Year of Railways
Encyclopedia
The Year of Railways was a series of special events held on the Isle of Man
during 1993 to commemorate the centenary of the opening of the first section of the Manx Electric Railway
from Douglas
(Derby Castle) to Groudle in September 1893.
Prior to 1993 the Isle of Man's steam and electric railways were already established as tourism attractions and had put on special events previously such as the 1973 Steam Railway Centenary, the 1993 Year of Railways was used as an opportunity to promote the Island as a mecca for rail and engineering enthusiasts.
Organised by the staff and friends of the railways including local preservationist groups, and backed up by the island's Department of Tourism and Leisure, which own the railways, these events were hailed both on and off the island as a resounding success. Total visitor numbers for the events were estimated at 35,000, second only at attracting visitors behind the T.T. Races. The success of the year's events paved the way for a period of much interest in the island's railways over the next years, and this was reflected in the array of events between 1994 and 1998 culminating in the one hundred and twenty fifth anniversary of the railway.
There were also lower key events in 1997 and 1999 for the centenary of tram services to Ramsey
, but despite their smaller presence they were well-attended by visitors.
From 1999 although events still took place annually they were held on a much smaller scale, usually taking place over a weekend in July or August each year with less "unique" events being held. They usually consisted of more straightforward events such as unusual tramcars in operation, double-headed trains, non-passenger vehciles in service. Events such as night photography, slide shows and such, were phased out.
From 2009 the event has been re-named as the "Manx Heritage Transport Festival", and it is intended to hold the event annually over the same period in future; namely, commencing on the Wednesday of the last week in July and continuing until the following Tuesday, with events on all railways, and some non-rail events such as vintage bus tours, boat trips, and the like.
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
during 1993 to commemorate the centenary of the opening of the first section of the Manx Electric Railway
Manx Electric Railway
The Manx Electric Railway is an electric inter-urban tramway connecting Douglas, Laxey and Ramsey in the Isle of Man. It connects with the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway at its southern terminus at Derby Castle at the northern end of the promenade in Douglas, and with the Snaefell Mountain Railway at...
from Douglas
Douglas, Isle of Man
right|thumb|250px|Douglas Promenade, which runs nearly the entire length of beachfront in Douglasright|thumb|250px|Sea terminal in DouglasDouglas is the capital and largest town of the Isle of Man, with a population of 26,218 people . It is located at the mouth of the River Douglas, and a sweeping...
(Derby Castle) to Groudle in September 1893.
Prior to 1993 the Isle of Man's steam and electric railways were already established as tourism attractions and had put on special events previously such as the 1973 Steam Railway Centenary, the 1993 Year of Railways was used as an opportunity to promote the Island as a mecca for rail and engineering enthusiasts.
Events
Although 1993 was the centenary of the Manx Electric Railway, the events showcased all of the Islands railways and more with intensive activities during three periods. Each of the event periods commenced with "meet and greet" sessions held at Summerland where organisers, directors, staff and other influential people from the railways were on hand. As well as outlining the event timetables, there were slideshows, Questions and Answer sessions and general chat. The majority of the events were simple railway-based activities although the opportunity was also taken to do things a little different. They included:- Parallel-running of the two original tramcarTramcarThe Tramcar is a trackless train service running on the Boardwalk in the Cape May County, New Jersey communities of Wildwood and North Wildwood. The service, which began on June 11, 1949, takes passengers along the two-mile long Wildwood boardwalk...
s dating from the opening of the line; this usually took place prior to daily services to facilitate use of both running lines
- Use of a low loader to transfer No. 4 "Loch" of the Isle of Man RailwayIsle of Man RailwayThe Isle of Man Railway is a narrow gauge steam-operated railway connecting Douglas with Castletown and Port Erin in the Isle of Man. The line is built to gauge and is long...
to Laxey where it ran a service pulling two MER trailers along a section to Dhoon Quarry
- Tram 9 decorated by engineers from Blackpool to become illuminated; it ran shuttles to Groudle where the Groudle Glen RailwayGroudle Glen RailwayThe Groudle Glen Railway is a narrow gauge railway north of Douglas in the Isle of Man which is owned and operated by members of the Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters' Association and operates on summer Sundays; May to September and Wednesday evenings in July and August along with a number of...
put on evening services
- Tram Cavalcade at Laxey where every available tram, trailer, works vehicle and the steam engine performed a run by with a historic and trivia based commentary
- Photo trams and trains ran which would stop at preselected scenic locations so that the passengers could alight, photograph and proceed to the next location
- Chasing buses that shadowed special services to viewpoints and chased ahead to await the arrival of trains/trams, sometimes utilising vintage buses
- Special tram services were featured that included running commentaries about the views and attractions along the length of the routes with stopping places
- Floodlit evening photography and barbecueBarbecueBarbecue or barbeque , used chiefly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of...
