The annual Manx Transport Festival takes place between Wednesday 25th and Sunday 29th July and will once again provide transport enthusiasts the chance to sample the various unique forms of transport on the Island including the Manx Electric Railway and Snaefell Mountain Railway.
Although many of the events during the Festival concentrate on the Isle of Man Steam Railway and don’t fall within the remit of this website there should still be plenty to keep tram enthusiasts happy with both the Snaefell Mountain Railway – including the popular Snaefell Sunset Dinner – and the Manx Electric Railway featuring extensively.
On Wednesday 25th July a special postal stamp service will operate between Snaefell Summit and Derby Castle using both the SMR and MER. The 1540 departure from Snaefell Summit will include the delivery of limited railway stamp covers, cancelled with Railway station postmarks. On arrival at Laxey they will be transferred to the MER Mail
Van which is due to be attached to the 1625 departure to Derby Castle. Then during the evening one of the popular Snaefell Summit Dinner’s will take place with a MER tram departing Derby Castle at 1740 and returning at 2155.
The next two days will be concentrated on the Isle of Man Steam Railway but on Saturday 28th July the MER certainly comes into its own as an enhanced 12 tram service is due to be in operation. This will see Timetable F in use plus additional services and for anyone attending the event a full timetable will be available on the day from Derby Castle, Laxey and Ramsey stations. The basic pattern of the service will see a tram from Derby Castle running to Laxey every 10 minutes in the morning and every 15 minutes in the afternoon. As well as this special service a selection of trams – including number 1 – will be on display at Derby Castle throughout the day and there will be free visits to Laxey Substation between 1100 and 1500.
The enhanced timetable F with extras and utilising 12 trams will be in operation again on Sunday 29th July although this time trams run from Derby Castle to Ramsey every 15 minutes in the morning and every 30 minutes in the afternoon. Again a timetable for the
day will be able to be picked up at Douglas, Laxey and Ramsey stations on the day. To add further interest all southbound trams will stop at Bulgham Head for 2 minutes for photo opportunities. Also a special tram will depart Ramsey at 1225 to visit the former MER quarries at Dhoon where a guide will point out old railway points of interest and inform you of some of the history involved with the MER and the Island’s quarries. Finally the SMR will also be getting involved as there will be Sunday Lunch at Snaefell Summit.
Full details on the events, including prices, can be found on the Isle of Man Bus and Rail website at http://www.iombusandrail.info/events/manx-heritage-transport-festival.html