Annie (locomotive)
Encyclopedia
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
that operates on the Groudle Glen Railway
Groudle Glen Railway
The Groudle Glen Railway is a narrow gauge railway north of Douglas in the Isle of Man which is owned and operated by members of the Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters' Association and operates on summer Sundays; May to September and Wednesday evenings in July and August along with a number of...
on the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
.
Design
She was built by Richard Booth to the design of a 1911 locomotive of the same name that was shipped to New ZealandNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
to operate the Gentle Annie Tramway. The original locomotive remains buried in the quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
she worked, and the replica has been constructed based upon working drawings; mechanically identical to Polar Bear but with a 0-4-2
0-4-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-2 represents the wheel arrangement with no leading wheels, four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle...
wheel arrangement.
Construction
The locomotive was built locally and at the time of construction was the island's newest steam locomotive, having been completed in 1998 and officially launched as part of the Steam 125Steam 125
Steam 125 was a series of events held in 1998 to mark the 125th anniversary of the Isle of Man Railway opening its first route from Douglas to Peel the railway ran a large number of special events. Most notable was the return to service of the original steam locomotive No...
event that year. Since this time two new steam locomotives have been provided for the Laxey Mines Railway making them the newest locomotives on the island.
Components
The locomotive has carried a number of steam whistles/hooters since entering service, with as many as three carried at any one time. Despite having been "built from scratch", the locomotive can claim some original components - the water tank lid on one of the side tanks is in fact an original one from Sea LionSea Lion (locomotive)
Sea Lion is a steam locomotive built in 1896 to supply the motive power to the Groudle Glen Railway on the Isle of Man and the locomotive still provides the main traction there today. The locomotive was built by W.G. Bagnall & Co., Stafford and delivered to the line in May of that year, providing...
, new ones having been fabricated as part of her 1987 rebuild.
Livery
The locomotive carries a deep tuscan red livery, the same as that carried by Manx Northern RailwayManx Northern Railway
The Manx Northern Railway was the second common carrier railway built in the Isle of Man. It operated as an independent concern only from 1879 to 1905.- History :...
locomotive Caledonia
Isle of Man Railway locomotives
The locomotives of the Isle of Man Railway were provided exclusively by Beyer, Peacock and Company of Manchester, England between 1873 and 1926; other locomotives that appear on this list were inherited as part of the take-over of the Manx Northern Railway and Foxdale Railway which happened in 1905...
upon her return to service in 1995, with the notable difference that Annie carried a black/yellow lining out scheme whereas Caledonia carries a more intricate vermilion lining with gold leaf detailing.
Service
Together with Sea Lion she provides the main traction on the Groudle Glen Railway and can be seen in service at summer weekends on the line as well as some evenings in peak season and various out of season special services, notably the popular annual Santa Trains.See also
- Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters' AssociationIsle of Man Steam Railway Supporters' AssociationThe Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters' Association is a railway preservationist group dedicated to the continued operation of the Isle of Man Railway on the Isle of Man Since its inception in 1966 the group have provided volunteer workers and a watchdog role and commenced its own project in the...
- British narrow gauge railwaysBritish narrow gauge railwaysThere were more than a thousand British narrow gauge railways ranging from large, historically significant common carriers to small, short-lived industrial railways...