This plaque commemorating the centenary of the Snaefell Mountain Railway can be found at the entrance to Laxey Station on New Road in Laxey.
This plaque is mounted on a stone wall and is brown with Gold lettering and commemorates the centenary of the Snaefell Mountain Railway in 1995.
Centrally placed at the top of the plaque is a depiction of Mountain Railway 'Tramcar' with its distinctive Bow Collectors rather than trolley-poles of the Manx Electric Railway.
At the base of the plaque are three ovals with depictions of from left to right the Great Laxey Wheel (Lady Isabella) and a salmon (representing the Village of Laxey), Lonan Old Church surrounded by Celtic designs , and a Celtic Stone cross)
The full text of the plaque is as follows:
1895 1995
This plaque was unveiled by
His Excellency the Lieutenant Governor
Air Marshal Sir Laurence Jones K.C.B., A.F.C., C.I. Mgt.
21st August 1995
to mark the Centenary of the
Snaefell Mountain Railway
In 1887 a survey was undertaken for a steam-powered line from Douglas to Snaefell and although this proposal was approved by Tynwald it was not progressed. The Electric Railway did however reach Laxey in 1894 and announced plans to utilise the 1887 survey for a line to the summit of Snaefell.
The Snaefell Mountain Railway was formed to build the line and George Nobel Fell was appointed to supervise the construction with Edward Hopkinson being responsible for electrical matters.
The line was built by two construction gangs, the first working up from Laxey using Manx Northern Railway No. 4 'Caledonia', which need an extra rail as it was a 3ft guage locomotive. The second gang worked down from the summit.
A Power Station for the line was built at roughly the halfway point just below the Bungalow.
The Association also built a Car Shed in Laxey and 6 Cars were ordered from G.F. Milnes in Birkenhead, Cheshire, England.
The Railway running from a terminus located next to the current Car Shed to the Summit was passed fit for use on 16th August 1895 and the official opening took place on 21st August 1895. The construction had taken only 7 months to complete.
source: (
visit link)