Manx Electric Railway announce bus replacement tram service!

In a remarkable development, the Manx Electric Railway have announced that an extensive tram service is to be provided across three days this month, due to strike action being taken by a local bus operator. With residents of the Isle of Man potentially facing a period of isolation, the MER have commendably stepped in to fill the gap, and in the process the history books are set to be re-written in spectacular fashion!

The MER used to operate trams regularly during the winter months, but this has become less common in the last decade, although the recent operation of ‘Santa Specials’ has been extremely welcome. However, this will pale into insignificance compared to the planned service which is due to run on 20th, 21st and 22nd December 2012. The most incredible decision concerns the start time, with the first tram due to depart from Laxey at 6:05am on these three days! This is believed to be the earliest start time ever in the 119 year history of the Manx Electric Railway, which would be an incredible occurance even in midsummer, never mind a few days before Christmas! A frequent morning service is provided for commuters, with an impressive three departures from Laxey Station before 6:30am. A more basic half-hourly frequency will be provided for much of the day, with the service increasing once again during the early evening as local residents travel home from work.

Turning our attention to the trams themselves, and seven cars are expected to be required each day to operate the advertised timetable. The serviceable winter saloon and tunnel cars will unsurprisingly form the bulk of the output, but with just six suitable enclosed cars currently available, attention has now been turned to the oldest tram on the system, 1893-built car 1. This tram, which is recognised by the Guiness Book of World Records as the oldest electric tramcar in the world that is still in normal public service on the system for which it was built, rarely appears even at the height of the summer season, with most of its use co-inciding with special events. Any use that this tram records this winter will therefore be incredibly rare, and will almost certainly rank as the most unusual working of 2012 on any tramway in the British Isles.

However, as if the potential use of car 1 wasn’t enough of a novelty, it is understood that its only surviving sister, car 2, also dating from 1893, is being prepared for service. This particular car has not been used since 2010 when it was one of several trams to be withdrawn with axle defects. The tram is now hastily being passed through the works for the necessary repairs and should be fit ahead of December 20th, in order to ensure that a spare enclosed car will be available if needed, in the event of any breakdowns. The sight of cars 1 and 2 running together has been absent from the island for the last few years, and as with 1, appearances by car 2 are incredibly rare. Finally, all three available enclosed trailers – 57, 58 and 59 – are also being prepared for use and will hopefully be used to boost capacity at anticipated peak times.

The MER’s response to a potential crisis cannot be praised enough, and it is to be hoped that the efforts being made to provide a useful service for island residents will be rewarded with healthy passenger numbers. It is amazing to think that trams which are well over 100 years old are being called upon to save the day when buses are not running – a far cry from what we are used to writing about!

Full details of the planned service for 20th-22nd December, including timetables, can be found at: http://manxelectricrailway.co.uk/latest-news/bus-strike-operations/ We would be pleased to hear from anyone who is able to obtain photographs of this historic event who would be interested in sharing them with our readers; if you can help, please contact us using the normal email address, or the comments box below.