Story
This unique locomotive dates from 1885 and is the only engine on the line to have been built by Dübs and Company, of Glasgow; purchased to tackle the steep gradients of the Foxdale Railway she was ideally suited to the job. After the merger in 1905 she was numbered 15 in the Isle of Man Railway fleet (having previously been Manx Northern No. 4) and only saw sporadic use, most notably on Ramsey Cattle Mart specials and for snow clearing trains. She was reboiler in 1923, receiving the first boiler on the IMR to carry Ross pop safety valves. When the Marquess of Ailsa took over operations in 1967 she was repainted into spring green livery and saw service once again but by 1975 she had been painted into Manx Northern colours and placed in the then new museum at Port Erin where she remained until 1993 when she was returned to Douglas by road for steam feasibility tests. By 1995 she was the star of the show, operating on the 1 in 12 gradients of the Snaefell Mountain Railway as part of the centenary celebrations. This had historical precedent as Caledonia had been leased for construction purposes in 1895. She has since been part of the stable of serviceable locomotives, having been painted into a non-prototypical blue livery in 1999 but reverted to the intricate original paint scheme in 2007. The locomotive last operated in 2009 and was the subject of a major rebuild and was expected to be serviceable for the 2012 season. Caledonia returned to service in January 2013.
Technical details
Forum topics regarding this engine:
There are no specific topics regarding this engine.
Connect With Us