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| Isle of Man tram driving days for enthusiasts https://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=28975 |
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| Author: | Sloan [ Fri Feb 26, 2010 6:40 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Isle of Man tram driving days for enthusiasts |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/isle_ ... 537863.stm |
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| Author: | Bob Davis [ Fri Feb 26, 2010 11:09 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Isle of Man tram driving days for enthusiasts |
Isle of Man is highly recommended! My wife and I visited there in May 1993, the Centennial of the Manx Electric Railway. I signed up for the driving instruction and it was a memorable experience, especially using the air-whistle to chase wandering sheep off the track. The cars use Type-K controllers and air brakes, similar to US traction practice. For steam enthusiasts, the railway going south from Douglas (the capital) is steam powered, with a group of narrow-gauge tank engines. For special occasions, a steam engine has been trucked to the electric railway, and a tram (with a generator car in tow) has run on the steam line (they are both 3-foot gauge). When I visited, the steam trains were using a "token passing" system to make sure only one train was in a block at a time. Connecting the two modes of transport is a third: the Douglas Horse Tram, which runs from mid-May to mid-September. It has been horse-powered since 1876 and has become a tourist attraction. The horses are well cared for, and when they are too old for tramway duty, they are retired to a farm called the "Home for Aged Horses" (no glue factory here!). When resting, they will even perk up and "pose" for camera-toting tourists. Then there's the Snaefell Mountain (electric) Railway and the 2-foot gauge Groudle Glen Railway that runs on weekends. There are regular flights to the airport south of Douglas (not sure how well air service and steam train service are coordinated), or for a more traditional mode, the Isle of Man Steam Packet ferry service, which runs from Heysham, Liverpool, Belfast and Dublin, and takes between 3 and 4 hours. |
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