Pete Geddes, who organised the return of the Wheel to the Island from Wales, said the condition of the axle was a major concern.

'An investigation of the wheel parts as they lay spread out on the Welsh hillside indicated that the wheel had, at some point, had a rough time in its life — but this most certainly would not have been whilst she was working at the Snaefell Mines,' he said.

The cost of shipping the axle away to be refurbished would have been very high but Booth W. Kelly saved the day by coming forward and offering to do the necessary work on its large lathe.

The wheel left the Isle of Man about 1910 to begin work in a china clay mine in Cornwall, but it was decommissioned in the 1950s and left to rot. Some 20 years later, the wheel was salvaged and transported to a small Welsh mining museum, but it was never reassembled.

'It is highly likely that the wheel failed to receive the attention or maintenance she would have had at Snaefell and, at some point, the bearings have gone dry and possibly broke, leaving the axle journals in a very badly worn state. This in turn means that the wheel could never be set to turn again,' he explained.

Shipyard directors Chris Baker and Tony Hadley measured the massive three-tonne axle and were confident they could undertake the work.

'I'll make it fit even if I have to rebuild the lathe!' said Tony.

Due to the enormous interest that has developed in the project, the company offered to carry out the work as its contribution. Haulage of the massive parts is being carried out by another local firm, JCK Ltd.

'The axle is the very heart of the wheel and this has to be nothing less than perfect', said Pete.

A modification to the lathe was required but, unbelievably, the lads at Booth W. Kelly just happened to have a ring-bearing attachment for the lathe that was the perfect size for the end of the axle.

This caused Tony Hadley to remark: 'You would think that the axle had been originally made on this machine. The clearance when turning is only one millimetre.'

The directors at Ramsey shipyard have developed a strong interest in the wheel and the type of engineering required, which hasn't been done in over 140 years.

'This is real hands-on stuff,' said Tony. 'If we haven't got the tools, we make them. We are almost doing it the same way the Victorians would have.'

Pete Geddes said watching the men work on such a huge component was amazing.

'They really know their stuff and we are extremely grateful to the management for providing such expertise,' he said.