StoneRoad2013's photos with the keyword: Laxey

This old house - in the local vernacular style - is tucked away in Laxey, facing the original Laxey Substation across a narrow path. No idea how long it is since a family lived here, but I expect many years ... It is used by the staff & volunteers of the MER - also, possibly the SMR people as well - as a combined mess room, store and workshop. Probably as a place to hide away ...

The old switchgear and control panel at the Laxey sub-station for the MER. These are often built onto slate panels, but the insulating material on this example is marble. PS; Although it is good to see that the panel has been looked after, whoever cleaned that really should have had some "masks" made to protect the marble from staining. [A bit like the mask I've used to protect boiler cladding on a steam locomotive].

This mechanism is the jaws of the Fell Brake on the Snaefell Mountain Railway [Tram No.5] These jaws clamp onto the raised central rail, to provide braking force additional to the normal rheostatic system. Image taken on the flat track at Laxey, where the braking rail is omitted. With the permission of the driver, as I'm standing right on the track. [previously uploaded 30May2021, reposted & unlocked August 2023]

Modern pit props in the only publicly accessible audit of The Great Laxey Mine system. [sorry about the camera shake - it was rather cold underground]

Various minerals (& surface water) inside the Laxey Mine audit [this is part of the Great Laxey Mine complex that was drained by "Lady Isabella"]

Laxey River Bridge, with the main road, and the MER crossing the water.

The modern view of the [cleaned up] main washing floor of the Great Laxey Mine - which produced Lead, Silver and Zinc ores, between about 1782 and 1929, from a very complex site. The red painted water-wheel has been restored. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laxey_Mine

An evening run on the MER [Manx Electric Railway] under special - gala - operating procedures. Car 16 - Roofed Toastrack with 56 seats, built 1898 by Milnes, running in Red & white "House-style" livery. & Car 32 - Roofed Toastrack with 56 seats, built 1906 by United Electric Car Co. running in the Green & White "Nationalisation" livery. Parallel running requires a good deal of concentration by the motormen, and travelling over level crossings with the roads, and just behind them, the Snaefell Mountain Railway, even greater watchfulness.

The very ornate exit gate & fence from the Lady Isabella [aka the Laxey Wheel] - the inbound side is a red-painted turnstile.

The Hewittic "Mercury-Arc Rectifier" for the Manx Electric Railway, at the Laxey sub-station. [replaced by solid state in 2013, but has been preserved, and there were proposals to use the old substation as a museum] Not my Image. Displayed for educational purposes. [If my notes are correct, the original image was by Ivor Kelly]

Part of the MER's 125th celebration, September 2018. Posed at Laxey ... Horse Tram No1 (1913, Milnes-Voss) [This is the second car to carry "No1" , built as a replacement in 1913 with a 30 seat fully enclosed saloon body. The "original" No1 was built as a single decker by Starbuck Car & Wagon Co in 1876, later converted to a double-decker but ultimately scrapped in 1901] The one horsepower motive unit is "Douglas" and judging by the pattern of his coat, he's a Clydesdale. He's been a "trammer" since 2002 [foaled in 1998 and he's 16 hands at the withers and definitely a Clydesdale - I checked the tramway website] MER No.1 (built 1893 by Milnes of Birkenhead) Snaefell Mountain Railway No.1 [gauge is larger at 3ft 6"] the original car was built in 1895 by Milnes, it was rebuilt in 2011 and reverted to the Tramway and prussian blue / cream livery it carried when new. Note; it has bow collectors and Fell brakes.