"Perhaps the sole surviving artefact from Douglas’s Victorian cable tramway has been put on permanent display in the capital’s Bottleneck car park." (
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"Just like the trams still running in places like San Francisco, the cable trams were pulled along by a constantly moving cable that ran in a channel under the ground. To control the tram, the driver operated a mechanism which gripped or released the cable through a slot running between the tracks. The winding house was where the machinery that kept the cable moving was located. When the line closed the site became a bus depot before being demolished."
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Most of the tramway had 2 tracks, howevere the section of the line (from York Road) was single track and many trams terminated at the depot on York Road. (
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The cable tramway opened in 1896 and operated until 1929.
From the IOMToday website:
"Perhaps the sole surviving artefact fromDouglas’s Victorian cable tramway has been put on permanent display in the capital’s Bottleneck car park.
The cable tram flywheel, dating from 1894, was unearthed during excavation works for the IRIS scheme in 2000, when a long-buried chamber containing the machinery was unearthed.
The wheel was fully restored by a team from Douglas Council, following early restoration work carried out by volunteers from Jurby Transport Museum.
Environmental services committee vice-chairman Falk Horning said: ’The project to save and restore this important component of the island’s vintage transport system has been a triumph of collaboration between the public and private sector, notably Isle of Man-based specialist firms.
’That the wheel now occupies such a landmark position at one of the principal gateways to the capital of the Isle of Man is testimony to the importance the council places on protecting this magnificent example of Victorian engineering.’
Council leader David Christian said: ’Heritage defines who we are as a nation and helps to illustrate our past.
Restoring and returning this wheel to the heart of the Douglas community represents a statement of intent by the council that even when budgets are under pressure it is vital that our history and heritage be preserved and promoted for future generations.’
The cable tram flywheel was used for manoeuvring tram cars around Douglas on the tramway which operated from 1895 until its closure in 1929. The system ran from Loch Promenade, through to Victoria Street, then Buck’s Road, Woodbourne Road, York Road and Ballaquayle Road to Broadway.
Engineering and fabrication services for the restoration were provided by BB Consulting Engineers and Gallas Foundry.
The restoration project was completed in collaboration with the Department of Infrastructure." (
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Alongside the Fly Wheel is a large information board with further detail on the Douglas Cable Tramway and photographs of its construction, rolling stock and a map of the route.