The Isle of Man Railway Museum in the village of

Port Erin Port Erin ( gv, Purt Çhiarn, meaning ''lord's port'') is a seaside village in the south-west of the Isle of Man, in the historic parish of Rushen. It was previously a seaside resort before the decline of the tourist trade. Administratively it ...

in the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

is a small museum of the history of the

Isle of Man Railway The Isle of Man Railway (IMR) ( gv, Raad Yiarn Vannin) is a narrow gauge steam-operated railway connecting Douglas with Castletown and Port Erin on the Isle of Man. The line is narrow gauge and long. It is the remainder of what was a much ...

from its founding in 1873 to the present, including the now-closed lines that served Peel,

Ramsey Ramsey may refer to: Geography British Isles * Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, a small market town in England * Ramsey, Essex, a village near Harwich, England ** Ramsey and Parkeston, a civil parish formerly called just "Ramsey" * Ramsey, Isle of Man, t ...

and

Foxdale Foxdale (; glv, Forsdal ; on, Fors-dal – 'waterfall dale or valley') consisting of the districts of Upper and Lower Foxdale on the A3 Castletown to Ramsey Road with the junction of the A24 Foxdale to Braaid road and the A40 ''The Hope'' road ...

, and the remaining line to

which forms part of the southern terminus.

History

The museum first opened in 1975 when the Isle of Man Road Services, a subsidiary of the railway company, relocated to their new garage, which still exists today at the foot of the main platform. At that time, the railway operated only between Port Erin and Castletown, in an experimental season with the goal of reducing running costs. The following year, services were extended to Ballasalla, then returned to Douglas in 1977, after which the full line has operated. The museum building, originally consisting of a metal frame with

asbestos Asbestos () is a naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous crystals, each fibre being composed of many microscopic "fibrils" that can be released into the atmosphere b ...

cladding, was extensively rebuilt in 1999. A souvenir shop was subsequently added in the goods shed, where locomotives were originally kept overnight. Prior to the museum's opening, the original locomotive shed was used to store unserviceable locomotives. When the museum was rebuilt, the locomotive shed was returned to its original use and the goods shed converted into a shop area and a new porch added.

Location

The museum is situated beside the

Port Erin railway station Port Erin railway station (Manx language, Manx: ''Stashoon Raad Yiarn Phurt Çhiarn'') is the western terminus of the Isle of Man Railway in the village of Port Erin on the Isle of Man; it is the sole remaining outer terminus of the railway. U ...

which is the southern

terminus Terminus may refer to: * Bus terminus, a bus station serving as an end destination * Terminal train station or terminus, a railway station serving as an end destination Geography *Terminus, the unofficial original name of Atlanta, Georgia, United ...

of the railway, on Station Road in the village, on its junction with Strand Road which leads to the beach. The original entrance was situated on the corner of these two roads, latterly made into a public seating area. The main exhibition hall is housed in a converted bus garage that once belonged to Isle of Man Road Services, itself a division of the old railway company which was nationalised in 1976. Since the museum was extensively rebuilt in 1998-1999 part of the old

goods shed A goods shed is a railway building designed for storing goods before or after carriage in a train. A typical goods shed will have a track running through it to allow goods wagons to be unloaded under cover, although sometimes they were built ...

has been incorporated into the complex, the other locomotive shed still being used as a

workshop Beginning with the Industrial Revolution era, a workshop may be a room, rooms or building which provides both the area and tools (or machinery) that may be required for the manufacture or repair of manufactured goods. Workshops were the only ...

to maintain the

locomotive A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the Power (physics), motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, Motor coach (rail), motor ...

s and for overnight storage purposes. The museum is accessible from the station platform off the train, or by car parking in the nearby car park.

Shop & Opening Times

The souvenir shop is in the entrance / exit area to the museum itself and is accessed via Station Road at the foot of the platform. The shop has a small range of memorabilia including books, postcards, stationery, ephemera, replica nameplates and generic souvenirs. The stock of the shop is now a fraction of what was available in the boom of the centenary seasons beginning with the ''

Year of Railways {{Unreferenced, date=November 2007 The Year of Railways was a series of special events held on the Isle of Man during 1993 to commemorate the centenary of the opening of the first section of the Manx Electric Railway from Douglas (Derby Castle) ...

'' in 1993 and extending to '' Steam 125'' in 1998. A nominal admission price is charged for entry and the opening times tie in with the operational dates of the railway itself. The shop is in the old goods shed and features a station-type building as a staff/store room as well as old luggage trolleys and framed displays before entering the museum proper. The museum is open daily throughout the summer months, at the same time as the railway which is usually between March and the beginning of November each year. A small admission price is charged for entry for those not in possession of a valid railway ticket.

Exhibits

Since it originally opened in 1975, the railway museum has housed a variety of major exhibits. Exhibits in the museum include two engines and two coaches as well as other equipment from the railway. The royal carriages, as used by

Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was the l ...

in 1963 and by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

in 1972, are preserved in the museum. There is also a large display of photographs, posters and other memorabilia. In addition to the framed exhibits of old posters and the like, further displays are mounted on the walls of the station building itself in the waiting room and booking office. These were once part of the museum and donated by a preservationists group when the facility was first opened. * No. 1 ''Sutherland'' of 1873 (Arrived 1976, Removed 1997, Returned 2020) * No. 4 ''Loch'' of 1874 (Arrived 1997, Removed 2001) * No. 6 ''Peveril'' of 1875 (Arrived 2002, Removed 2020 For Asbestos Removal, Returned 2021) * No. 16 ''Mannin'' of 1926 (Arrived 1975, Removed 2020 For Assessment) * F.75 The Governor's Saloon (Arrived 1975, Extant) * F.36 The Queen's Saloon (Arrived 1976, Extant) * N.42 Six-Wheeled Carriage (Arrived 1976, Removed 1998) * Manx Northern Van Gr.12 of 1879 (Arrived 1976, Removed 1998) * Former Brake Van G.19 of 1921 (Arrived 2013, Extant) * Workshops' Wood-Turning Lathe (Arrived 1988, Extant) * Original (1873) Carriage Door (Arrived 2004, Extant) * Mock-Up Station Masters' Office (Created 1999, Relocated 2019) * Permanent Way Diorama Display (Created 2013, Extant) * Wagons H.1 & M.78 (Various Times, Between Usage)

Displays

* Framed Original Ticket Displays * Photographs Of All Locomotives * Old Planes & Lathes From Workshops * Recreation Of Station Master's Office * An Old Snow Plough From The Line * Visual Display Boards Charting Histories

Gallery

References

* James I.C. Boyd ''Isle Of Man Railway, Volume 3, The Routes & Rolling Stock'' (1996) * Norman Jones ''Scenes from the Past: Isle of Man Railway'' (1994) * Robert Hendry ''Rails in the Isle of Man: A Colour Celebration'' (1993) * A.M Goodwyn ''Manx Transport Kaleidoscope'', 2nd Edition (1995) {{authority control Transport museums in the Isle of Man Isle of Man Railway Railway museums in the United Kingdom