Manx Northern Railway
An embankment high on the cliffs south of Glen Mooar, the "Donkey Bank", was an unending maintenance problem and a drain upon the line's profitability.
The northern part of the line was flat compared to the western coastal section, and had numerous hand-worked level crossings.
Services to Foxdale ceased in 1940 but the odd ballast train continued to collect mine waste up to the early 1960s.
After a brief revival when the system was leased by the Marquess of Ailsa, the rest of the former Manx Northern Railway closed for 1968 along with the original IOMR Douglas-Peel line.
One of the last services was the transport of fuel oil from the electricity generating station at Peel to the one at Ramsey, for which a special siding was laid.
The majority of the six-wheeled coaching stock was also lost at this time, having been stored out of use for many years on a siding at St John's station in the open air.
This line branched southwards from St John's and allowed lead and silver ores from the mines at Foxdale to be delivered directly to the dock side in Ramsey.
The Milntown Railway (54°19′16″N 4°22′55″W / 54.321°N 4.382°W / 54.321; -4.382) was a short 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge spur off the ex-Manx Northern line just south of the terminus at Ramsey, Isle of Man.
It was constructed only in the final year of operation for the purposes of transporting fuel oil from Peel to Ramsey by rail.
[8] In 1880, the MNR acquired a third locomotive from Beyer, Peacock & Company, Manchester to a design similar to those used on the Isle of Man Railway.
For the Foxdale branch a special bogie coach with enhanced braking capabilities was constructed by the Oldbury Carriage & Wagon Company in 1886.
A similar replica locomotive exists on the Southwold Railway named Blyth though this example is notably smaller than its Manx descendents.
Two further examples of six-wheeled stock survive off-island in a private collection, and the sole two bogie carriages built in 1899 by Hurst-Nelson also remain in existence.
The unique Foxdale Coach survives in regular traffic on the south line having been restored in 1979, 2012 and 2023, and a goods Van Gr.
Notably, levers provided by Stevens & Son of Glasgow remain in use on the south line and are all originally from the Manx Northern Railway.
