More Manx Magic

As a way of travelling from an international airport, there is nothing in the world to match the five-minute walk that takes you from the Isle of Man Airport to Ronaldsway Halt, where arriving air passengers like me can then flag down one of the 3ft-gauge steam services that will take them on towards the capital Douglas or south towards Castletown and Port Erin.

Barely three hours after arriving at the ever-busy Gatwick Airport railway station, and I am the only person off my easyjet flight choosing to complete their Isle of Man journey from the only international airport station in the world to be served exclusively by steam-hauled trains. 

Minutes after photographing loco No 11 “Maitland” as it approached Ronaldsway Halt with the 11.50 from Douglas to Port Erin, and paused to allow two passengers to alight (as seen above), I flagged down No 13 “Kissack” at 12.32 to board the Douglas-bound train. 

Two years on from my last visit and it is time for a return to the quaint and historic Isle of Man and spend a few days (11-14 September 2026) travelling on the four remarkable narrow gauge rail systems that make this Crown Dependency at the centre of the Irish Sea such a unique place to visit.

Armed this time a five-day “Go Explore” ticket (£50.00) my plan was once again to experience all four of these little railways – the 15½ mile steam railway, the 17-mile long Manx Electric Railway from Douglas to Ramsey in the north, the Snaefell Mountain Railway and the famous Douglas Bay Horse Tramway. 

At the same time I was inspired by photos in a remarkable history “The Isle of Man Railway” (James Boyd, Oakwood Press 1994) to seek out some interesting and off-beat photo locations on the steam railway, so began my visit on Friday, 11 September by travelling from Ronaldsway Halt to remote Port Soderick, the first station south of Douglas.

From here I walked in an easterly direction to seek out a foot crossing of the line and a path that my map showed running along the western side of the railway (as seen above) all the way to Oakhill Bridge on the A25 main road, and from where James Boyd had captured some fine shots of southbound trains.

With no regular Bus Vannin services at Port Soderick I then returned to the rather grand station (Station House currently on the market for £750,000) to take the next Douglas-bound train (14.55) before heading back on a No. 1 bus to Santon, to capture the last southbound steam service of the day (15.50 ex-Douglas) from just east of the station, before flagging down the final northbound service (16.47) to get me to my accommodation in Douglas. 

Day two (Saturday, 12 September 2026) saw me attempt to find two further interesting locations for capturing steam services, so eager to get in position before arrival of the day’s first train, I caught a No.1 bus from Douglas to Castletown, from where a path leading north between the railway and a waterway called the Silver Burn seemed to offer good photographic potential.

The steam railway timetable for the month of September remains unchanged from what it was on my visit two years ago, with a total of four round trips, beginning a two-hourly intervals with a 09.50 departure from Douglas and 10.00 from Port Erin, with trains passing at Castletown, starting at 10.27. 

Sadly my attempts to get a decent shot of the day’s first Port Erin-bound train were thwarted by a narrow cutting and lineside vegetation north of Castletown, so I continued my journey south aboard another 12a bus and travelled as far as Port St Mary, whose remote station stands just 3/4 mile east of Port Erin. 

Walking up hill from the station towards the town and harbour I took a left turn into Beach Road, from where there was an excellent side-on view of the railway and from where I was able to capture No 4 Loch, which had replaced No 13 Kissack as the Douglas loco, storming north with the 12.00 Port Erin-Douglas service. 

I then retraced my steps to the main road up from the station where there was another panoramic shot to be had, although No 11 Maitland had shut off the steam as it coasted towards its Port St Mary stop with the 11.50 Douglas-Port Erin service. 

From here I took a short bus ride into Port Erin, where the impressive railway museum now contains no less than four steam locos – 1 Sutherland, 5 Mona, 6 Peveril and 9 Douglas – before travelling on the 14.00 service as far as another remote request stop, Ballabeg. 

After a short wait I was able to capture Loch speeding through the delightful and deserted halt before taking a No 2 bus back to Castletown station. Here there was time before the last train back to Douglas at 16.27 to take a welcome hydration break in the delightful Sidings pub, immediately outside the station, where the Odin Brewery Manx Mild (3.4%/£3.80) was quite superb.

After two fruitful days on the steam railway, day three of my Manx adventure (Sunday, 13 September 2026) meant a change from steam to horse and electric power, and trips on all three of the other rail systems on the Isle of Man, beginning with a run along the Promenade from Villa Marina behind Harry. 

There was just enough room on the first Manx Electric Railway departure of the day (09.40) to cope with all those transferring from the horse tram, but once at Laxey there was an annoying wait for a ride up Snaefell as the first Snaefell Mountain Railway departure of the day was filled by a pre-booked coach party. 

Having secured a place on the next departure, the 30-minute trip up to the summit was a scenic delight, with a chance to look at the famous Laxey Wheel, former mine workings and a stretch of the world famous TT Mountain Course, which the SMR crosses at its quaintly-named intermediate station, Bungalow. 

Keen to escape the crowds, and with mist having descended by the time we reached the summit (2,036ft), I returned to Laxey and planned to spend the rest of the day capturing the historic MER trams in action at a number of wayside locations along the highly-scenic stretch of route north from Laxey to Ramsey. 

Picking three intermediate stations at random, I began by taking a five-minute trip south to a halt called South Cape, where my 35 minute stop would give me a chance to photograph the following Douglas-bound service, before resuming my journey north towards Ramsey. 

From South Cape I travelled to another request stop called Ballaglass, which has no road access and serves a woodland nature reserve called Ballaglass Glen. This is a delightful spot, with a welcome shelter but no platforms, in common with other request stops on this remarkable stretch of line. 

The limited MER timetable north of Laxey meant I had a full hour at Ballaglass, before flagging down the next Ramsey-bound service and heading on this time to a halt called Belle Vue, a mere five minutes from journey’s end at Ramsey. 

Once again I was able to photograph a southbound service as it passed by before finishing my MER journey at Ramsey, where there is the fascinating sight of the driver and guard using muscle and gravity to shunt the open trailer coach to the rear of the train, a manoeuvre which also requires the trolley pole to be reversed twice, as the powered tramcar shunts to the opposite end of its trailer.

For my fourth and final day on Mann (Monday, 14 September) I took the busy 11.50 steam service from Douglas as far as Port St. Mary, where I jumped off in order to capture Maitland storming out of the station and on to its nearby destination of Port Erin, as seen below.

I then returned by bus to Castletown for a short period of sightseeing around this charming town, photographing the departure of Loch with the 13.50 Douglas-Port Erin before adjourning to the Sidings pub to await its return at 16.27 and then joining the train for the short run to Ronaldsway Halt (no other alighting passengers) and my flight back to Gatwick.

Luck with the weather is crucial to appreciating the charms of the Isle of Man, but for anyone seeking a slower pace of life and the chance to ride on original nineteenth century tramcars or in ancient wooden coaches behind 100-year old steam engines, not to mention sampling some fine locally-brewed ale, there is no island in the world quite like it.

While on Mann I stayed once again at Ashfield Guest House, in Hutchinson Square, Douglas, which is close to Villa Marina and a bus stop on route 3a, where I paid £49 a night for bed and breakfast. Highly recommended.