Heritage railway coach to undergo £120k revamp

The F6 is the oldest surviving bogie coach from Isle of Man Railway's original 1876 order

A heritage railway carriage brought back to the Isle of Man after 50 years in storage is set to undergo a £120,000 restoration ahead of being returned to service.

Transported back to the island in July, the Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters' Association purchased the 1876 bogie coach from the the Vale of Rheidol Railway for £12,000.

Association chairman Bill Cubbon said the revamp was likely to need a "full year of two people working on it full time".

But he said "the end result will be a usable frontline coach" to add to the Isle of Man's rail network, that would give passengers "a true period train to ride in".

The carriage was returned to the Isle of Man after 50 years in July

Thought to be the oldest surviving coach from Isle of Man Railway's original 1876 order, coach F6 was withdrawn in the 1970s but was ultimately saved from being scrapped by enthusiasts Peter Rampton and Nigel Bowman.

It has since remained in storage as part of Mr Rampton's personal collection held in Surrey, with the Vale of Rheidol Railway acting as custodian, following his death in 2019.

Llyr ap Iolo, managing director of the railway, said the team had been "delighted to see coach F6 return home",

Although it was never operated by the organisation, he said: "We recognised its value and were proud to support its preservation.

"We're excited to see what the future holds for it back on Manx soil."

Restorations of the coach are expected to take at least 12 months

Mr Cubbon said the scale of the works needed were being assessed, with more than half of the funds needed already sourced through donations.

But he conceded it would be a "much bigger project and a more costly affair" then previous renovations undertaken by the association.

The "main objective" was to help the Isle of Man's steam railway to cope with "extra business" the association understands has been seen from the likes of cruise ship passenger visiting the island, Mr Cubbon said.

But as the coach had original interiors, which were also set to be restored, the charity also hoped it would mean people would be able to ride in "a true period train" once the work was complete, he added.