Douglas Bay Horse Tramway

Douglas Bay Horse Tramway Raad Yiarn Cabbyl Vaie Ghoolish
Roofed toastrack No. 35, Loch Promenade
Locale	Douglas, Isle of Man
Terminus	Derby Castle station / Victoria Pier
Commercial operations
Name	Douglas Bay Horse Tramway
Built by	Thomas Lightfoot
Original gauge	3 ft (914 mm)
Preserved operations
Owned by	Isle of Man Government
Operated by	Isle of Man Railways
Stations	Various (hail & ride)
Length	1.6 miles (2.6 km)
7 August 1876	Official opening
2 January 1900	Takeover, Douglas Corporation
30 September 1927	Winter service terminated
28 September 1939	Closed for duration
1 May 1946	Seasonal services resumed
Preservation history
9 August 1956	80th Anniversary
7 August 1976	Centenary parade
7 August 2011	135th Anniversary
Headquarters	Banks Circus
Website
www.rail.im

The Douglas Bay Horse Tramway on the Isle of Man runs along the seafront promenade for approximately 1.6 miles (2.6 km), from the southern terminus at the Victoria Pier, adjacent to the Isle of Man Sea Terminal, to Derby Castle station, the southern terminus of the Manx Electric Railway, where the workshops and sheds are located. It is a distinctive tourist attraction. However works have been underway to relay the track all of 2019 and at present only a third (from the Derby Castle) is usable, with no published completion date for the works.

History

The tramway was built and initially operated by Thomas Lightfoot, a retired civil engineer from Sheffield. His service was introduced in 1876 between the bottom of what is now Summer Hill and the bottom of Broadway in the centre of today's promenade adjacent to the Villa Marina. In the earliest days the track was expanded, and passing loops and long crossovers added so that by 1891 the line ran double track the entire length of the promenade, much as it does today. From opening it has operated every year, except for a period during the Second World War.,

In 1882, Lightfoot sold the line to Isle of Man Tramways Ltd, later the Isle of Man Tramways & Electric Power Co. Ltd, which also owned the Manx Electric Railway. The company went into liquidation in 1900 as a consequence of a banking collapse. The tramway was sold by the liquidator to Douglas Corporation in 1902. Since 1927 the tramway has run in summer only.

In 2015 Douglas Corporation partnered with Isle of Man Transport to introduce the 'Ticketer' system as used across the Island's other public transport systems. On board a Ticketer hand-held unit connects with the island-wide contactless Go Cards and individual tickets can also be purchased.

Closure

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.

Continuance

After an online petition attracted more than 2,000 signatures, the House of Keys established a committee to look into ways of retaining the iconic horse trams. The operation of the tramway was taken over by the Isle of Man Heritage Railways division of the Department of Infrastructure and continued in the 2016, 2017 and 2018 summer seasons. However there are plans to reduce part of the route from double to single track as part of the redevelopment of Douglas Promenade.

Description

The tramway is 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge, double track throughout, running down the middle of the road. Service is provided by 23 tramcars and some 45 horses. There have been several types of tramcar, and at least one of each type has been retained. Most services are maintained by "closed toastracks", with winter saloons and open toastracks also in semi-regular service. In summer, trams are stabled outdoors overnight adjacent to the Terminus Tavern public house, and there is a purpose-built tramshed where they are stored in winter. In 2014 it was announced by the Department of Infrastructure that during 2015 the horse trams would be temporarily suspended while resurfacing work on the promenade continued into its next phase, which runs from Regent Street to Strathallan. However, the plans were later revised, allowing regular horse tram operation to take place in 2015, 2016 and 2017.

Tramcars

Fleet

The remaining core of service trams represent a cross-section of various types of car used on the line over the years; notable exceptions from the current fleet are an umbrella car (one of which survives as a souvenir shop elsewhere) and a convertible car, although one of these survives in private ownership. This was the last of three cars from 1935 which were dubbed "tomato boxes" owing to their unconventional appearance. On 27 August 2016, after Douglas council took ownership, six trams were sold at auction, numbers 28, 33, 34, 37, 39 and 40.

