Car No.9 (1894)

Car No.9 at Laxey, July 2016 © David Hennessey

CURRENT STATUS AND LOCATION	YEAR LAST OPERATED	LIVERY
In Service	In Service	M.E.R Red/White/Teak with Illuminations

History

Car No.9 was the last of six Tunnel Cars delivered in 1894 for the Laxey extension. Originally delivered with Milnes Series 3 Trucks, No.9, alongside No’s 5-8, gained Brush ‘Type D’ trucks and air brakes. Also in common with the other eight cars at the time, No.9 was built with longitudinal seating, which only it and No’s 1, 2 and 6 retain.

After the loss of sisters No.4 and No.8 in the Laxey Depot Fire in 1930, No.9 was regularly relegated to Permanent Way work and occasionally used as a snowplough – an iron fitment was kept at Laxey Car Shed that was attached to the north end of the Car when the need arose. It also received K12 Controllers in February 1948, replacing the previous K11 units.

The car lost it’s double-paned cab windows for a single example in Winter 1977, as well as having it’s wrought iron ‘gates’ at the top of the platform steps replaced with the now familiar doors, being the last of it’s series to be equipped. In 1979, No.9 was painted into an interpretation of the late 1890’s ‘Douglas Laxey & Ramsey Electric Railway’ livery for the Millennium of Tynwald celebrations that year. The car also gained a central partition as part of it’s 1983 overhaul.

To celebrate the 1993 Year of Railways, No.9 was repainted and illuminated over the 1992-1993 Winter with over 1600 lightbulbs, the work being carried out by Bolton Trams Ltd. The car also gained large roofboxes (which re-appeared with different branding in 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2004) to advertise the M.E.R centenary events. It was re-illuminated in 2004 with ‘string’ style lighting.

In late 2010, No.9 was withdrawn for a repaint into the same M.E.R Red/White/Teak scheme as before, with the illuminations being removed. It ran until August 2011 without them, being refitted in September of the same year. In 2016 the car was fitted with LED lights in a more traditional configuration and it remains in the active service fleet, it’s ‘light-up’ appearance being understandably popular after-dark.

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