The Great Laxey Mine Railway \u2013 owned by the Laxey and Lonan Heritage Trust \u2013 have announced that they have recently been gifted two items of rolling stock. The fact that a railway has been gifted rolling stock may not seem as if it belongs on a tram website but when those two items are historically significant vehicles from the Manx Electric Railway it certainly does!<\/p>\n
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The two items are the unique locomotive no. 23<\/strong> and Freight Trailer 26<\/strong>. They were previously owned by the Three Foot Gauge Railway Society (formerly known as the Isle of Man Railway Society) who rescued them in 1978 after the then management of the Manx Electric Railway expressed interest in disposing of them. The Three Foot Gauge Railway Society have now donated them to the Great Laxey Mine Railway who will be fully responsible for these two vehicles for generations to come.<\/p>\n Of the two, Freight Trailer 26<\/strong> is currently operational having been restored in 2023 for that year\u2019s Manx Heritage Transport Festival. This restoration was completed by volunteers from the Great Laxey Mine Railway and staff from Isle of Man Railways, one of many joint volunteer\/paid staff projects which have taken place on the MER in recent years. More recent projects have included Van 11<\/strong> (recently returning to action) and Trailer 50<\/strong> (towards the end of its restoration at the moment and set to be relaunched into service during next month\u2019s Transport Festival).<\/p>\n Locomotive 23<\/strong> was built in 1900 and was used to haul freight wagons on the MER. It suffered with accident damage and was rebuilt in 1925 into the style we see it today \u2013 centre cab and two wagon bodies. It was used until around 1944 and after that remained stored on MER property. After the Isle of Man Railway Society purchased it, 23<\/strong> was restored temporarily to service in 1983, 1984 and 1993 but its use was limited and it has not been used in over 30 years since 1993. It has carried the name Dr R Preston Hendry since 1992 in honour of the Society\u2019s late Chairman.<\/p>\n As for Freight Trailer 26<\/strong>, as mentioned above, this is currently operational. Built in 1895 it started off as a passenger vehicle before conversion in 1918 into a Freight Trailer, remaining operational until 1944. It made a few appearances out on the line after that (most notably in 1979 and 1993) but spent most of time stored. That was until restoration in 2023.<\/p>\n Both vehicles now have a secure future and will remain at the MER\u2019s Laxey Car Sheds where there will be a chance to see both during the Manx Heritage Transport Festival.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Great Laxey Mine Railway \u2013 owned by the Laxey and Lonan Heritage Trust \u2013 have announced that they have recently been gifted two items of rolling stock. The fact that a railway has been gifted rolling stock may not … Continue reading