21st August 2020 marks the 125th anniversary of the Snaefell Mountain Railway and although the Covid-19 pandemic means that the celebrations for this key milestone will have to be scaled back a new set of six stamps has just been released featuring the railway over the years.
Available in a Presentation Pack, as a First Day Cover and as a set, these six stamps are a good commemoration of the railway which has been running between Laxey and the Summit since 1895. It was the first mountain railway in the British Isles and climbs 2,036 feet above sea level using the Fell system – the last railway in the world to do so. Whilst the last few years have been challenging with high profile run-away incidents, recent safety improvements have been introduced to bring the line up to more modern standard and ready to run for the next 125 years!
The six stamps are:
1st – Opening Day
EU – No. 1 approaching Bungalow in the Blue and White livery
L – No. 6 at Lhergy Veg
ROW – No. 5 passing the statue of a Laxey Miner on Mine Road, Laxey
£1.82 – No. 5 at the Summit on the Evening Service
£1.92 – Summit Hotel in 1905
On Thursday 25th June, Isle of Man Post Office in partnership with the Department of Transport, held a special gathering at Bungalow and the Summit to launch the stamps. No. 1 was used to convey invited guests to the launch which was also used to launch a new book on the Snaefell Mountain Railway by Andrew Scarffe. 125 First Day Covers were transported on board the tram and these were signed by Andrew Scarffe and are now available as a special set along with the book from the Isle of Man Post Office.
To find out more about the stamps – and to order them – please visit the Isle of Man Post Office website.