Part 1: The Manx Electric Railway. 2023 was designated 'Year of the Railways' on the Isle of Man, the steam railway celebrated it's 150 anniversary having opened the line from Douglas to Peel in July 1873, however the main subject of this DVD is the Manx Electric Railway which opened it's first section from Douglas, Derby Castle, to Groudle Glen on the 7th September 1893. The 130th anniversary was celebrated on the 10th September 2023 with various events including a parallel run featuring trams 1 & 2, from Derby Castle to Groudle Glen. These trams date from the opening of the MER, they are the oldest working trams on their original line in the world. A second parallel run from Douglas to Laxey took place which conveyed VIP guests to Laxey where the Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man, General Sir John Lorimer, KCB, DSO, MBE, opened a Victorian Fayre and unveiled a plaque commemorating the 130th anniversary. Guided tours of Laxey car shed were available and on of these visits is included in this chapter. Laxey car shed is not an operational depot, but is used as storage for out of service trams and also as a workshop for renovation of these trams. The service was augmented on the 10th September with extra trams running between Douglas and Laxey, this video was filmed on the 9th, 10th and 11th of September 2023.

Part 2: The Snaefell Mountain Railway was opened in 1895 and runs from Laxey station to the summit of Snaefell, 2036 feet above sea level. 4 of the 6 trams built for the line are in service, No. 3 was destroyed in an accident in 2016 and No. 6 is being rebuilt with new bodywork. This chapter includes a visit to the Laxey depot and workshop where No. 6 can be seen, this tram is expected to re-enter service in 2024. There are now 4 braking systems on the trams, including the Fell rail system, this is a centre rail that the tram can grip on to for emergency braking. The 3ft 6" gauge railway is 4.9 miles long.

Part 3: The Douglas Bay Horse Tramway opened in 1876, in 1902 ownership passed to Douglas Corporation, in 2016 ownership passed to the Isle of Man government, the line is now operated by IOM Heritage Railways in common with the Manx Electric Railway, the IOM steam railway and the Snaefell Mountain Railway. Since the take over by the government the tram fleet has been reduced and now consists of 13 trams of several different types. A new depot at Derby Castle was completed in 2020 and new double track was laid between Strathallan Crescent and Villa Marina, the remaining section to the Sea Terminal abandoned, hopefully this section will be reinstated on roadside reservation along Douglas Promenade.

Subtitles, no commentary, enjoy the sights and sounds of trams & trains on the Isle of Man.

Produced by - Bob Hodges Transport DVD's
Running time - 72 Minutes
Format - 16:9 Widescreen PAL (UK)
DVD only
Released - December 2023