Key:	Service Fleet	Undergoing Rebuild	Rebuilt	Awaiting Rebuild

No.	Built	Builder	Layout	Seats	Livery	Adverts	Notes
No. 1 (ii)	1913	G.F. Milnes-Voss & Co	Enclosed Saloon	30	Red & Cream	~	Replacement Vehicle
No. 12	1888	Starbuck Car & Wagon & Co	Open Toastrack	32	Blue & Gold	~	Ornamental Lamps "Heritage Fleet"
No. 18	1883	Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Co	Double Decker	42	Maroon & Gold	Okells Brewery	Converted Single-Deck (1904) Double-Deck (1989)
No. 21	1890	G.F. Milnes & Co.	Open Toastrack	40	Burgundy & White	~	Ornamental Lamps, Rebuilt 2018-2019
No. 27	1892	G.F. Milnes & Co.	Enclosed Saloon	30	Prussian Blue & Cream	~	Rebuilt, July 2017 - October 2018 "Heritage Fleet"
No. 29	1892	G.F. Milnes & Co.	Enclosed Saloon	30	Red, Black & Cream	~	Rebuilt October 2017 - January 2019
No. 32	1896	G.F. Milnes & Co.	Sunshade	32	Red & White	Promenade Embroidery	Undergoing Rebuild 2019 "Heritage Fleet"
No. 36	1896	G.F. Milnes & Co.	Roofed Toastrack	40	Red & White	~	Rebuilt 2017, Tram Of The Year
No. 38	1902	G.F. Milnes & Co.	Open Toastrack	40	Red & White	~	For Rebuilt 2019-2020
No. 42	1905	G.F. Milnes & Co.	Open Toastrack	40	Red & Varnish	Bushy's Brewery	Rebuilt 2017-2018 "Heritage Fleet"
No. 43	1907	United Electric Car Co	Roofed Toastrack	40	Red & White	Conister Bank
No. 44	1907	United Electric Car Co	Roofed Toastrack	40	Red, White & Blue	~	Royal Tram (1964 & 1972)
No. 45	1908	United Electric Car Co	Roofed Toastrack	40	Red & White	~	Rebuilt, October 2017 - March 2018

Scrapped Fleet

The tramway amassed at total of 50 cars, the final three arriving as late as 1935. Over the years several of these became surplus to requirements and were scrapped; many were stored in the former cable car depot at York Road, Douglas prior to its demolition to make way for a residential complex in 1990, others were dismantled being surplus to requirements over the years. Nos. 48 and 50 were purchased for possible use as wayside shelters on the Manx Electric Railway and were stored for a time at Derby Castle; the plan however never came to fruition and both vehicles were scrapped in 1982 leaving No.49 as the sole remaining example of this type of tramcar. No.46 was relocated to Nobles Park in Douglas in 1988 where it saw use as a shelter (memorably it carried a black and neon colour scheme latterly, promoting the Palace Lido); it was removed from the island and fully restored for museum display though later scrapped despite having been heavily reconditioned.

No.	Built	Builder	Layout	Seats	Scrap	Notes
No. 1 (i)	1876	Starbuck Car & Wagon Co	Double Decker	36	1901	Converted From Single Deck 1884, Later Replaced
No. 2	1876	Starbuck Car & Wagon Co	Double Decker	36	1948	Not Used After World War II
No. 3	1876	Starbuck Car & Wagon Co	Double Decker	36	1948	Not Used After World War II
No. 4	1882	Metropolitan Carriage Co	Double Decker	34	1949	Not Used After World War II
No. 5	1883	Starbuck Car & Wagon Co	Double Decker	34	1949	Not Used After World War II
No. 6	1883	Starbuck Car & Wagon Co	Double Decker	34	1949	Not Used After World War II
No. 7	1884	Starbuck Car & Wagon Co	Double Decker	42	1924
No. 8	1884	Starbuck Car & Wagon Co	Double Decker	42	1949	Not Used After World War II
No. 9	1884	Starbuck Car & Wagon Co	Open Toastrack	32	1952
No. 10	1884	Starbuck Car & Wagon Co	Open Toastrack	40	1979	Spare Parts Retained
No. 14	1887	Metropolitan Carriage Co	Double Decker	42	~	Destroyed in 1908 following rockslide in depot.
No. 15	1887	Metropolitan Carriage Co	Double Decker	42	1939	Purchased from South Shields Tramways
No. 16	1887	Metropolitan Carriage Co	Double Decker	42	1915	Purchased from South Shields Tramways
No. 17	1886	Metropolitan Carriage Co	Double Decker	48	1914	Ex-South Shields Tramways Converted Single Deck 1903 withdrawn 1914
No. 19	1889	G.F. Milnes & Co.	Open Toastrack	32	1949	Withdrawn & Stored 1940
No. 20	1889	G.F. Milnes & Co.	Open Toastrack	32	1949	Withdrawn & Stored 1940
No. 23	1891	G.F. Milnes & Co.	Umbrella Car	33	1952	Retractable Canvas Roof 1908, Later Fixed Roof
No. 24	1891	G.F. Milnes & Co.	Umbrella Car	32	1952	Retractable Canvas Roof 1910, Later Fixed Roof
No. 25	1891	G.F. Milnes & Co.	Open Toastrack	32	1952
No. 26	1891	G.F. Milnes & Co.	Open Toastrack	32	1974
No. 30	1894	G.F. Milnes & Co.	Open Toastrack	32	1950
No. 31	1894	G.F. Milnes & Co.	Open Toastrack	32	1987	Advertising Car 1968-1975
No. 41	1905	G.F. Milnes & Co.	Open Toastrack	40	1988	Spare Parts Retained
No. 46	1909	G.F. Milnes & Co.	Roofed Toastrack	40	1986	Sold to Birkenhead Tramway Museum 1990
No. 48	1935	Vulcan Motor & Engineering Co	Convertible Saloon	27/34	1978	Sold to Manx Electric Railway 1980
No. 50	1935	Vulcan Motor & Engineering Co	Convertible Saloon	27/34	1978	Sold to Manx Electric Railway 1980

