ON July 1, 1873 the first stretch of the Isle of Man railway opened between Douglas and Peel with the steam operated lines later branching out to serve Castletown and Port Erin. Over the following 15 decades the line reached a peak in passenger transport and faced many uncertain times including coming close to being lost. On July 1 the railway marked the official anniversary with the unveiling of a plaque at Douglas station (RM, August).
The first stretch of the Manx Electric Railway (MER) opened between Derby Castle and Groudle Glen on September 7, 1893, later being extended to Laxey and
