Manx Electric Railway Online

Freight Trailer 26 at Laxey, July 2023 © Website Collection

History:

Car No.10 was built in 1895 by G.F Milnes and Co as a ‘Vestibuled Saloon’ passenger car, fitted with standard Milnes Series 3 trucks, powered by 2x25hp Mather and Platt traction motors, and Mather and Platt controllers. It was withdrawn in 1902 and stored inside Laxey Car Shed after only 7 years of service (with potential re-gauging and re-use on the Snaefell Mountain Railway at the time mooted).

It was later re-activated and sent to Derby Castle for rebuilding in 1918, re-emerging soon after as Freight Trailer No.26, painted in a light grey colour scheme, with one of the six window and seating areas removed on both sides and replaced by a set of double doors, the access to the passenger area from the cab and bodyside windows panelled off, and the powered Milnes trucks exchanged for un-powered trailer examples. No.26 was later fitted with air brakes for towing two years later during January 1920. It was stored again due to a decline of goods traffic in 1930 (of which the need to carry larger items had declined, and smaller items could be handled adequately by the Railway’s remaining Van stock), and was officially written off in 1944, and used as a store inside the Car Shed at Laxey.

No.26 was purchased in 1978 by the Three Foot Gauge Railway Society (then the Isle of Man Railway Society), and was moved from Laxey in September to Derby Castle Car Sheds for a full repaint in the Freight Grey scheme and was re-floated with a set of Milnes Trailer trucks. It appeared during the 1979 ‘Centenary of Electric Traction’ Laxey Cavalcade towed by ‘Paddlebox’ Car No.26, afterwards being was placed on display in the ‘Electric Railway Museum’ in Ramsey Car Shed, alongside other M.E.R related exhibits until it’s closure in 1991.

An idea was had into turning it into the line’s new Permanent Way Car during the same year, to replace ‘Paddlebox’ Cars No.26 and No.27 (the designated cars at the time), but this did not occur. It’s last public appearance occurring during the 1993 ‘Year of Railways’ Laxey Cavalcade, hauled by ‘Winter Saloon’ Car No.19, returning to storage straight after at Ramsey Car Shed. The Freight Trailer was sent for off-railway storage at Homefield Bus Garage, Upper Douglas in January 2001, returning to the M.E.R in December 2009, being stored on wooden blocks inside Ramsey Car Shed. It was re-trucked during February 2011, using Milnes Series 1 trailer trucks, but remained stored inside Ramsey Car Shed. In November 2014, and with the imminent demolition of Ramsey Car Shed, No.26 was moved by low-loader from Ramsey to Laxey for further storage inside the Car Shed at Laxey.

In January 2023, work to return No.26 to operational condition commenced at Laxey Car Shed, with the trailer receiving bodywork repairs, underframe attention and overhauled brake rigging, alongside the temporary use of trucks from Trailer No.46. No 26 returned to active use for the ‘Year of The Railways’ 130th Anniversary celebrations in July 2023.

Information:

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