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 with several historic railways and tramways still in operation. These operate largely to what is known as "Manx Standard Gauge" and together they comprise about 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.

Lines

The lines listed in the table are or have been open to the general public. Most of the major lines had/have "Manx Standard Gauge" of.
NameOpenedClosedGaugeLengthNotes
Isle of Man Railway1873Peel line closed 1969
Manx Northern Railway18791905Taken over by the Isle of Man Railway in 1905. Last tracks used 1969.
Foxdale Railway18861905Taken over by the Isle of Man Railway in 1905.
Snaefell Mountain Railway1895
Groudle Glen Railway1896No service 1962 to 1983
Manx Electric Railway1893
Douglas Bay Horse Tramway1876
Great Laxey Mine Railway1877
2004
1929
Former mine railway, reopened in 2004 as a tourist heritage railway
Upper Douglas Cable Tramway18961929-
Douglas Southern Electric Tramway or Marine Drive railway18961939
Douglas Head Funicular Railway or Douglas Head Inclined Railway19001954Passenger incline railway
Port Soderick Cliff Lift18961939First Falcon Cliff Lift sold to Port Soderick and re-erected there in 1896
Laxey Browside Tramway18901906
Queen's Pier Tramway, Ramsey18821971Restoration works under way
Orchid Line, Wildlife Park, Ballaugh1992VariousMiniature railway
First Falcon Cliff Lift, Douglas18871896Sold and became the Port Soderick Cliff Lift
Second Falcon Cliff Lift, Douglas19271990Track and installations still in place but overgrown.

There have been various other railways on the Isle of Man that have never been open for public transport, such as those in the various mines around the island. Among these are/were:
;Glenfaba
;Garff
  • A second Laxey Mine tramway,, horsedrawn, on the lower washing floor, constructed around 1865 and lasted until at least 1918
;Middle
;Rushen
About fifty other minor tramways, in the various mines, quarries and sand pits, or on RAF gunnery lines, existed on the island.

Use in film

The BBC adaptation of The Ginger Tree in which it doubled for communist Russia using the carriage shed at Douglas, lineside scenes and as well as being the subject of a 1988 BBC documentary as part of the Train Now Departing... series in an episode called "Steam in the Isle of Man". Other television credits include an adaptation of The Legend of the Tamworth Two, the television movie Stiff Upper Lips and the long-running travelogue show Wish You Were Here...? which featured Sir Norman Wisdom. In more recent times Great Coastal Railway Journeys has showcased the railway as well as Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure.