It was an anniversary which it was feared may be celebrated without any trams running but on Sunday 7th August the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway was the centre of attention on the Isle of Man as 140 years of operation were celebrated. The highlights of the day included a nine tram cavalcade, the use of two horses hauling double decker no. 18 and trams on display outside the depot at Strathallan.
The 140th anniversary celebrations actually started the day before, Saturday 6th August, with the first behind the scenes tour of the stables (with members of the Friends of the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway doing the honours) – which now take place every Saturday and Sunday until October – taking place with a special tram service then running through until 2100. This saw a 20 minute service operating using two trams – Bulkheads 43 and 44 (the Royal Tram) – which in the main was fairly lightly loaded with the weather starting to deteriorate as Manannan’s cloak enveloped the island.
But the mane event (once again no apologies for the pun!) was on the actual anniversary of the opening of the tramway – Sunday 7th August. The day started warm and dry with the first advertised special event being the operation of double decker no. 18 with two horses. This was the first time for a huge seven days that a double decker had run with two horses (as part of the Manx Heritage Transport Festival – before then it was over a hundred years that this happened). The two horses chosen were the aptly named Douglas and William and they left Derby Castle shortly after 0900 with a full load of passengers (this wasn’t the first service of the day though as Royal Tram 44 had left with the 0900 departure). Having completed one round trip the two horses were walked round the tram and undertook another round trip before no. 18 was put on display outside the depot. In addition to no. 18 Toastrack no. 12 and Winter Saloon no. 1 were also displayed for photos outside the depot whilst in the stub tracks outside the Terminus Tavern Toastracks no. 21 and no. 38 were also out of the depot. The depot doors had also been flung open allowing views of some of the withdrawn trams at the back of the shed along with some of the operational trams not required for service.
Despite it being anniversary day for the rest of the morning and early afternoon it was a standard day with Bulkhead trams 36, 43 and 44 operating timetable P which sees trams running up to every 15 minutes. There was one unfortunate incident during the morning when Torren was hauling no. 36 from the Sea Terminal to Derby Castle. When the horse reached Castle Mona he slipped/tripped causing him to fall over ending up resting alongside the front of the tram. The quick actions of the crew operating the tram, passengers who has been travelling on the tram, passersby (including a bus driver who stopped alongside) moved the tram body away from Torren and he was able to get up. He was then walked back to the stables where a vet was called to give him the once over – it was later confirmed by Isle of Man Railways that he had only suffered minor cuts and bruises. The tram was towed back to Derby Castle by a pick-up to resume services.
The highlight of the day was shortly after 1600 when a grand cavalcade of trams was planned starting from Derby Castle to the Sea Terminal and return. It had been hoped that this would feature ten trams but in the end it was only possible for nine to be included. Of the trams included in this Cavalcade the biggest surprise was the inclusion of Toastrack no. 38 – a tram not considered to be part of the operational fleet and also not previously expected to be one of the 11 trams due to transferred to Isle of Man Railways for the future operation of the line.
The full Cavalcade was as follows:
William and 18
Una and 1
Steve and 12
Douglas and 44
Mark and 36
Philip and 38
Rocky and 45
Robert and 42
Amby and 43
As the Cavalcade arrived back at Derby Castle the non first choice trams (18, 1, 12 and 38) were taken straight into the depot and a normal service resumed with the final departure from Derby Castle being at 1800.
Douglas Bay Horse Tramway – 140 years not out! Here’s to the next 140 years!
William and Douglas head back towards Derby Castle with no. 18 during one of its two passenger runs at the start of 7th August.
Having completed its two passenger runs 18 was displayed alongside 1 outside the depot.
Toastrack 12 with Steve is seen outside the Villa Marine during the outbound Cavalcade. 12 is followed by 44, 36 and 38.
The unexpected sight of Toastrack 38 on the mainline again with Philip doing the honours. In this view the pair are arriving back at Derby Castle ready to go back into the depot and out of the limelight once again. (All Photographs by Gareth Prior)
* Full photographic coverage of the 140th anniversary events will follow on British Trams Online later this month.
Thank you for your excellent coverage of an event that we will never forget. It is wonderful that thanks to the efforts of dedicated people the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway is operating in 2016, has enjoyed a triumphant 140th anniversary (that so nearly didn’t happen), and that it is gaining the recognition it deserves as one of the world’s top heritage transport locations.
