Put the dates in your diary! The Manx Heritage Transport Festival 2025 will take place between Tuesday 22nd and Sunday 27th July, and once again organisers have come up with a varied programme which will encompass the Manx Electric Railway, Snaefell Mountain Railway and Douglas Bay Horse Tramway as well as the Isle of Man Steam Railway.
This year the headline highlights will include:
- 130 years of the Snaefell Mountain Railway
- Photography specials
- Guided Track Tours
- Workshop and Depot Tours
- Motorman Taster Sessions
- Special timetables and combinations
- Unusual items of rolling stock in use
- Vintage buses and vehicles
- Taster events leading into 2026 when the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway will celebrate 150 years and it will be 50 years since the nationalisation of buses
More specific highlights include:
- Return to service of Manx Electric Railway trailer 50 for the first time since 1978 on Tuesday 22nd July
- Manx Electric Railway parallel runs
- Manx Electric Railway Evening Photography on Wednesday 23rd July using 1, 7, 19 and 32 lined up around Bulgham and Ballaragh.
- MER Derby Castle Workshop and Yard tours (Thursday 24th July and Saturday 26th July)
- Evening Photography at Derby Castle Yard featuring 1893 rolling stock (Thursday 24th July)
- Laxey Car Shed Open Day (Friday 25th July)
- Snaefell Mountain Railway Shed Tours (Friday 25th July)
- Shuttle services using MER works car 34 and NATS 3 on the Snaefell Mountain Railway
- Snaefell Mountain Railway tour covering as much track as possible (Saturday 26th July)
- Snaefell Mountain Railway Four Cars at the Summit Photography (date to be decided based on weather!)
- Variety of trams in service on the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway including Toastrack 42 being hauled by 2 horses (Sunday 27th July). A display of all available horse trams in the sidings outside the Terminus Tavern (Sunday 27th July)
And that’s just touching the surface of an event which just goes from strength to strength!
- Full details can be found at https://www.iombusandrail.im/media/3225/manx-heritage-transport-festival-2025.pdf