Other tramcars

In addition to those cars remaining in the operational fleet, a number have survived and remained at other locations on the island; No. 14 spent several years at the Clapham Transport Museum until its closure, returning to the island in time for the centenary of the tramway in 1976; it entered the Manx Museum in 1991 where it remains today. No. 22 was converted into a souvenir shop used at Strathallan Crescent, it now resides at a transport museum in the north of the island where it fulfils the same role.

Key:	In Storage	Auctioned Off	Privately Owned	On Display

No.	Built	Builder	Layout	Seats	Location	Notes
No. 11	1886	Starbuck Car & Wagon & Cp	Open Toastrack	32	Jurby Transport Museum	Withdrawn 1976
No. 14	1887	Starbuck Car & Wagon & Co	Double Decker	42	Manx Museum	Houses Audio / Visual Display, Renumbered 1908 (Was No.13)
No. 22	1890	G.F. Milnes & Co.	Umbrella Car	32	Jurby Transport Museum	Former Tram Shop (Last Of Kind, Sunshade Roof)
No. 28	1892	G.F. Milnes & Co.	Enclosed Saloon	30	Off-Island Privately	Sold, August 2016 (£2,800)
No. 33	1896	G.F. Milnes & Co.	Sunshade, Glazed Bulkheads 1974	32	On-Island Privately	Sold, August 2016 (£1,200)
No. 34	1896	G.F. Milnes & Co.	Sunshade, Glazed Bulkheads 1972	32	Jurby Transport Museum	Sold, August 2016 (£1,300) Restored & Motorised 2018
No. 35	1896	G.F. Milnes-Voss & Co	Sunshade, Glazed Bulkheads 1966	32	Bulrhenny	On Display, Home Of Rest For Old Horses
No. 37	1896	G.F. Milnes & Co.	Sunshade, Glazed Bulkheads 1972	32	On-Island Privately	Sold, August 2016 (£1,100)
No. 39	1902	Starbuck Car & Wagon & Co	Open Toastrack, Lengthened 1934	40	Unknown, On-Island	Sold, August 2016 (£1,800) Manx Electric Railway Society
No. 40	1902	G.F. Milnes & Co.	Open Toastrack, Lengthened 1939	40	On-Island Privately	Sold, August 2016 (£1,000)
No. 47	1911	G.F. Milnes & Co.	Bulkhead	40	Jurby Transport Museum	Withdrawn 1976
No. 49	1935	Vulcan Motor & Engineering Co.	Convertible Saloon	27/34	Ramsey, Isle of Man	Withdrawn 1978 (Last Of Kind) Privately Owned

Future

Despite being the world's last remaining 19th century original horse-drawn passenger tramway and the second-oldest operational rail system on the island, the future of the tramway has been brought into question in recent years. Various plans were submitted by the island's Department of Infrastructure to rebuild the Douglas Promenades. In one version, the tramway would move from its current location in the middle of the roadway to a new single line formation adjacent to the Promenade walkway. The new plans have come in for some criticism from a large group of local residents who object to the siting of the trams near to the walkway. This is all rather irrelevant now, as a fortune is being spent in 2019 relaying the tracks in the middle of the road as they always were.

See also

• Transport on the Isle of Man
• Victor Harbor Horse Drawn Tram, a horse-drawn tramway in Australia
• List of light-rail/tram systems
• List of town tramway systems in Europe

References

Bibliography

• Heavyside, Tom (2010). Douglas – Laxey – Ramsey: including the Groudle Glen Railway. Narrow Gauge Branch Lines series. Midhurst, West Sussex, UK: Middleton Press. ISBN 9781906008758.
• Hendry, Robert (1993). Rails in the Isle of Man: A Colour Celebration, Midland Publishing Limited, ISBN 1-85780-009-5
• Pearson, Keith (1999). Douglas Horse Tramway - A Millennium Year History, 1st Edition, Adam Gordon, ISBN 978-1-874422-25-9
• Johnston, Norman. "Douglas Horse Trams in Colour." Omagh: Colourpoint Press, 1995. ISBN 9781898392101.

External links

• Douglas Borough Council - tramway page
• Isle of Man Horse Drawn Trams
  • The Douglas Bay Horse Tramway
• Tram Travels: Douglas Bay Horse Tramway
• Friends of Douglas Bay Horse Tramway