I was told that Isle of Man is railway heaven (more so than Eryri!) and let’s be honest, the main reason for my trip to the Isle of Man in 2024 was to visit the island’s many railways. With (at least) SIX different railways the island certainly is railway heaven! Let me go through them one by one.
Isle of Man Steam Railway
Me being the steam fan that I naturally gravitate towards steam engines. And with the Isle of Man Steam Railway (IMR) I was not disappointed! The IMR is a 3 foot narrow gauge steam railway connecting Douglas and Port Erin. It’s approx 15.5 miles long and travels through the town of Castletown as well as Port Soderick, Santon and BallaSalla.
In years gone by there was also two other branchlines serving the port of Peel on the Western Coast of the Island and the town of Ramsey in the North of the Island. In addition there was a branchline serving the mining town of Foxdale. All three of these seem to have branched off near the village of St John’s. The line to Peel now forms the Steam Heritage Trail walking route… something I must do in future!
The trip from Douglas to Port Erin will take about an hour and at Port Erin be sure to stop at the Museum to see some of the old locomotives on display.
Take a look at the video I put together over on YouTube…
Manx Electric Railway
Another railway built during the boom of the Victorian tourist era in the 1880s. Initially built by Alexander Bruce, George Saunderson and Alfred Jones Lusty in order to develop land North of Douglas. The line ran from Derby Castle to Groudle Glen with the extension to Laxey following a year later in 1894. A few years later it was further expended to reach Ramsey on the North of the island.
After World War 2 it struggled financially and eventually was nationalised in 1957. Since then it has been operated by the IoM Government under the guise of Isle of Man Heritage Railways.
It mostly still operates with it’s original rolling stock with the exception of car 22 (a winter saloon) which had to be rebuilt after a fire in the 1990s.
It’s a really nice railway and I had the pleasure of travelling along it to Groudle Glen. I also spent some time at Laxey watching both the Manx Electric Railway and the Snaefell Mountain Railway.
Snaefell Mountain Railway
At Laxey you can transfer from the Manx Electric Railway over to the Snaefell Mountain Railway. The SMR is also an electric railway and scales the 2036 feet to the Summit of the only mountain in the Isle of Man – Snaefell.
Built in 1895 by the ever industrious Victorians, the electric trams have been carrying visitors and sightseers for over 120 years. Whilst some things have changed, the majority of the line and rolling stock is still from the Victorian era (might’ve been refurbished along the way!).
Groudle Glen Railway
Yet another narrow gauge line but this time it’s only a 2 foot gauge. It was also built by the Victorians (we have a lot to thank them for!) in 1896 to carry passengers from Groudle Glen over to Sea Lion Rocks where there was a zoo. Honest a cliff edge zoo… those Victorians were crazy!!
The railway ran up to the 1960s when it was closed. However it was reopened approx 20 years later in the 1980s and has been running ever since. It is now purely volunteer led. Open during the tourist season and runs on Wednesday evenings and Sundays.
We took a trip on a Wednesday evening and a lovely chat with the guard. Very friendly people on the Isle of Man.
Great Laxey Mines Railway
This little railway is so cute! The Great Laxey Mine Railway was originally built to serve the Isle of Man’s Great Laxey Mine, which was a lead mine in Laxey. It’s a 19 inch gauge railway and runs from the old mine entrance to the washing floors along a right of way that passes through the Isle of Man’s only remaining railway tunnel under the A2 road.
Here’s a video I put together of our visit….
Douglas Bay Horse Tramway
The Douglas Bay Horse Tramway has been in existence since the Victorian times. It was originally built in 1876 by Thomas Lightfoot as a tourist attraction – got to love those Victorian tourists! The journey hasn’t changed much since it’s inception and still carries tourists along Douglas promenade (approx 1.5 miles from Derby Castle to Villa Marina).
It’s a 3 foot narrow gauge tramway and the tramcars are hauled by horses known as “trammers”. The usual working life of a trammer is approximately 15 years and once they reach retirement they retire to Home of Rest for Old Horses in Douglas. During their working life they are stabled at the stables behind Tramway Terrace (near Derby Castle). At the time of writing there are 18 working trammers including our noble steed Alec (who loved mint imperials and has been a trammer since 2018 – a few years yet before he retires).
Other Railways or Railway Linked Attractions
The above were the ones I visited but I later found out about a few others as well as some railway linked attractions
- Queen’s Pier Railway – a simple little train offering passenger rides on Queen’s Pier, Ramsey. Recently reopened (August 2024 – I missed the reopening by 1 day!)
- Curragh’s Wildlife Park – there’s a miniature railway here but it wasn’t running the day we visited. The old Peel to Ramsey line runs right by the entrance and the old station building is still there.
- Crogga Valley Railway – it’s privately owned seven and a quarter gauge miniature railway on the Isle of Man. It is entirely operated by unpaid volunteers for charity events during the year. And can be accessed via the IoM Steam Railway’s Port Soderick station.
- House of Manannan – this Museum is on the site of the old Peel station and there’s a wonderful cafe there which displays some railway artefacts. During my visit there was also a little section in the Museum about the railways but I’m not sure if that’s a permanent feature or not
- IoM Railway Heritage Walk – the lost Douglas to Peel line has been converted into a walking route. It’s 20 miles long and can be done in sections. A nice one to do if you’re interested in abandoned railways (like me!)
And if that wasn’t enough you also have the annual Isle of Man Transport Festival which happens every July. It looks epic!
