Rail transport in the Isle of Man

The Isle of Man has a rich transport heritage and boasts the largest narrow-gauge railway network in the British Isles[1] with several historic railways and tramways still in operation. These operate largely to what is known as "Manx Standard Gauge" (3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge)[2] and together they comprise about 65 miles (105 km) of Victorian railways and tramways. The Isle of Man Railway Museum in Port Erin allows people to find out more about the history of the Manx railways, and was until 1998 accompanied by a similar museum in Ramsey, which was dedicated to the history of the electric line, but this was closed and converted into a youth club. The steam railway to the south of the island, electric to the north and mountain line to the summit of Snaefell, the island's only mountain, are all government-owned, and operated under the title Isle of Man Railways, as a division of the island's Department of Infrastructure. The lines at Groudle Glen and Curraghs Wildlife Park are both privately owned but open to the public.[3]

Map of main railways in the Isle of Man
Railways and tramways of the Isle of Man
 Principal stations and interchanges only 
Orchid Line
details
not shown
Ramsey
(MNR)
(SMR)
Snaefell Summit
Ramsey
(MER)
Kirk Michael
Laxey
Sea Lion Rocks
(GGR)
Groudle
Lhen Coan
Peel
Knockaloe
St. John's
St. John's
(MNR)
(FR)
Foxdale
Derby Castle
Broadway
Sea Terminal
(DBHT)
Douglas
Douglas Head
Port Soderick
Ronaldsway
Castletown
Port Erin

See also Transport in the Isle of Man.

Lines

The lines listed in the table are or have been open to the general public. Most lines have "Manx Standard Gauge" of 3 ft (914 mm).

Name Start End Gauge Notes
Isle of Man Railway1873—3 ft (914 mm)Peel line closed 1969
Manx Northern Railway187919053 ft (914 mm)Taken over by the Isle of Man Railway in 1905. Last tracks used 1969.
Foxdale Railway188619053 ft (914 mm)Taken over by the Isle of Man Railway in 1905.
Snaefell Mountain Railway1895—3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Groudle Glen Railway1896—2 ft (610 mm)No service 1962 to 1983
Manx Electric Railway1893—3 ft (914 mm)
Douglas Bay Horse Tramway1876—3 ft (914 mm)
Great Laxey Mine Railway1877
2004		1929
—		19 in (483 mm)Former mine railway, reopened in 2004 as a tourist heritage railway
Upper Douglas Cable Tramway189619293 ft (914 mm)
Douglas Southern Electric Tramway or Marine Drive railway189619394 ft 8 in (1,422 mm)
Douglas Head Funicular Railway or Douglas Head Inclined Railway[4][5][6]190019544 ft (1,219 mm)Passenger incline railway
Port Soderick Cliff Lift [5][7][6]189619394 ft (1,219 mm)First Falcon Cliff Lift sold to Port Soderick and re-erected there in 1896
Laxey Browside Tramway[6]189019065 ft (1,524 mm)
Queen's Pier Tramway, Ramsey188219713 ft (914 mm)Restoration works under way
The Orchid Line, Wildlife Park, Ballaugh1992—VariousMiniature railway

There have been various other railways on the Isle of Man that have never been open for public transport, such as in the various mines around the island. Among these are/were:

  • Knockaloe branch line, owned by the IMR, for Knockaloe internees and supplies
  • Peel Harbour Tramway, construction railway, 3 ft (914 mm),steam locomotives, built 1864 or 1865 and dismantled 1873.[7]
    • Corrin's Hill 3 ft (914 mm) horse-drawn construction railway connecting a stone quarry to the incline railway.[7]
    • Incline railway connecting to the Peel Harbour Tramway, self-acting incline.[7]
  • Glenfaba Brickworks Tramway [8]
  • Falcon Cliff Lift incline railways:
    • one from 1887 to 1896, then sold and became the Port Soderick Cliff Lift,
    • new incline railway installed 1972 and operated until the 1990s,[9][5][6] track and installations still in place but overgrown.
  • Douglas Breakwater Crane Railway
  • Port Erin Breakwater Railway, a construction line for the Port Erin Breakwater. 7 ft (2,134 mm), steam traction, built 1864.
  • Crogga Valley Railway, a private garden railway
  • St. John's Gravel Line
  • Douglas Holiday Camp[7]
  • A second Laxey Mine tramway, 3 ft (914 mm), horsedrawn, on the lower washing floor, constructed around 1865 and lasted until at least 1918[7]
  • A construction railway to the Injebreck Reservoir, 3 ft (914 mm), built 1899, length 4½ miles from Hillberry to the Reservoir, worked with steam locomotives.[7]

About fifty other minor tramways, in the various mines, quarries and sand pits, or on RAF gunnery lines, existed on the island.[7]

See also

References
  1. Herring, Peter (2004). Yesterday's Railways. David & Charles. pp. 270–272. ISBN 978-0-7153-1733-4.
  2. Railways in the United Kingdom
  3. The Manx Steam & Model Engineering Club Archived 16 March 2011 at Archive.today
  4. The Isle of Man Railways: The Douglas Head Railway
  5. Marine Drive
  6. Isle of Man Cliff Railways
  7. The Industrial Archaeology of the Isle of Man Archived 21 November 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  8. The Isle of Man Railways: The Glenfaba Brickworks Tramway
  9. Falcon Cliff
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