Why join the MERS?

  • Successfully campaigned for the reinstatement and re-opening of the Laxey – Ramsey section of the MER during 1975–77.
  • Successfully proposed and lobbied for the 1993 "Year of Railways", a series of events to mark the Centenary of the MER — a template for years to come.
  • Successfully stopped a new competing bus service, the 11B, "the biggest threat to the survival of the railway since the Ramsey line closure."
  • Successfully campaigned — including an online petition which attracted more than 2,000 signatures — for Tynwald to approve funding of the restoration of the Horse Tramway to the Sea Terminal. Tynwald's decision was later ignored by DoI officials who spent the money elsewhere. The campaign continues…
  • FULL access to 2000+ pages of Manx Transport material on the society website. Full members receive free copies of the 100+ page Society journal MANX TRANSPORT REVIEW.

Our Latest Print Publication

Manx Transport Review No.103 - Winter 2025/26

Full news roundup from the Manx Electric Railway, Douglas Horse Tramway, Snaefell Mountain Railway and other Island transport. Historical feature articles - Full Colour - 108 pages. Copies are distributed FREE to Full Members of the Manx Electric Railway Society upon publication – visit mers.org.im…

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View more of our printed publications

The MERS has a large back catalogue of publications dating back to 1973, covering all aspects of the Island's transport…

Membership Applications & Renewals


Full Annual Membership subscriptions (those paid by Cheque/Postal Order/Standing Order) became due for renewal on the 1st April 2026. Full and On-line subscriptions (paid via PayPal) fall due on the first and successive anniversaries of first joining the MERS. On-line payment for membership applications and renewals can be made via the links at the top of this page, or by Cheque/Postal Order/Standing Order by downloading a renewal form HERE. For all membership enquires and further information, please contact the MERS Membership Secretary at: [email protected]

Recently updated pages:

1993 Year of Railways: Lessons From History
Updated 6 days ago

SUMMARY Boosting income attributable to the Island’s heritage railways by attracting more visitors and increasing ridership has been done before and can reliably be done again Increasing fares and cutting routes and services will have the opposite effect YEAR OF RAILWAYS 1993 promotion brought 25,0…

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Newslines

Road, Rail, Sea and Air

BOOKING OFFICE MAKEOVER

The 1897 MER Booking Office at Derby Castle, has received a welcome makeover. Replacement of many of the split logs and a new coat of paint has reinvigorated the exterior of the structure which is likely to be much visited as the 150th anniversary of the adjacent horse tramway approaches, not least…

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NEWS…

DoI to seek £2.5m for Horse Trams

Later this month, the Department of Infrastructure is requesting Tynwald’s approval for £2.5 million to restore the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway to the Sea Terminal - and finish a job previously approved by Tynwald back in 2017. Now, almost a decade on from that original vote, the Register of Business…

Yet more reasons to travel...

Passengers on the Manx Electric now have yet another reason to travel, thanks to the reopening of a once-popular pub which is now a café. The Liverpool Arms, located along the A2 coastal road between Onchan and Baldrine, closed in 2017, with the landlord blaming a decline in trade, ‘particularly ov…

Mountain Railway used by ambulance crew to reach injured walker

The Snaefell Mountain Railway played a key part in a rescue when, just after 1pm on Monday June 22nd, an emergency call alerted services to the stricken walker who had suffered a leg injury. Medical staff were ferried up Snaefell Mountain by the mountain railway after a walker was reported injured.…

Guard calls for amendment to DoI motion

The twelve-page “Heritage Business Case - Douglas Bay Horse Tramway Continuation to the Sea Terminal” will be the subject of a Supplementary Order Paper at this month's sitting of Tynwald on June 16th. The Minister for Infrastructure, Tim Crookall MHK, is to move that ‘Tynwald notes the draft busin…

‘MHKs Question Whether Horse Tram Costs Are a Bit of a Nonsense’

“MHKs have questioned the cost of reinstating the horse tram tracks along the full length of Douglas Promenade with one saying it's a ‘bit of a nonsense’. The Department of Infrastructure is now claiming it could cost up to £3 million to lay the section between the War Memorial and the Sea Terminal…


TODAY's featured

PAGES

SMR Car 1 - Snaefell Summit

Car 1 approaches the Summit Hotel as it nears the end of a journey from Laxey, the growth of vegetation on both tracks is noticeable. The path to actual summit of Snaefell and the triangulation pillar (and radar station) can just be seen on the extreme left of this view. (Photo: Neil Clifton – Augu…

Douglas Harbour

An evocative view of the Victoria Terminal (fully opened 1902), with its bustling shops, ornate canopies and clock tower. In the distance are a pair of horse trams adjacent to the Victoria Clock (1887), with the once marvellous sweep of hotels along Loch Promenade receding into the distance. The or…


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