Bid to bring exiled Manx carriage home after 12 years
THE Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters’Association is aiming to repatriate an original Manx Northern Railway 12 years after it left the island.
The six-wheel carriage, which was built by the Swansea Carriage & Wagon Co and supplied to the railway for its opening in 1879, is described as a “unique survivor”.
Originally MNR No. 3 and later Isle of Man Railway No. N42, the coach was cosmetically restored for the then-new Port Erin museum in 1976.
However, it was removed in 1998 to allow the museum to be refurbished and did not return.
It is currently stored outdoors in Suffolk, where some remedial work has been undertaken.
The association has held talks with the coach’s owner, Robert Hendry, of the Three Foot Gauge Society, regarding the return of the carriage, and is searching for covered accommodation on the island as there is no room for it on the Isle of Man Railway.
Chairman Bill Cubbon said: “This represents a final throw of the dice to attempt to have this carriage returned home; we have been working closely with Robert Hendry to achieve this aim but thus far have been unsuccessful in finding a suitable home, so we are now opening our appeal up to the general public in the hope that we can find a one for it.”
The coach was one of 14 built to the unusual six-wheel Cleminson patent. Only three other carriages from the order remain, one of which has been completely restored by an association member and is now back on the railway. Another is used as storage and the third is part of a private collection off-island.