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Isle of Man Douglas Bay Horse Trams

Horse trams have been taking visitors along the sea front since 1876 and are still as popular as ever

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By the mid C19th, the Isle of Man was becoming a popular holiday destination. Hotels and guest houses were being built along the sea front in Douglas. In 1875, Tomas Lightfoot planned to build a horse pulled tramway to serve the length of the promenade and carry visitors between the ferry terminal and their accommodation. The tramway opened the following year with two tramcars on a single track with passing places. This was later doubled and the tram fleet expanded to 12 cars. There were 8 double decker tramcars with the remainder open ‘toast racks’, including a few with no roof, only used in good weather. when the sun shone. By 1892 there were two enclosed saloons for use in bad weather. By 1893 the northern terminus was built at Strathallan Crescent, where it still is today. The tram fleet had expanded to 31 trams.

The tramway passed through a series of owners until 1900. The collapse of Dumbell’s Bank led to the tramway being placed in the hands of a liquidator and it was sold to Douglas Corporation for £50,000. The outbreak of World War One led to a drastic fall in visitor numbers. Trams continued to run, but operated on the diminished winter timetable.

Visitor numbers grew rapidly in the interwar years. Omnibus services were introduced and there were proposals to replace the horse trams with buses. It was agreed they would continue but on a seasonal basis. In 1935 three ‘convertible’ trams, closed toastracks, arrived and were colloquially called ‘tomato boxes’. They had folding shutters which could be opened or closed depending on the weather. These are the still the most commonly used tramcars.

Services were suspended during World War Two and many of the boarding houses along the sea front were requisitioned as camps for ‘Enemy Aliens’. The tramway reopened in 1946 with much needed track repairs and maintenance of vehicles. At first there was a limited service as a result of shortage of horses. There were questions asked about overburdening one horse pulling double decker trams and these were withdrawn. All were scrapped apart from two.

During the 1980s, visitor numbers were dropping again and the island’s economy became much more dependent on the finance industry. Advertising on tramcars became a major source of income.

The trams stopped running in 2014 during the redevelopment of the promenade. Douglas Borough Council confirmed there would be no further services as the trams were not financially viable. After an on line petition received over 2000 signatures, The House of Keys set up a committee to look into ways of retaining the horse trams. The operation of the tramway was taken over by the Isle of Man Heritage Railways. The trams now run between Derby Castle and Villa Marina, rather than the Sea Terminal.

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The trams share a joint terminal with the Manx Electric Railway at Derby Castle and the tram cars are stored here.

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The stables are a short distance away at the junction of Summer Hill.

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Each horse does two round trips before returning to the stables and have one day off a week.

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It is possible to visit the stables when the trams are running. In the winter months, the horses spend their time out in the fields. Visitors can walk in and see the horses, but are asked to let a member of staff know.

The horses all have a name and their own stable.

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Their collar, harness and bridle hang in the hallway.

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There are also boards listing the diet of all of the horses. This includes spent hops and barley from Bushy’s Brewery and are mixed in with oats to provide a high protein diet. Another board lists any ailments.

The smithy is at the back of the stables and is very much a working forge. The horses are shoed at the start of the season and need reshoeing every four weeks while working.

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When the tram horses are too old to work, they ‘retire’ to the Home of Rest for Old Horses at Richmond Hill, on the outskirts of Douglas. The Home is run entirely by volunteers and is open for visitors mid May to Mid September.

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There are over 60 horses and donkeys here. The tram horses are always pleased to see visitors and stand by the fence waiting to be fed. Bags of food are available from the shop.

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