Year of Railways

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.

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 tramcars from 1893.

The Isle of Man Steam Railway used a low loader to transfer one of their engines to Laxey where it ran a service pulling two MER trailers along a section of the MER to track Dhoon Glen. Tram 9 was decorated by engineers from Blackpool to become the 'Illuminated Tram' which then ran evening services to Groudle where the Groudle Glen Railway put on evening train services.

A tram Cavelcade was held in Laxey where every available tram, trailer, works vehicle and the Steam Engine performed a run by with a historic and trivia based commentary. This event ended with all of the trams and spectators departing the town at 10 minute intervals to return to their respective depots.

Photo trams and trains ran which would stop at preselected scenic locations so that the passengers could alight, photograph, then climb back aboard and proceed to the next location. The photo trains were also accompanied by chasing buses that shadowed them and chased ahead to await their arrival.

Special trains were put on that included running commentaries about the views and attractions along the length of the routes.

Whereas the railway services normally ceased to operate at dusk, floodlit barbecues were held with staff creating shunting movements for the benefit of spectators. These evenings also included guided tours around sheds and depots which would normally be closed to members of the public.

Organised by the staff and friends of the railways and backed up by the island's Department of Tourism and Leisure, which own the railways, these events were hailed on and off island as a resounding success. Total visitor numbers for the events were estimated at 35,000, second only at attracting visitors behind the TT Races.

ubsequent Festivals

Following the success of the Year of Railways, the Isle of Man Railways held other 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 Railway.
* 1996 for the centenary of the Groudle Glen Railway,
* 1998 Steam 125 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.

Although events still take place annually, these are on a much smaller scale, usually taking place over a weekend in July or August each year.