The narrow gauge railways of the Isle of Man must surely be amongst the best known of all such lines, but it is safe to say that few will know of the 3ft gauge line built for the construction of the West Baldwin Reservoir. Certainly had this contract not materialised, the effect on the development of the Island and Douglas in particular could have been disastrous.
Douglas was developing rapidly in the late 19th century and it was obvious to the Douglas Corporation that their water supply would soon be inadequate. Therefore the Douglas Corporation Councillors engaged G.H. Hill & Sons of Manchester to advise them on a way forward, and their advice was to build the Kerrowdhoo Reservoir which was completed in 1893, and also the West Baldwin Reservoir would then be built as the main water supply for the future of the capital, Douglas.
The plan to build the West Baldwin Reservoir was agreed by all parties on 20th July 1899 and work commenced in 1900. The construction of the reservoir in an area devoid of extant rail links or adequate roadways rendered it necessary to construct a new 3ft gauge railway. So, in October 1900, a railway line from the new reservoir site to Sir George’s Bridge, Ballaoates, was started. This point was used as there was reasonable road access to Douglas from here. The route of the railway line was cleared by the end of the year and no fewer than 9 timber bridges were built to cross the River Glass at various points. The track approximately 3 miles long was laid and opened by late January 1901.
The first locomotive on the line was the “Injebreck”, which was purchased from the Isle of Man Tramway and Electric Power Co Ltd (who were in liquidation) for £350, along with forty five ballast wagons, two rail wagons and rails.
In July 1901 the line was extended to Ballacreetch, less than one mile to the east of Sir George’s Bridge, where a supply of “Puddle Clay” had been located and this would be used to fill the “Puddle Trench” that had been excavated at the reservoir site and then to erect the impervious clay inner core. To get the line to Ballacreetch from Sir George’s Bridge a reverse loop system had to be used to climb the hillside.
In September 1901 a new larger Locomotive (The West Baldwin) arrived as work on the reservoir started to reach its peak. But a freak storm on the 18th October 1901 closed the line as several bridges were washed away and most of the labourers from the reservoir site were diverted to reinstating the line and this meant that the build programme started to fall behind.
As a possible result of this another new locomotive the “ Ardwhallin” arrived, with its main task later to be working inside the reservoir, where a further “line” had been laid, moving earth to form the cladding around the clay core.
In February 1903 another locomotive was acquired from the Hunslet Engine Co, in Leeds, as the demand for clay reached its peak. This engine named “Hannah” was also used mainly inside the reservoir helping the “Ardwhallin”, whilst the” Injebreck” and “West Baldwin” locomotives did the main hauls from the clay fields at Ballacreetch to the reservoir site.
By the end of 1903 the Baldwin Quarry which had been used for all the stone was nearly exhausted and another source had to be found. Some stone was found at a quarry near the Paper Mill, but a far better source with some excellent stone was found at Hillberry, above Ballacreetch to the east. So on 1st January 1904 the line from Ballacreetch Clay fields was extended to Hillberry (Cronk Na Mona) Quarry again using the reverse loop system to climb the hillside. The newly extended line of approximately 1.25 miles was opened in mid February 1904 and made the overall length of the line approximately 5 miles from Hillberry Quarry to the West Baldwin Reservoir site.
By April/May 1905 Hillberry Quarry was partly filled in (and was later used as a refuse tip). Ballacreetch clay field was restored for farm use and the whole 5 miles of line was reported to have been lifted by this stage. The only trace left of the line is reportedly near the reservoir end where there are some earth workings (but I can’t see them). Hence the cache name “The Lost Line”.
A full account of the construction of this railway line can be found at the Manx Museum in “Journal of the Manx Museum Vol 6 Nos 74 – 81. 1957 – 65”. Well worth a read.
Above is an old picture of the locomotive “Ardwhallin” and “Passenger” Coach, sometimes known as a “Charabanc” or “Paddy Car”. Hopefully these muggles will not be watching you when you’re searching for the cache.
All the information you require to get started is on this page, the old map may be useful.
This Mystery/Multi cache is set out to take you along the route the trains used to pass on a daily basis.
Stages 1 - 4 can be done as drive-bys, please take care at stage 2 as parking is difficult. At each stage you will need to pick up some numbers for the final co-ords. The final is a short walk away from stage 4.
You can check your answers for this Mystery / Multi on Check your solution.
01-09-2023 new location for final. Updated coordinates in Geochecker.
