Brakes failure leads to Snaefell suspension

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SERVICES on the Snaefell Mountain Railway have been halted on health and safety grounds.

The Health & Safety at Work Inspectorate suspended services on the Isle of Man 3ft 6in gauge line on August 10, in the wake of an incident in which brakes failed on a tram six days earlier.

Snaefell Mountain Railway Car No. 2 in service on October 27, 2012. PAUL STAINTHORP/CREATIVE COMMONS

After a tram came down from the summit on the afternoon of August 4, the brakes failed on the vehicle and it sped through Bungalow station. It was brought to a halt by the Fell system brakes.

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Following the incident, the normal line speed was reduced 12mph to a temporary limit of 8mph.

However, health and safety officials found that tram drivers were not complying with the new lower limit.

A statement from the Inspectorate read: “Following an incident on the Snaefell Mountain Railway on the afternoon of Friday, August 4, 2017 and an urgent post incident review, a reduced speed limit of 8mph was introduced to facilitate the safe continuation of operations while the control system installed in the trams was examined.

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