 John
travelled on the tram to Laxey and then made the short
walk to the Great Laxey Mines Railway, the newest line
on the Island. It features reproductions of the two
locomotives which once transported ore from the mines
to the washing floor and they now carry passengers along
part of the original trackbed
(Photo left: The “Lady
Isabella”, the Laxey Wheel.)
John spoke to Andrew Scarffe of the Laxey and Lonan
Heritage Trust about the railway, the mines and the
“Lady Isabella”, the Great Laxey Wheel.
From Laxey station John could have travelled on along
the coast to Ramsey, a spectacular line with the trams
running high along the edge of the cliffs. But Laxey
is also the terminus for the Snaefell Mountain Railway,
another electric tramway.
A scene on the Groudle Glen Railway from
2005 – the centenary celebrations for “Polar
Bear” (left). Her older sister “Sea Lion”,
110 years old this year, is on the right.
So John headed up Snaefell stopping off at The Bungalow,
the only intermediate stop on the line where the railway
crosses the mountain road which is part of the famous
TT course. At The Bungalow, John met up with one of
the few Manx TT winners, and President of the Joey Dunlop
Foundation, Richard “Milky” Quayle.
“Ant” with her passenger
carriage on the Great Laxey Mines Railway
At Groudle, John left the tram and walked down into
the glen for a trip on the Groudle Glen Railway. There
he chatted to Tony Beard of the Isle of Man Steam Railway
Supporters’ Association who run this delightful
train.
Snaefell Mountain Railway car
no. 1 prepares to depart Laxey for Snaefell summit
Then it was back onto the tram for the final run up
Snaefell and a chat with motorman John Crellin.
And John’s arrival at the Summit Hotel and walk
up the final few feet to Snaefell’s peak (2036’
above sea level) brought John’s journey to an
end. And from here, on a good day, they say you can
see seven kingdoms: England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales,
Heaven, Neptune and, of course, the Kingdom of Mann.
John and “Milky” Quayle at
The Bungalow
Radio series produced
by Ian Sinclair © BBC Northern Ireland
Useful links:
The official Isle of man Transport website:
http://www.iombusandrail.info/
For details of the Island’s vintage railway systems
click here:
http://www.isle-of-man.com/heritage/transport/index.shtml
Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters’ Association:
http://www.isle-of-man.com/heritage/transport/assoc.shtml
Manx Electric Railway Society:
www.mers.org.im
Great Laxey Mines Railway:
http://www.mers.org.im/greatlaxeyminerailway2006.htm
Another site with photos and details of the Manx railway
lines:
http://www.iomtramways.net/
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