The Isle of Man Steam Railway

Museums are normally thought of as being contained in buildings,

but Merriam-Webster defines a museum as "An institution devoted to the procurement, care, study and display of objects of lasting interest or value", so we reckon this fits. Opened in 1874, the Steam Railway still runs - replete with its original locomotives and rolling stock - from Douglas to Port Erin (and back again, obviously).

With most of the Island's small-gauge network having been ripped up by the early 1970s, we're thankful that this small part has managed to continue to exist. Riding this railway is a genuinely magical experience, rolling through the countryside surrounded by the evocative smell of smoke and the ratle and clang of the carriages.

Renowned as an influence on the creation of the Thomas the Tank Engine stories, there's no denying that the Island made a fair impact on the Reverend Awdry (not to mention his younger brother, George) and that a lot of the detail in his books was very much influenced by our location and language (there's a great little Wikipedia article about it here). Apart from the weirdly sentient engines. We don't have them. Honest.

There's a great review of the IOM Steam Railway from John's Motorcycle News here. The photo we're using is also courtesy of them, for which we're very grateful. www.johnsmotorcyclenews.co.uk

Access

Click on THIS LINK to be taken to an external website showing full accessibility details for all sites connected with the IOM Steam Railway.

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Admission