If you’ve been living under a rock so far this year you may have missed the news that the Manx Electric Railway will be celebrating its 125th Anniversary with a very special week long celebration between Saturday 1st and Saturday 8th September. Anticiptation for the event continues to build with the expected star of the show – Ratchet Car 14 – having now traversed the whole of the line on test with Ramsey reached over the past week whilst the last of the repaints for the celebrations – on Trailer 59 – is now drawing to a close. In this preview we take a look at what you can enjoy throughout the event.
When is it?
Daily between Saturday 1st and Saturday 8th September. Various events on each day.
Where is it?
Isle of Man. Most events take place on the Manx Electric Railway but a few involve the other tramways on the island.
What’s Going On?
A full list of events taking place can be found here in our full preview or in the official leaflet. Daily highlights include:
Saturday 1st September
Parallel Run – 1 and 2 between Derby Castle and Groudle
Oldest and Newest trams on timetabled services – 1, 2, 32 and 33
Sunday 2nd September
125th Birthday Party at Laxey Station including the three number 1s (MER 1, Snaefell 1 and Douglas Bay Horse Tramway 1)
Laxey Car Shed Tours
Monday 3rd September
Launch of Restored Ratchet Car 14
Tram and Two Wagons – special tour with 6 and wagons 8 and 10
Evening Parallel run with 1 and 2
Tuesday 4th September
Mail Tram Re-enactment
Tram and Two Trailers using car 33
Crossbench Photography Evening – 14, 16, 32 and 33 at Laxey
Wednesday 5th September
Groudle Day – 1 and 2 running Groudle shuttles
Tunnel Vision – 5, 6, 7 and 9 on timetabled service
Tram and Three Wagons using 32 along with wagons 8, 10 and mail van 16
Crossbench Evening Special using 14 and 16
Thursday 6th September
1975 Timetable Day
Goods Wagons in service – wagons 8 and 10, mail vans 4 and 16
Friday 7th September
Intensive service
Cavalcade of Trams at Laxey
Illuminated Tram and Trailer – 9 and 59
Saturday 8th September
Good Trams Photography Tour with 19, wagon 10 and mail van 4
Unusual Combinations in service
Colourful Combination Photography Tour with 21 and 51
Horse Tram Evening Run and Cavalcade
How much is it going to cost?
Normal fares apply for most events. Check out the leaflet for full details.
The Weather
To find out the all important weather for Douglas check out BBC Weather.
British Trams Online coverage
We will be providing daily updates on Facebook each evening starting from Tuesday 4th September. There will also be reminders each evening on these very pages of what is due to take place the following day.
Our full coverage on the main website will follow during September.