following year saw a reduced timetable of operation but proved to be the final year of the lines serving Peel and Ramsey. This has become known as the Ailsa Period known for the change of livery to spring green carried by the locomotives. The timetables utilised the Peel and Port Erin lines heavily whilst there was no service to Ramsey on certain days, and then only a limited service ran. 1969–1972 Port Erin Line Only From 1969 only the southern route to Port Erin was operated. Services generally operated from May to September thereafter still under the auspices of Lord Ailsa; the former lines remained in situ but disused, save for occasional stock movements to the carriage shed at St John's for the winter storage of rolling stock. A limited oil tanker service operated only in 1969. At this time the now traditional pattern of four trains each way per day was adopted and it is this pattern of operation that broadly speaking remains in place today. 1973–1974 Centenaries Lord Ailsa took his five-year option on a 21-year lease and relinquished duties to operate trains from the close of the 1972 season and the Railway Company again took over services with subsidy from the Isle of Man Tourist Board. The centenaries of the Peel and Port Erin lines were commemorated with special trains on the anniversary days in these two years. Services continued to operate on the four each way per day pattern with additional services at peak times in the summer months to coincide with island events. 1975–1977 Short Line Working In a cost-cutting measure, trains only operated between Port Erin and Castletown in 1975, and Port Erin and Ballasalla in 1976. The line to Douglas was still maintained as locomotives and rolling stock returned there to receive maintenance. There was much political controversy over the short-line workings and services were ultimately restored in 1977 although rails were lifted on the closed sections during this time. 1977 proved to be the final year of Railway Company operation of the line, again on a familiar seasonal basis with four trains each way per day between May and September. 1978–1986 Nationalisation Various timetables were experimented with in the early period of nationalisation; Notable in this period were the Friday only Winter Shoppers trains which ran during the 1981–1982 and 1983-1983 winter periods, with only one train from Port Erin and return