Port Erin Railway Museum

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The railway museum in Port Erin, Isle of Man is a small display that shows the history of the Isle of Man Railway. The museum is situated beside Port Erin railway station, the southern terminus of the railway. It is housed in a converted bus garage and part of the old goods shed, the other part still being used as a workshop to maintain the locomotives. Exhibits in the museum include two engines and coaches as well as other equipment from the railway. The royal carriages, as used by HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in 1963 and by HM Queen Elizabeth II in 1972, are preserved in the museum. There is also a large display of photographs, posters and other memorabilia. the museum was first opened in 1975 when the Isle of Man Road Services (a subsidiary of the railway company) relocated to their new gargae which is still extant today at the foot of the main platform. The building, consisted of metal frame and asbestos cladding and for this reason was extensively rebuilt in 1999, since which time it has included a souvenir shop which is housed in the old goods shed; prior to this, the locos were kept overnight in this goods shed, the original loco shed being used only to store unservicable locomotives. The souvenir shop is in the entrance/exit to the musueum itself and has a small range of memorabilia, etc., a fraction of what was available in the boom of the centenary seasons in the 1990s. A nominal admission price is charged for entry and the opening times tie in with the operational dates of the railway itself.