During a guided tour of the Manx Electric Railway’s Derby Castle Sheds and Workshops, organised by Manx National Heritage earlier this month, participants were given an opportunity to see progress with the substantial overhaul work on 1894 tunnel car No.6.
Car 6 was withdrawn from service at the conclusion of the 2024 season to rectify sagging in the underframe channels at the Douglas end, particularly on the seaward side. It was subsequently determined that the channels should be replaced in full, with additional refurbishment or replacement of underframe components as necessary, alongside a complete overhaul of the bodywork.
Rather than replacing each channel individually, the decision was taken to remove the entire body from the tram to facilitate a comprehensive assessment and better access to the underframe. Components including controllers, air brake valves, ratchet brake handles and wiring harnesses were removed.
The new channel section side members are clearly shown in the photos ABOVE, taken Sunday October 11th 2026.
As reported in Manx Transport Review No. 103, exterior body panels and internal woodwork—comprising the two bulkheads, the centre partition and the seating—were also detached. A frame constructed from box-section steel was fabricated around the tram and welded to new brackets fitted to the body pillars, enabling the body to be lifted from the underframe as a single unit. (See BELOW)
This procedure is believed to be unprecedented for a motor car on the MER, although a comparable operation was performed in 1994 during the reconstruction of crossbench trailer 56 to create the accessibility car.
A comprehensive refurbishment of Car 6’s Brush trucks will be carried out in due course. The body and underframe will then be reassembled, followed by the bodywork refurbishment.
The bodywork as removed from Car No. 6 can be glimpsed beside Car No. 1 in the bottom shed HERE.
ABOVE: The wiring harness from the underframe of Car No. 6 suspended from the top shed rafters.
ABOVE: Flashback to September 2025: as reported in Manx Transport Review No.103, a remarkable photograph taken in the bottom shed at Derby Castle Depot in September 2025, showing the stripped wooden body frame of Tunnel car No.6 being gently lifted away from its underframe. (Photo: A. Scarffe)