Railway cafe converts to green energy

Solar panels have been installed at the Sea Lion Rocks Tea Rooms

A miniature railway cafe on the Isle of Man has converted to using green energy after an £8,500 grant.

The funding from the Manx Lottery Trust has been used to install solar panels and and storage batteries at the Sea Lion Rocks Tea Rooms at Groudle Glen Railway, in Onchan.

The cafe's facilities and CCTV will now be powered by the technology, replacing the collection of diesel generators that had been used over the past 15 years.

Alex Brindley of the railway said the switch would save the charity "a lot of time and funds".

The tea rooms are situated at the end of the railway line, which means they have no access to mains power, water and sewerage.

The team had previously installed their own water supply, satellite connectivity for card payments, and invested in a rail mounted sewerage removal vehicle.

'Special asset'

Mr Brindley said a new volunteer with experience in renewable technology had researched suitable power requirements for the cafe.

The new energy system would also power a fridge and freezer when the building was closed, so ice creams and other perishables would not need to be transported on trains to a mains powered storage facility, he said.

It was "great to continue what we love doing by using sustainable energy", Mr Brindley added.

A spokesman for the railway said the generators previously used had been "costly to maintain and fuel, noisy, and not environmentally friendly".

Stephen Turner Manx Lottery Trust chairman said it was "wonderful" to see the attraction's "commitment to becoming more environmentally friendly".

"The railway and tea rooms are a special asset to our island, and we wish them every success," he added.