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The Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters' Association Ltd (IoMSRSA) is a railway preservationist group dedicated to ensuring the continued operation of the Isle of Man Railway on the Isle of Man. Since its inception in 1966 the group has provided volunteer workers, acted in a watchdog role and undertaken the restoration of the Groudle Glen Railway on the island, as well as supporting projects on the railway and producing the journal, Manx Steam Railway News.
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The group merged with the Mannin Railway Group to form one association in 1966 when the future of the Isle of Man Railway hung in the balance; the railway did not operate any services in that year for the first time since the line to Peel was opened in 1873. In 1967 however, the full network (save for the Foxdale Railway which had closed back in 1940) was reopened owing to the intervention of the Marquess of Ailsa who ran services until September 1968; but then the lines to Peel and Ramsey were closed for good. This was a period of concern for the Supporters' Association but the future of the line to Port Erin was assured and trains ran on this line from 1969 onwards. The centenaries in 1973 and 1974 were celebrated by running special trains. In 1975 and 1976 services were curtailed between Port Erin and Castletown, then Port Erin and Ballasalla and the group became politically active in fighting for the retention of the full southern line. Following a major campaign trains returned to Douglas in 1977 and after nationalisation in 1978 the group took on more of a watchdog role, ultimately moving on to restore the Groudle Glen Railway whilst maintaining strong connections with the Isle of Man Railway into the twenty first century.[1]
In its time the Supporters' Association has undertaken many supportive projects on the railway, from the basic painting and maintenance of level crossing gates (which were controversially replaced with automated barriers in 2001) to more menial matters such as the general tidying up of stations along the line, at one time their input ranged all the way up to providing volunteer operational staff such as station masters and train guards each summer during the 1970s. However, by 1978 when the railway was nationalised the role of the group decreased somewhat with volunteer-based workers causing difficulties within a government-run organisation. An ambitious attempt to fully restore a steam locomotive (No.9 Douglas, built by Beyer, Peacock & Company at its Gorton Foundry in 1896 and withdrawn from traffic in 1953) was aborted and so after much deliberation of other major projects (and having used some the intended funds to re-tube No. 11 Maitland in 1981) in 1982 the association began the ambitious restoration project of the Groudle Glen Railway which, since that time has been re-opened in its entirety and now operates at weekends and certain evenings in the summer months. The railway is owned entirely by the Supporters' Association and operated by volunteer labour. Since this time all the volunteer labour provided by the members of the group is concentrated on the railway at Groudle Glen and activities connected to the Isle of Man Railway have been predominantly fund-raising and/or provision of parts. A number of works have also been undertaken to stations along the line, notably at Castletown, Ballabeg, The Level and Port St. Mary as well as larger projects including cosmetic restoration of out-of-use locomotives.
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Past projects
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Since the organisation's inception it has had a pro-active role on the railway; prior to the nationalisation in 1978 they undertook tasks on the line such as the re-painting of station buildings, tending to flower beds at the stations, upkeep of the level crossing gates, etc. After the government took ownership the association took on more of watchdog role and ultimately took on their own major project in the resurrection of the Groudle Glen Railway in 1982; but projects on the railway have included:-
- Repaint locos No.1 Sutherland, No.6 Peveril, No.16 Mannin (through 1967-1968 operating seasons)
- Repaint locos No.14 Thornhill, No.3 Pender, No.9 Douglas (during 1968-1969 seasons)
- Volunteer Gatekeepers Level Crossings (south line, various points between 1969 and 1975)
- Cosmetic restoration No.16 Mannin (early 1975 for entry to the museum)
