A free lecture retelling the history of the Snaefell Mountain Railway is being held next Saturday afternoon.

Entitled ’Snaefell Mountain Railway 125+1’, it will be hosted by Andrew Scarffe and take place in the Manx Museum’s lecture theatre.

Talking about the event, which forms the annual joint lecture by the Isle of Man Victorian Society and Manx National Heritage, historian Peter Kelly said: ’August 20, 2020 was the 125th anniversary of the unique Snaefell Mountain Railway.

’Despite the offer of a gift of £9,000 from the Manx Electric Railway Society to run the trams for a week, not one tram ran during this very special year.

’A set of six commemorative stamps were produced by Isle of Man Post Office, and Andrew Scarffe’s book ’Snaefell - a Mountain and a Railway’ was published, but there wasn’t an official commemoration of this significant milestone in the history of the railway until July this year with a cake-cutting celebration in The Summit Hotel.

’The IoM Victorian Society felt the public should be given the opportunity to hear the incredible story of how the railway was built in only eight months back in the time long before JCBs or earth-moving equipment existed.’

The lecture gets under way on Saturday, November 6, at 2.30pm.