M is for Isle of Man Transport (Part 5: The Horse Tramway)

Wednesday 21st June 2023

It’s definitely in my top ten favourite public transport journeys and should be on everyone’s bucket list. There aren’t many places in the world you can still ride on a horse drawn tram, but one still operates along the promenade road around Douglas Bay and it’s well worth a visit.

Indeed the tracks have recently been relaid as part of a £25 million Government funded public realm improvement with a special section of track now reserved only for the horse tram leading to its southern terminus by Villa Marina.

The rest of the mile long route sees the horse tram glide along tracks in the middle of the road …

… which makes for interesting arrangements for passengers to alight at tram stops…

… with conductors putting their arm out to warn and stop undertaking traffic …

… allowing passengers to clamber down and reach the footpath safely as well as walk across from the stop to board.

The conductor let’s the driver know to stop by blowing a whistle really loudly and again when it’s ready to move off.

It’s a great tourist attraction but I doubt it is financially viable. Each tram car only seats 18 passengers and involves a three person team to operate each journey.

As well as the conductor there’s the driver and someone from the stables to look after the horse.

Each time the tram reaches the terminus, the driver unhooks the horse …

… while the stableman/woman leads the horse round to the other end for the return journey, with the driver reattaching the horse to the tramcar.

Every few journeys the stableman/woman swaps over the horse to give it a well earned rest.

Meanwhile the conductor changes the points …

… as the driver (well, the horse actually) drives forward …

… ready for the next journey and for passengers to board.

It was originally intended the relaid tram tracks would continue a further three quarters of a mile southwards to the Sea Terminal where it used to terminate before the changes, but this plan was abandoned during the public realm improvement works, possibly to save money…

At the former terminus near the Sea Terminal in 2016.

… but now it’s been truncated many feel it’s missing its main traffic objective as the southern terminus isn’t close to other attractions although there are many hotels on the promenade.

The northern terminus is at Derby Castle where there are stables and a garage where the tramcars are based.

This is where the horses are swapped over …

… and there are connections to the Manx Electric Railway as it’s the southern terminus of the electric trams that operate along the coast north to Laxey and Ramsey.

Guided tours of the stables take place on certain weekends (there’s one in July, August and October) and there’s a virtual tour available on line by clicking on this link.

There’s also a museum and gift shop.

Out on the road the conductor needs some nimble footwork as he or she walks along the small outer ledge on the tram car taking fares and checking tickets.

I used my smartcard Explorer ticket on this visit so didn’t need to buy a ticket but last time I was on the Island in 2016 it wasn’t long after hand held electronic ticket machines had been introduced and it was quite a contrast to see the latest technology alongside the oldest form of vehicle propulsion you can get.

And in a nice touch instead of the tram car fleet number appearing on the ticket it showed the name of the horse.

Another nice touch is the horse tram has priority over other traffic at traffic lights with sensors in the road detecting a horse tram approaching.

The timetable is designed to connect with the electric trams at Derby Castle and comprises a daily half hourly service between 09:05 and 17:25 with a 15 minute frequency on the busiest weekends in August. The service runs until the end of October.

It ‘s a very popular service and deservedly so.

One of the world’s quirkiest rides.

Roger French

Blogging timetable: 06:00 TThS but it’s daily for this special Isle of Man Transport Week.

6 thoughts on “M is for Isle of Man Transport (Part 5: The Horse Tramway)”

  1. I think was Krakov ,where trams stopped In the middle of the road to Allow passengers to leave or board ,all vehicles must also stop and wait until the tram moves off

    Like

    1. It’s pretty standard across Europe that where a street-running tram stops in the centre of the road then other traffic in the same direction also has to stop.

      A nice, simple rule which would never be allowed here as it would be deemed too risky and so every stop would have to have traffic lights to stop the cars…

      Like

  2. Re the economics of public transport operations, there are lots of factors, as well as the narrow comparison of ticket sales of a single route with its costs – fuel, staff, etc.. If buses had to pay the full cost of providing roads, bus stops, traffic lights etc. (as the railways do) there would be few commercial bus or coach companies. Thankfully governments (including the IoM) recognise the social and indeed commercial value (more tourists and general travellers = more sales in shops = more tax income and happier voters) of good public transport. And, of course, the USA has tested the idea of a car-only society to destruction, and generally concluded that ‘transit’ is a good idea.

    Then there is the issue of the value of a particular service to the network: if the horse-tram were cancelled, would the electric trams simply make a bigger loss? After all of Beeching’s cuts, British Rail still ended up making ‘losses’. And property value increases funded dividends to shareholders in Victorian times, and bus, tram and train services in our own age. It all goes to support your contention that the best public transport comes about from a partnership between good bus people and well-informed government people …

    Like

Comments are closed.

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