Manx Electric Cars 1-3

This article details Car Nos. 1–3 of the Manx Electric Railway on the Isle of Man.

Car Nos. 1 – 3
Car No.2, Derby Castle Terminus
Manufacturer	G.F. Milnes & Co.
Built at	Birkenhead
Constructed	1893
Number built	3
Number in service	2
Number scrapped	1 (lost in fire)
Formation	Unvestibuled Saloon
Capacity	34
Operators	Isle Of Man Heritage Railways
Depots	Derby Castle Depôt
Specifications
Traction system	Four SEHC traction motors of 25 hp (19 kW)
Power output	100 hp (75 kW)
Electric system(s)	550 V DC
Current collector(s)	Overhead
Braking system(s)	Air
Track gauge	3 ft (914 mm)

These tramcars were the original trio of tramcars supplied for the opening in 1893. The two remaining cars hold a joint entry in the Guinness book of records as the oldest fully operational tramcars in the world that still operate on their original running lines. No. 3 was destroyed by fire at Laxey Car Sheds in 1930 but the other two remain in service having survived the austerity years of the line as works cars when they had been relegated to permanent way hacks for many years. The historical precedence of these vehicles was however acknowledged and in 1979, when the island celebrated the millennium of its Tynwald parliament, they were restored to original condition, proving the stars of the show at the line's centenary celebrations. Subsequently, car 2 was partly repainted blue (with some historical precedent as it is believed cars may have originally been deep blue but lack of colour photography from the time cannot clarify this) but both cars are now in a variation of the 1930s "house" style and remain in service.

References

• Mike Goodwyn (1993). Manx Electric. Platform Five. ISBN 978-1-872524-52-8.
• Keith Pearson (1992). 100 Years Of Manx Electric Railway. Leading Edge. ISBN 0-948135-38-7.
• Robert Hendry (1978). Manx Electric Album. Hillside Publishing. ISBN 0-9505933-0-3.
• Norman Jones (1994). Isle Of Man Tramways. Foxline Publishing. ISBN 1-870119-32-0.

Also

• Manx Electric Railway rolling stock

Sources

• Manx Manx Electric Railway Fleetlist (2002) Manx Electric Railway Society
• Island Island Images: Manx Electric Railway Pages (2003) Jon Wornham
• Official Official Tourist Department Page (2009) Isle Of Man Heritage Railways