With the clanking of the wheels on the track and the sound of the whistle as it echoes across the mountain, the atmospheric sounds of the Manx Electric Railway have provided an immersive backdrop to a popular Manx-themed kid’s tale.

Local publishers Loaghtan Books have released an audiobook version of their series ’Tram tales of the Manx Electric Railway’, available on CD, and the creators of the stories have added the real-life sounds of the trams to bring the tales to life.

So far, there are three stories on the series, and the author, Sara Goodwins says that she thought the audiobook version brought a whole new dimension to the tales.

’What makes it different is that it comes complete with sound effects,’ said Sara.

’So, if a tram whistles, it really whistles. Doors creak, water ploshes and listeners might even hear a dinosaur roar.’

The atmospheric sounds were recorded by sound expert Tim Price.

’I’m not sure that anything like this has been done on the island before, putting the actual sound effects to an audiobook.’ said Sara.

’ We couldn’t have done it without Tim Price who used his considerable expertise and a huge amount of trouble to get exactly the right sound.

’It’s a completely new venture for Loaghtan Books, but has been great fun to do.’

The books feature the lives and antics of the Manx electric trams, and include the characters Pam the Paddlebox, Sven the Number Seven and trams one and two Derby and Joan, all based on existing Manx trams, and feature in the books ’Something on the Line’, ’Stick to Safety’ and ’The Really Big Surprise.’

The CD costs £8.95 and is available through retail outlets across the island. An MP3 download will be available prepared.