s were held with staff creating shunting movements for the benefit of spectators, often with little-used rolling stock
- Guided tours around sheds and depots which would normally be closed to members of the public, both in the day and in conjunction with evening sessions
- Guided walks of the closed railway lines to Peel, Ramsey and Foxdale with connecting vintage buses and coaches between venues, and refreshments
- Slide and film shows with a "bring your own along" policy ensuring a varied mix of entertainments, also including raffles and other attractions
- Operation of the restored Upper Douglas Cable Car along the promenade at Douglas prior to the operation of usual horse tram services
- Cavalcade line-ups of the horse tram fleet outside the workshops at Derby Castle, including some rarely-used tramcars in service along the promenade
- The return of "Polar Bear" to the Groudle Glen Railway for a month-long visit, including double headed trains, freight trains, and the like
Organised by the staff and friends of the railways including local preservationist groups, and backed up by the island's Department of Tourism and Leisure, which own the railways, these events were hailed both on and off the island as a resounding success. Total visitor numbers for the events were estimated at 35,000, second only at attracting visitors behind the T.T. Races. The success of the year's events paved the way for a period of much interest in the island's railways over the next years, and this was reflected in the array of events between 1994 and 1998 culminating in the one hundred and twenty fifth anniversary of the railway.
Subsequent Festivals
Following the success of the Year of Railways, the lines played host to similar events to celebrate other milestones in the histories of the islands railways.- 1994 100 years of tram services to Laxey.
- 1995 The International Railway Festival marked the centenary of the Snaefell Mountain RailwaySnaefell Mountain RailwayThe Snaefell Mountain Railway is an electric mountain railway on the Isle of Man in Europe. It joins the town of Laxey with the summit of Snaefell, at above sea level the highest point on the island. It connects with the Manx Electric Railway in Laxey. The line is long, built to gauge and...
. - 1996 for the centenary of the Groudle Glen RailwayGroudle Glen RailwayThe Groudle Glen Railway is a narrow gauge railway north of Douglas in the Isle of Man which is owned and operated by members of the Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters' Association and operates on summer Sundays; May to September and Wednesday evenings in July and August along with a number of...
, - 1998 Steam 125Steam 125Steam 125 was a series of events held in 1998 to mark the 125th anniversary of the Isle of Man Railway opening its first route from Douglas to Peel the railway ran a large number of special events. Most notable was the return to service of the original steam locomotive No...
marked 125 years of the Isle of Man Steam Railway from Douglas to Peel.
There were also lower key events in 1997 and 1999 for the centenary of tram services to Ramsey
Ramsey, Isle of Man
Ramsey is a town in the north of the Isle of Man. It is the second largest town on the island after Douglas. Its population is 7,309 according to the 2006 census . It has one of the biggest harbours on the island, and has a prominent derelict pier, called the Queen's Pier. It was formerly one of...
, but despite their smaller presence they were well-attended by visitors.
From 1999 although events still took place annually they were held on a much smaller scale, usually taking place over a weekend in July or August each year with less "unique" events being held. They usually consisted of more straightforward events such as unusual tramcars in operation, double-headed trains, non-passenger vehciles in service. Events such as night photography, slide shows and such, were phased out.
From 2009 the event has been re-named as the "Manx Heritage Transport Festival", and it is intended to hold the event annually over the same period in future; namely, commencing on the Wednesday of the last week in July and continuing until the following Tuesday, with events on all railways, and some non-rail events such as vintage bus tours, boat trips, and the like.
External links
- Isle of Man RailwayIsle of Man RailwayThe Isle of Man Railway is a narrow gauge steam-operated railway connecting Douglas with Castletown and Port Erin in the Isle of Man. The line is built to gauge and is long...
- Manx Electric RailwayManx Electric RailwayThe Manx Electric Railway is an electric inter-urban tramway connecting Douglas, Laxey and Ramsey in the Isle of Man. It connects with the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway at its southern terminus at Derby Castle at the northern end of the promenade in Douglas, and with the Snaefell Mountain Railway at...
- Snaefell Mountain RailwaySnaefell Mountain RailwayThe Snaefell Mountain Railway is an electric mountain railway on the Isle of Man in Europe. It joins the town of Laxey with the summit of Snaefell, at above sea level the highest point on the island. It connects with the Manx Electric Railway in Laxey. The line is long, built to gauge and...
- Douglas Horse Tram
- Groudle Glen RailwayGroudle Glen RailwayThe Groudle Glen Railway is a narrow gauge railway north of Douglas in the Isle of Man which is owned and operated by members of the Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters' Association and operates on summer Sundays; May to September and Wednesday evenings in July and August along with a number of...
- Great Laxey Mine RailwayGreat Laxey Mine RailwayThe Great Laxey Mine Railway was originally constructed to serve the Isle of Man's Great Laxey Mine, a lead mine located in Laxey. The gauge railway runs from the old mine entrance to the washing floors along a right of way that passes through the Isle of Man's only railway tunnel under the gauge...