 2 (Teak and Red – probably the livery most associated with the SMR) for photos. The other livery variation is seen on 4 which has a green splash but that wasn’t included in the photoshoot.
The Snaefell Mountain Railway remains closed following its initial closure as a result of the pandemic and is expected to remain so for the rest of 2020 with no updates of the MERS offer of £9,000 for the line to run for 3-4 weeks.
Whilst I believe that the offer from MERS is generous and made in good faith, the logistics militates against running a service of any sort on the Mountain Railway. It would involve much more than just powering up the system and running a service. There would be training, testing, insurance and a whole host of other health and safety issues, which would make such an operation wholly economically nonviable, together with begging the question of who would benefit from such a service with few enthusiasts able to attend. I would say that arranging a photographic opportunity is a sufficient nod to the special anniversary and has been very thoughtfully organised. Consider how many other commemorations have been scaled down due to the pandemic, notably the 75th Anniversary of V E Day. It’s just part of the unfortunate situation in which the world finds itself today.