Freight stock
Since opening in 1873 the steam railway has always had some freight stock and after the merger with the Manx Northern Railway the railway had 179 freight wagons. These have been G vans, H wagons, M wagons, K vans, fish vans, bolster wagons and bogie runners. Below is a detailed description of each class with photographs.(If available)
The G vans
These were four-wheeled closed vans, a total of 19 on the line. Quite often these were attached to the rear of a passenger train to transport goods to the rural communities that the railway served for many years. Upon amalgamation with the Manx Northern Railway in 1905 five were inherited and these were distinguished by their horizontal ventilation slats at the tops of the sides, whereas those built to the IMR pattern had round vents in the sides covered by flaps. Today, there remain three in existence, all of which remain on the railway, these are G.1, of the original 1873 batch, Gr.12, (the small "r" prefix denoting that it is ex-Manx Northern stock) which was extensively refurbished in the late 1990s and returned to the railway, and G.19 which saw use for many years by the permanent way crews, distinctive for being fitted with clambour boards for tree felling, and having a small wood stove installed.
The picture above is of Gr. 12
The picture above is of Gr. 12
The H wagons
These 6-ton three-plank open wagons were built to a total of 46. One of these wagons was used (with suitable side rails attached) to carry the military band to Peel on opening day in 1873. By the time of nationalisation they had all been scrapped. In the late 1990s the Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters' Association took on the ambitious task of building one of these from scratch. Through a fundraising campaign this was achieved and it is now part of the line's small goods stocIt has been given the number H.1. This was the second project undertaken by the supporters, the first being the re-building of a ballast wagon M.78
The K vans
These were cattle carrying wagons, and were ostensibly similar to the "G" class as above but rather than being completely sealed, the top quarter of them was ventilated and featured horizontal rails where the "G" vans had only ventilated slots. Some early ones were originally roofless. None survive today but it has been mooted, for historical purposes, that a supporters' organisation may take on the reconstruction of one of these, so that the railway ultimately has and example of each type of stock in their possession.
The runners
The runners which serve the line today are the the frames from all the old coach bodies which were destroyed during Lord Ailsa's time for the 'Man tainer' scheme. which after a few years but had then failed. so all the runners were left around the railway. Some runners today have also been made into hoppers.
These two pictures show two of the many runners sat around Douglas station.