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The rebuilding of the old mines railway complete with a full replica steam train may seem an ambitious project but it will link the mine back to the village. The groups main task was to open the tunnel which ran from the washing floors, under the main Ramsey road and under a huge spoil pile. Many years ago, the 'Laxey deads' were removed for use as land fill and foundations all over the Island but unfortunately, the side of the tunnel appears to have also been dug away and the upper spoil has run into the tunnel. A survey pinpointed the area of collapse but it was decided to flood the tunnel with orange smoke and put it under pressure to force the smoke through. The Outer part of the tunnel had been used as a sub station by the Manx Electricity Authority for many years but the transformers have now been removed. The smaller inner tunnel was sealed with plywood and a positive pressure fan on loan from the Isle of Man Fire and Rescue Service was more than adequate to forced the smoke trace through. |