We have visited over the last 2 great weekends, riding in both parades and soaking up the ambience of the tramway at its best – the venerable trams, the lovable horses, the stables, the welcoming and friendly staff with such palpable care for the splendid animals with whom they work.
As suggested in your report, I also had the impression that the Saturday evening service was going to be lightly loaded, unlike the previous week when it had operated in relaxed warm evening sunlight. We joined in from about 7.30 pm and I am delighted to say that later on, and despite the conditions (and the mournful foghorn!) this seemed not to be the case, and we rode on several well supported journeys, which were picking up and dropping off passengers at stops along the route. The final tram, no 44, which dropped us off at our hotel around 9.40pm, was practically full!
Incidentally, that foghorn which was such an accompaniment to those evening journeys intrigued me, because my impression from the ‘Coast’ programmes and other reports I have heard is that foghorns on the mainland have been out of use for some years and (having an interest in ships as well) I was amazed to hear one still in use!
Non-runner tram 38 almost spoiled our plans because having ridden in 2 previous parades (September 2015 and the previous week), my wife and I had decided to stand by and watch this one. When I spotted 38 on the sidings I couldn’t have a tram I hadn’t ridden on taking part in the parade without being aboard it for at least one journey, so we had to queue up for tickets at the last minute! The ticket we received was actually for covered toastrack car 32, another non-runner which didn’t appear in the parade, so it looks as if 38 was a substitute. Its dull and unpolished brake handles indicated its years of disuse but it gave a good enough account of itself in the hands of horse Philip and a driver who had apparently been brought in for the occasion – in an interview Ian Longworth said that many retired ex-drivers were being assembled for the event.
We jumped off 38 at the Sea Terminal and walked back to witness the amazing sight of the parade being re-formed at the Villa Marina. The sudden and unexpected revival of 38, however, does raise the question of how many other of the disused cars could be brought back for a one-off, or possibly farewell? event in the case of those to be disposed of.
The previous week we had ridden on 1888 open toastrack car 12 on the outward journey of the parade, and changed to 1902 open toastrack 42 for the return with Rocky as motive power, who along with another horse, Amby, did not at all like the holdups around the Villa Marina while the parade was being re-formed, and became decidedly restless – he would have had to get used to it in the days when trams ran every 3 minutes and some reversed on the various crossovers! This also had the advantage that we followed 1892 winter saloon 29 in the procession, one of the most attractive cars of the fleet inside and out, which made for a classic sight evocative of one-time Victorian horse tramways everywhere.
Something I forgot to say in my previous response, again concerning our ride in the 140th anniversary parade in the rarely seen open toastrack 38, is that among the passengers seated alongside the driver on the front seat of the tram, was a lady holding a curious gold cone with holes in it that I had never seen before.
It turns out this was an Olympic torch (highly topical!) and I understand that this particular lady (I don’t actually know who she is) carried the Olympic torch on a horse tram in the run-up to the 2012 British Olympics.
Although we visited Douglas in 2012 (as it turned out the first of many subsequent visits for my wife and the Isle of Man has become something of a special place for us not least thanks to its wonderful transport), I think this was an event that had eluded me at the time – my apologies if you reported it! But it seems highly appropriate and delightful to know that the Olympic torch made part of its epic journey on a Douglas horse tram, and illustrates once again the special place and value the horse tramway has in the heritage fabric of Great Britain. It was also appropriate that such an event could be recalled at the horse tramway’s own special anniversary.
I was one of the ones who was very annoyed at having booked non refundable accomodation before Corpy played their blinder.
What a weekend!
This was way better than anything seen on youtube for previous aniversaries
Highlights
Satuday at 21.45 Coming back in the dusk on Toastrack
Saturday 22.00 ride up MER to Laxey with just us on board in ilumininated car 9 in semi fog
Sunday 09.00 Ride on top deck of Okell Double decker
Sunday 13.00 Lunch on Steam Railway Pullman
Sunday one way ride on open toastrack in cavalcade
Well done to the IOM railways for such a memorable weekend.
The fortunes of the tramway have certainly changed a lot in 6 months
I imagine that the Horse tramway will now be staying for ever.