Transport on the Isle of Man

We welcomed David Mead to our October meeting to give a presentation on the Transport of the Isle of Man using colour slides taken between the mid 1970s and the 1990s. Several trips were made to the Island with a Class 101 unit at Heysham being illustrated as David’s means of reaching the ferry to island in the mid 70s and a class 150 at the same location in the 1980s.

On arrival at Douglas David illustrated various ferries using the port before taking us on a ride along the Isle of Man steam railway to Port Erin. We were reminded that loco Number 3 “Pender” can be seen as a sectioned exhibit in the Science and Technology Museum at Manchester. We then visited the Manx Electric Railway, including the centenary celebrations in 1993 which provided the sight of a steam locomotive at Laxey.

Laxey is a terminus for the 3ft 6” gauge Snaefell Mountain Railway where the summit offers views of England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. Steam traction was used on the railway in 1995 for celebrations. This required the laying of an additional rail to the 3ft gauge. Back at Douglas we enjoyed a trip with the horse trams. As the subject of the talk was transport, not railways, we also studied buses there. The presentation concluded with the Great Laxey Mine miniature railway with locomotives “Ant” and “Bee” and a visit to the Groudle Glen Railway.

Our thanks to David for taking us back in time to the delightful island and its vintage transport.