The 2019 Transport Festival saw three anniversaries celebrated this year on both the steam and electric railways.

For the steam trains, it was 140 years since the opening of the Manx Northern Railway which ran from St John’s to Ramsey from 1879.

The company was taken over in 1905 by the Isle of Man Railway Company, which ran all the mainline trains in the island.

This anniversary was celebrated by engine Caledonia, one of two surviving locomotives that worked the line and the only one in public ownership, carrying special head plates.

And over the weekend, engine number eight Fenella celebrated 125 years since she was delivered to the island in 1894.

Also celebrating 125 years was Laxey as residents and enthusiasts hosted a special event to mark the arrival of the Manx Electric Railway into the village.

Starting in 1893, the line reached Groudle in its first year before an astonishing achievement of extending the line from there to Laxey over just six months saw it reach the mining village in July 1894.

A tram ram from Douglas and arrived in the village at 1pm where Onchan Silver Band played music to celebrate the event, during which enthusiasts were able to get some unique photographs including a selection of trams lined up in Laxey and two trams on the bridge which crosses above the valley on the way into the station from Douglas.

It was a good weekend for railway enthusiasts.

The Groudle Glen Railway officially launched their new steam engines, Otter and Brown Bear.

To read more, see this week’s Isle of Man Examiner.