On 7th September 1893 the official opening tram of the Manx Electric Railway travelled between Douglas and Groudle Glen which was then the full extent of the tramway and now exactly 120 years later a special celebration will be held on the MER although very limited details have actually been released as to how the tramway will be celebrating the occasion.
It has been revealed that there will be events taking place at Derby Castle, Groudle, Laxey and Ramsey although many of these will not actually be MER related! At Derby Castle there will be a craft fair featuring many local businesses selling their goods whilst at Groudle there will be a chance to purchase special commemorative covers on sale and the Groudle Glen Railway will be operating for an extra day. The special commemorative covers will also be on sale at Laxey where there will also be a bouncy castle, merry-go-round, marquee with funfair market stalls, Punch and Judy show and the Women’s Institute will also be on hand. At Ramsey things get a bit more 120th anniversary connected as there is a special MER Tramlines Exhibition at Quayles Hall which looks at the history of the line (open 1000-1600 between 7th and 14th September) with a talk by Norman Radcliffe on the day itself at 1100 and 1400 on the history of Ramsey including the arrival of the first tram. In addition the Ramsey Town Band will be playing on Ramsey Platform at 1100 and 1400 (providing the weather allows) and the original Michael Starkey 120th Anniversary paintings are on display at the town hall.
Whilst all of this has been revealed Isle of Man Railways have made no specific mention of what will actually be happening on the tramway. Initial publicity said that there would be a number of special services, photo opportunities, re-enactments and workshop tours but it is not know just what this will consist of. An enhanced service is still expected to run from Derby Castle but no details of this has been announced.
What is known though is that a special rover ticket will be available to buy in advance costing just £5 for an adult or £10 for a family – which even if just a standard service was being operated is incredible value for money. This ticket must be purchased in advance either from the Welcome Centre at the Sea Terminal or online at http://villagaiety.ticketsolve.com/shows/873502569/events and allows unlimited travel on the Manx Electric Railway only.