A group of enthusiasts and volunteers have dedicated more than 2,000 hours to aid the success of the island’s heritage steam railway.

Heritage Railways Volunteers (HRV) members provide support to the railway and have been involved in giving guided walks, developing the museum at Port Erin and tours of the work sheds among others activities.

Mike Buttell from HRV said: ’During the past year we have been concentrating on the further improvements to the railway museum in Port Erin. This has been ongoing for the past three years or so, We are also pleased to assist with the planning and delivery of enthusiast events at Easter and during the annual transport festival in July.

’Our activities also include providing guides for vintage bus tours of the closed railways, we also are the guides for the popular shed tours at Douglas, where the public get to see behind the scenes, to get an idea of what it takes to keep the heritage railways running.

’We also organise walks over the old Peel, Ramsey and Foxdale lines, and can present illustrated talks on railway history.’

Mr Buttell explained that the group, made of about 20 volunteers ranging from students to retired people and those in between, try and get out as much as possible but due to various commitments it is rare to get the whole group together.

The group’s work in the Port Erin museum last year focused on replacing 20-year-old picture galleries.

He added: ’We changed the displays to tell the story of the railway by the various routes, using historical photographs and specially written descriptions.

’For this year we hope to increase the exhibits to include Groudle Glen and the Douglas Corporation steam worked line used to build the reservoir at Injebreck.

’We also have several models to place on display, including Peel station as it was during the 1960s and Sulby Bridge, captured in miniature form as it may have appeared during 1939/40 when it was used by service personnel from Jurby and Andreas air bases.’

The volunteers also support events include the Easter ’rush hour trains’, ’Island at War’ and heritage weekends throughout the season.

Mr Buttell said he believed the growing interest in the railway from in and outside the island could play a greater role in tourism, if small changes were made.

’People who come over are very impressed and many describe the system as a hidden gem. That’s very romantic perhaps, but given the absolute uniqueness of the five major railways on the island, that is something that could be expanded upon so that they were not perhaps so "hidden" would be useful’, he said.

’The railways are national treasures, certainly, but we would dearly love them to be recognised as international treasures. Don’t forget that everything that runs on the heritage railway systems here was built specifically to do so.

’Nothing has been brought in from outside to run the core services, and that happens almost nowhere else in the world.’

Director of transport Ian Longworth praised the volunteers: ’The volunteers are a huge asset to Isle of Man Railways, without their support we would not be able to achieve the fantastic events we offer throughout the year and restoration projects.

’Our volunteers support us in so many ways and I would like to thank each one of them for giving their valuable time up to achieve great things with Isle of Man Transport.’

For more information, contact [email protected] or see the group’s Facebook page Isle of ManHeritage Railways Volunteers - Steam Railways.