Mike Buttell - RIP

 

I'm sad to report that my friend Mike Buttell passed away this week. 

Mike was the Isle of Man steam railway in many ways. He was an ebullient figure who was responsible for many of the Enthusiast Week celebrations. You'd see him sheperding people around the sheds on official visits, providing entertaining commentry on the progress of various restorations. He'd then be climing on locos to fit headboards that he had arranged to comemorate figures from the line's history. 

I have a couple of reasons to remember Mike. 

First, I was over there on holiday, but planned to grab some content for a BRM DVD, and arranged to interview him about the history of the lines. This was to take place after the late train to Port Erin had arrived, and everyone was looking around the museum. Obviously, this made it a bit noisy, but Mike quickly dragged my Dad and I up into the locked royal saloon, he had a key, which made the perfect studio for our chat. 

The other occasion is when Sea Lion's side tank and cab back came up for auction. I was keen to buy them, but didn't have an easy way to collect, or anywhere suitable to put them. Mike volunteered to not only get the things from Groudle, no easy task, but find them a home in the Port Erin railway museum, where they lived until recently. 

Without Mike's help, it's unlikely that I'd have aquired these items, and they would probably be say, rusting, in someone's garden. 

I'm going to miss Mike's updates from the Isle of Man, and his jolly help when on the island. A sad loss to this very special corner of the railway world.