tramways, railways (and more) in the IoM
On February 20th the Department of Tourism & Leisure Minister announced in Tynwald that the Manx Electric Railway will not run between Laxey and Ramsey this year. The reason given is “safety” - some portions of the track seem to be in a state that can no longer be called safe. The winter track renewal programme ran out of material.
In March it was announced that there will be (after all) single-track running north of Laxey. This is during the operating season of July to September.
This website is all about the IoM’s tramways and railways. Soon we will show photos and fleet lists here. At a later stage we will also add other modes of transport like:
Here is a map of the IoM showing the various lines (click to enlarge):
Along the MER right of way you can see various notices nailed onto plaster wood. We have replicated one of these notices for you to download! You will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader® software to open the file.
Not a tramway or a railway but never-the-less a most interesting little line with a long history & a remarkable survivor. The Falcon Cliff Hotel stands some 250 feet above the Central Promenade in Douglas. In 1887 a Cliff Lift was built to give better access to the hotel. The double-track 4′ 0″ gauge Incline Railway was dismantled in 1896 and re-erected at Port Soderick. A second Public-Lift was built in 1932 by William Wadsworth Ltd. (rebuilt in 1937 and converted from D.C. to A.C. operation in 1950). The Cliff Lift is an elevator with the passenger cabin being propelled in a steel channel on an incline of 60 degrees. It has been out of use for a number of years now but everything is still there today.
Today there is only one steam railway left in the IoM - the line from Douglas to Port Erin. The first steam railway to open in 1873 was the 11 ½ mile long Douglas to Peel line built by the Isle of Man Railway Company (IMR). A year later the 15 ½ mile long Port Erin line was opened. The company had wanted to build a line to Ramsay but could not find enough funds. In 1877 a separate company (the Manx Northern Railway) was formed to build a line from St. Johns to Ramsey (16 ½ miles) - this was achieved by 1879. The last railway to be built (and the first to close in 1945) was the short Foxdale Railway which was later incorporated into the MNR. The collapse of Dumbell’s Bank in 1900 resulted in financial uncertainty for many companies in the IoM and in 1903 the MNR had to sell out to the IMR. 1965 was almost the end for the railways. UK holiday makers had discovered cheap holidays abroad and the passenger numbers on the IMR had fallen accordingly. Freight service has also almost completely disappeared. No trains ran in 1966. The Marquis of Ailsa leased the IMR for 21 years from 1967 and services started again to run, though the Peel and Ramsey lines closed in 1968/9. The IMR still lost money and the Marquis was able to terminate the lease after 5 years (as per the original contract). Today the IMR is run by the IoM government (like the MER and the SMR).
The 3′ 0″ gauge Pier Tramway opened in July 1886 but the pier and tramway closed in 1981. For many years only baggage cars were used on the pier and these were pushed by hand. After that both passenger and baggage cars were operated by the petrol loco. The last steamers used the pier in 1970 and the pier was closed many years ago .
From 1896-97 to 1939 the Douglas Southern Electric Tramway (4′ 8 1/2″ gauge) took passengers from Douglas Head (reached by Ferry and Incline Railway) to Port Soderick (where a Cliff Lift could be used to reach the beach below - see also Falcon Cliff Hotel Lift). After closure the rolling stock remained in the depot until 1951-52 before being scrapped (only one car survived this fate). This line was unique on the IOM using conventional standard gauge double deck cars. Almost nothing remains of this lovely little line and its connecting Incline and Cliff Lift. To see the sole remaining car one has to travel to the National Tramway Museum in Crich, Derbyshire, where it is now on static display.
The cable tramway ran through upper Douglas from 15.8.1896 to 19.8.1929. Originally, both ends of the line met the horse tramway on the promenade but the track connections were never used. The depot in York Road (which unfortunately got demolished only a few years ago) was also used as the workshop for the horse tramway. Only one car survives today and can be found inside the tram depot. Outing of this car on the line are extremely rare these days unfortunately. The Horses are still frightened of the vehicle and the car has to stop whenever a horse tram passes.
Horses have been pulling tramcars along Douglas Promenade daily since 7th August 1876 and from November 1927 onwards still do so every summer (mid May to Mid September). Many cars in the fleet have been scrapped as the tourist trade diminished over the years but the surviving examples now seem to have a secure future. The company was originally owned by Mr Thomas Lightfood but was sold to the Isle of Man Tramways in January 1882. In March 1894 the line came under the control of the Isle of Man Tramways and Electric Power Co. who also owned the Douglas to Laxey electric tramway. After the liquidation of the I.O.M.T.& E.P. Co. in 1902 (after the desasterours failure of Dumbell’s Bank in 1900) Douglas Corporation purchased the horse tramway and the cable tramway from the receivers. The Corporation sold it’s bus operations to the Government in 1976 and it remains to be seen how long the 3′ 0″ gauge tramway will continue independent from the other lines on the island (i.e. M.E.R. and Steam Railway). At the terminus and depot (opened as late as 1894) at Derby Castle it meets the M.E.R. but there is no track connection.
Opened on 21st August 1895 this line was built as an extension to the M.E.R. from Laxey to the summit of Snaefell, the island’s highest mountain. Due to the steep gradients (1 in 12) the line uses the wider 3′ 6″ gauge with a fell rail in the centre for additional braking and runs on the right. The car works and depot (the original structure was replaced in Centenary Year 1995) are situated just above the Laxey terminus but major overhauls are carried out at Derby Castle. For this the cars have to be placed on to temporary bogies. The rolling stock on this mountain railway is very similar to M.E.R. cars 10-13 (long since gone from the fleet) with two bow collectors.
