On Friday 7th September at 10:00 The Lieutenant Governor Sir Richard Gozney unveiled this plaque to mark the 125th anniversary of the MER, at Derby Castle, followed by an afternoon at Laxey with a Cavalcade of Trams with Charles Guard presenting the history of each tram.
The rectangular grey plaque is inscribed with the MER crest and the following text:
"THIS PLAQUE WAS UNVEILED BY
HIS EXCELLENCY THE LIEUTENANT GOVENOR
SIR RICHARD GOZNEY KCMG CVO
TO MARK THE 125TJ ANNIVERSARY OF THE
MANX ELECTRIC RAILWAY"
Regular public services started on 7 September 1893 when services ran on the first section of the line to be completed between Derby Castle in Douglas and Groudle Glen. The line was later extended first to Laxey and then eventually to Ramsey.
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At ceremony in September 2018 the Historian Charles Guard helped bring the 125th anniversary celebrations of the Manx Electric Railway to a grand conclusion.
During the proceedings Sir Richard Gozney, the Islands Lieutenant Governor, also unveiled a plaque at Derby Castle, the Douglas promenade terminus of the MER, to mark the anniversary.
"Historian Charles Guard helped bring the 125th anniversary of the Manx Electric Railway to a grand conclusion.
Mr Guard has written many books and documentaries on Manx history, including the railways.
During a recreation of the first tram service to leave Derby Castle, Mr Guard spoke to guests at Groudle, where the trams originally terminated in 1883.
He detailed the history of the line, its place in the Guinness World Records as the oldest tram still in use on its original line, and praised the work and legacy of soon-to-retire director of public transport Ian Longworth.
Mr Guard explained how the MER was built by entrepreneurs and businessmen but, unlike trams in England, it was designed to be a tourist attraction.
He noted how, to create the line the company had to build a power station, which was the first in the island and supplied most of the electricity on Douglas Promenades in its early years.
Building a tramway in areas with a one-in-24 gradient made the island known of across the engineering world.
He added that, at its peak, there were 1,923,316 tickets bought for the MER and Douglas horse trams in one year.
Speaking of Ian Longworth, Mr Guard said: ’When he first came into the job in 2009, the railways were not in the best of shape, but he has, with his dedicated staff, done a superb job.
’He can drive anything, but I’ve also seen him down cleaning and chatting to engineers.
’He has been the driving force behind the reinvigoration of our railways.
’I know he is to retire soon and I just wanted to say, he leaves behind a remarkable legacy.’
Mr Guard added that events like MER 125 were testament to the work Mr Longworth has done to restate the importance of the island’s heritage railway.
Mr Longworth told the Examiner: ’I could not be more pleased with how the events for this milestone anniversary have gone.
’To me, it is something of a triumph that after 125 years this original rolling stock still continues to fulfil its intended purpose and transport passengers rather than being consigned to a museum.
’I would like to thank my team, the dedicated volunteers and everyone else connected with the Manx Electric Railway whose splendid efforts to achieve this milestone deserves recognition.’
Before the trip to Groudle, Lieutenant Governor Sir Richard Gozney said he found the whole line ’remarkable’ and the sheer innovation to build a tramway through the countryside and applauded Tynwald for continuing to support the railways.
Sir Richard also unveiled a plaque at Derby Castle, the Douglas promenade terminus of the MER, to mark the anniversary."
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Sir Richard Gozney after a career British diplomate was appointed as the Island's Lieutenant Governor taking up office on 27 May 2016.
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