Steam and Horse Power from Douglas

There was a time when Mann resembled a big boys' train set, with lines circling the northern half of the island and reaching down to the south. Little wonder, then, that it became the inspiration for Revd Awdry's Isle of Sodar, home to Thomas the Tank Engine and his many friends. This map isn't quite complete, as there is also a horse drawn tramway that runs along Douglas promenade to the terminus of the Electric Railway.

As the Isle of Man's popularity as a holiday destination fell and road transport improved, the network was gradually torn up, but it is still possible to travel by rail most of the way from Ramsey in the north to Port Erin in the south, and taking in Snaefell on the way.

I've already written about my trip on the Snaefell Mountain Tramway. So for starters this time, join me on the island's only surviving steam-hauled railway, between Douglas and Port Erin.

Douglas Station used to be very grand indeed but with the loss of the lines to Peel and Ramsey it's been cut back to two platform faces. Despite this, it still has a 'main line' feel to it, dwarfing the little narrow-gauge engines and coaches.

That's our engine – No.12 Hutchinson – at the coaling stage. Every few minutes the safety valves would open, sending a woosh of steam skywards.

If you really want to see a railway, don't ride on it! The best views are to be had from the lineside, though I rather like this snap from S-'s video of the journey. It was taken just after leaving Santon.

Here is Hutchinson at journey's end, Port Erin, drawn up rather incongruously in front of a security fence. They're rebuilding the last bit of the line here, so our carriages had to be propelled by hand into a bay platform, so that No.12 could be released.

'Hats off' to the good people of Port Erin, for on arrival every train passenger was given a colourful leaflet, detailing the attractions of the little coastal town. Despite a fine drizzle blowing in from the sea, the beach looked inviting enough, though parts of town had clearly seen better days.

We found a pleasant beach-side cafe for coffee and cake then, eschewing Port Erin's remaining pleasures, headed back to Douglas on the next train.

A ten minute walk from Douglas Station brought us to the Victoria Pier end of the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway. This time there was no difficulty in taking photos – you just hop off, snap your photo, and hop on again.

It was only after returning home and reading about this tramway, that I realised how lucky we were to get a ride on it. Wikipedia informed me...

In January 2016, Douglas Corporation announced that the tramway had run for the last time the previous September and that they had closed it as it was not financially viable. The tramway had made a loss of £263,000 in 2015.

After an online petition attracted more than 2,000 signatures, the operation of the tramway was taken over by the Isle of Man Heritage Railways division and has continued in the 2016 and 2017 summer seasons.

I hope they keep it going, as it is rather a splendid way to travel the length of Douglas's grand promenade.