- New injectors No.11 Maitland (spring of 1981, utilising No.9 appeal funds)
- Cosmetic restoration No.6 Peveril (early 1994 completed spring 1995)
- New water tanks No.15 Caledonia (for return to operation late 1994)
- Rebuild Wagon Drop-Side M.78 Mainland Area Group, March 1996-July 1997)
- The "Un-Loch Your Cash" Appeal No. 4 Loch (July 1998-July 2000)
- Complete new build Thee-Plank H.1 Mainland Area Group, 1999-2000)
- New steam injectors No. 4 Loch (as part of the original appeal, 2002)
- New steam injectors No.13 Kissack (as part of the 2003 major overhaul)
- New steam turret No.15 Caledonia Ex-Manx Northern (June-July 2006)
- Travellers' Companion publication (Official Guidebook publication in November 2009)
- Provision chaperones & guides at railway events (April 2009–March 2014)
- New boiler tubes No.4 Loch (follow up to the 1998 appeal, supplied June 2010)
- Travellers' Companion publication Official Guidebook second edition publication in May 2011)
- Period-style seating moquette Saloon Carriage F.29 (April-August 2012)
- Replica slotted post signal for Castletown Station (established in 2009 and ongoing)
- Restoration work The Level Crossing and Halt (February-June 2012)
- Maintenance and manning Douglas Signal Box for events (up to 2014 seasom)
- Restoration work Four Roads Crossing Lodge (February-June 2012)
- Replica running-in board Union Mills Station (erected 2016 as an anniversary project)
- Replica running-in board Peel Station (erected in 2016 as an anniversary project)
- Rebuild crossing Lodge Mill Road, Castletown (February 2013-June 2017)
- Rebuild closes van original 1873 van G.1 (October 2018–March2023, completed)
- Adoption & Upkeep Ballasalla Station (group established in 2019 and ongoing)
- Further restoration work The Level Crossing & Halt (completed summer 2020)
- Further restoration work Four Roads Crossing (works completed summer 2020)
- Partial restoration work Ballasalla Gatekeepers' Lodge (between May 2020 and June 2021)
- Renovation and enhancement Ballabeg Station & enhancements (proposed and completed June-July 2021)
- Buy nameplates No.5 Mona (purchased and returned to locomotive upon completion of cosmetic works)
- Further repainting No.6 Peveril (revisiting the 1994 works, completed 2022 and returned to museum)
- Purchase name and worksplates No.9 Douglas (to be returned to locomotive when cosmetic work complete)
- Replica running-in board Peel Road Station (completed and erected 2023, delayed by Covid)
- Cosmetic restoration locomotive No.5 Mona (completed 2023 and now extant railway museum)
- Repatriation negotiations Hurst-Nelson Carriages (various discussions and sale agreements, 2023)
Ongoing Projects
An active presence has been re-established on the railway in recent years with a good number of hands-on projects always ongoing, some on a small, others a larger scale. As at May 2024 there are a number of these in hand:-
- Cosmetic restoration No.9 Douglas (ongoing since 2022 estimated completion 2024)
- Replica running-in board Ballaugh Station (pending consideration as at April 2024)
- 150th Anniversary Celebrations Douglas & Peel United (July 2023 & August 2024)
- Double-sided running-in board St. John's Station (pending consideration as at April 2024)
- Replica platform furniture Santon, Castletown and Port Erin (ongoing 2024 with more to follow)
- Appeal to repatriate Carriage M.N.Ry. No.3 (back to the railway, launched March 2024 and ongoing)
- Purchase and restoration vintage crane (purchased in 2022 and under restoration as at May 2024)
- Replica running-in board Foxdale Station (pending consideration as at April 2024)
- Station information boards (various stations, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the south line)
The association has also been vocal in its support of the completion of the rebuild of the diesel railcars which (as at April 2024) are in store uncompleted at Douglas Station. Representatives of the association attend regular meetings with the relevant government department. In 2003 a preservation policy was put in place, thereby securing the future of the line in a way sympathetic to its origins, ensuring that they are consulted when any major projects are considered by the railway's management. Potential projects are discussed at board level on a regular basis, ensuring the group's continued commitment to the preservation of the railway and its historical stations and stock, reflected in the proposed items on the list above.
