Qualla: Snaefell Mountain Railway

Snaefell Mountain Railway: Introduction

Thu, 28 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Nigel Thompson, CC BY-SA 2.0. Five wooden-bodied electric railcars, built in 1895 and numbered one, two, four, five and six, still work the line. There used to be a number three. On 30 March 2016 it ran away empty from the summit station and derailed just north of the Bungalow halt, the 121-year-old tramcar destroyed beyond rebuilding. The other five are still in service. Each March they bring the line back from winter dormancy; each November the overhead wires on the exposed upper section come down before icing tears them off the poles. In between, they carry passengers up five miles of mountain at 550 volts direct current.

Image: Nigel Thompson | CC BY-SA 2.0

Snaefell Mountain Railway: The Line Tynwald Almost Built

Thu, 28 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Andy Stephenson, CC BY-SA 2.0. The route was first surveyed by George Noble Fell, son of John Barraclough Fell, who had invented the Fell incline railway system. His proposal was for a steam railway using the Fell centre rail for both propulsion and braking, and Tynwald approved the scheme in 1888. It was not ...

Image: Andy Stephenson | CC BY-SA 2.0

Snaefell Mountain Railway: How the Line Survived the Century

Thu, 28 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Okonski, CC BY 3.0. In December 1895 the SMRA sold the line to the Isle of Man Tramways and Electric Power Company, which also owned the Manx Electric Railway running up the coast. The deal was later challenged: the SMRA was unregistered, and most of the IoMT&EP's directors had also been members of ...

Image: Okonski | CC BY 3.0

Snaefell Mountain Railway: The Rolling Stock

Thu, 28 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Spsmiler, CC0. All five surviving passenger cars were built in 1895 by George F. Milnes and Company, delivered in time for the opening that summer. Car 5 was severely damaged by fire on 16 August 1970 and rebuilt locally, returning to service in 1971; the modern aluminium-framed sliding windows...

Image: Spsmiler | CC0

Snaefell Mountain Railway: Stations, Aircraft, and a Runaway

Thu, 28 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Alan Murray-Rust, CC BY-SA 2.0. There are only two stops in five miles: Laxey at the bottom, an interchange with the Manx Electric Railway, and the Bungalow halfway up, where the line crosses the A18 Mountain Road on the TT course. During TT race weeks, trams terminate on either side of the road and passengers ...

Image: Alan Murray-Rust | CC BY-SA 2.0