Since the nationalisation of the Groudle Glen Railway secured its future, the main thrust of the group has been the restoration of the railway, commencing in 1982, and the line continues today. The line had been reduced to a footpath, but the line was relaid to its full length for the first time since 1939, and it was officially opened in 1992. The original steam locomotive Sea Lion returned to service in 1987. Various replica station buildings were built, starting with the station canopy in 1993, and the improvement of the line as one of the island's tourist attractions has continued; this has included the added attraction of visiting steam locomotives, gala days in conjunction with Isle of Man Heritage Railways and popular off-season events such as Santa Trains at Christmas and Bunny Trains each Easter weekend. In more recent times there have also been Jester Express days and promotions in connection with Father's Day. Operations on New Year's Day were introduced in 2011. Additionally, Driver Experience Days are also offered: members of the public can pay to spend the day on the footplate of a steam locomotive and drive trains. The railway is now a stand-alone charity and operates seasonally, whilst the volunteers of the Supporters' Association continue to maintain strong ties with the Isle of Man Railway albeit in a watchdog role, and provision of project items.[clarification needed] The group maintains a strong working relationship with the management and attends regular meetings to ensure the development.[clarification needed]
At the time the group was formed there was much support for the retention of the railway both on and off the island and area groups quickly sprouted up across the country, with members of the island committee regularly travelling to meetings on the mainland to provide updates, slide shows, film shows and get-togethers. Groups existed in Greater London, Manchester, Liverpool/Merseyside, Northern Ireland and the Midlands at one time or another but latterly, there was just one, the "Mainland Area Group". It was this group that were responsible for the building of two wagons for the railway. The "M" class of wagon numbered nearly 80 and were part of the Isle of Man Railway's stock of goods vehicles; by the time of nationalisation of the line in 1978 when the Isle of Man Government took responsibility, there were very few examples left in existence; one (numbered M.70) had been left to rot for many years and was resident in a siding at Santon station for many years. It was this vehicle that was used as a template for a project undertaken by the Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters' Association in 1997, resulting in the presentation to the railway of M.78. This wagon is now part of the railway's historic fleet of vehicles and bears plaques denoting its origins. Together with H.1 (the next project by the group) these two wagons now form the Troublesome Trucks for the Friends of Thomas weekend that takes place on the railway annually.
The "H" class of wagon were part of the goods fleet of the Isle of Man Railway and consisted of a four-wheel two-plank construction; these had all been scrapped by the time the railway was nationalised in 1978 but in 1999 the Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters' Association took on the ambitious task of building one of these vehicles from scratch. Through a fund-raising campaign this was achieved and the wagon is now part of the rolling stock of the railing and has been numbered "H.1", being the re-used number of the first vehicle of the class, long since destroyed. This was the second project undertaken by the supporters, the first being the building of a similar vehicle M.78. By the year 2000 the area groups had dwindled down to a few members, too far scattered in location to warrant regular meetings and was disbanded.
The possibility of reforming one of the area groups has been mooted in the past, primarily so a group of enthusiasts may take a more hands-on approach on the railway to further make advantage of the good working relationship that the group now has with the railway's management; a number of possible ideas have been floated and it is hoped that a group of volunteers may one day be allowed to have an active role on the railway once again, as it did in the early years of the association's existence. 2010 saw a return to volunteering when, as part of the railway's Rush Hour event over the May Holiday Weekend, members staffed the signal box at Douglas and provided guides for tours of the railway's workshops and running sheds for the first time in a number of years.
Since its inception in 1966, the Supporters' Association has produced a members' newsletter, initially a foolscap sheet, later expanded into the journal Steam Railway News which contains news, views, historical articles and photographs. Initially this was produced on a small scale to limited circulation and took the form of a foolscap-sized newsletter but the format was changed to an A5 sized booklet early on which is the format it maintains today. The prefix "Manx" was added in 1985 after a national magazine adopted the magazine's original title. Apart from a spell in the 1980s and 1990s when it was produced and edited on the mainland, the magazine is produced entirely on the island and reaches a membership of approximately 1,000 usually four times a year but the fact that it is entirely prepared by volunteers can mean that the number of issues per annum fluctuates. Members and non-members alike may contribute articles and photographic material for reproduction within the pages of the journal.
In 1992 the magazine celebrated its one-hundredth issue with a colour cover, something which had only been seen three times previously, one of those being for the centenary of the railway in 1973. Since 2002 the outer covers of the magazine have been in full colour for each issue whilst internal photographs and images remain in black and white. The advent of the Supporters' Association official website in late 2008 has meant that news can be more readily distributed but as a great number of members do not have internet access, the news is primarily still delivered via the journal, with more general articles appearing on the website, and announcements. The website also serves as an online archive for historical documents from the railway's history and is expanded at regular intervals to include newly discovered documents as well as photographs and contemporary articles on its subject matter. From 2009 the quality of production of Manx Steam Railway News was improved with a greater number of colour photographs and images in each issue, and the upgrading of paper quality which also enhances photographic reproduction.
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