Step off the Isle of Man ferry in Douglas, follow the promenade to the centre and you'll see one of the town's unique sights: a horse-drawn tram.
The Douglas Bay Horse Tramway was started in 1876 by Thomas Lightfoot to take advantage of the booming Victorian tourist trade and is now an icon of the island. In 2026, the tramway celebrates 150 years in service and remains as popular with tourists as ever.
We spoke to Liam Miller of Isle of Man Railways, and the team behind this extraordinary heritage railway, to find out about its history and hear more about the horses in front, who pull the tramcars.
History of the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway
What was the tramway like 150 years ago and how has it changed?
Over the past 150 years, the Douglas Promenade has expanded vastly. New sections of the seafront promenade were created at various stages during the Victorian era and, as the Horse Tramway pre-dates many of the late-Victorian boarding houses and hotels, there are many more buildings along the route than originally. Since 2016, the 3ft gauge tramway has been operated by Isle of Man Transport as part of their Heritage Railway offering.
What's the history of the tramcars?
The history of the tramcars is so vast, a book could be written on it! A total of fifty-one tramcars have operated on the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway since its opening in 1876. We're fortunate that twenty-four of those cars have survived to the present day, although many are now in private ownership and some in very poor condition, sadly. When the Isle of Man Government took over the horse tram service in 2016, it acquired thirteen of the historic tramcars for future service on the Tramway.
Double-deckers numbers 14 and 18 were both acquired second hand in 1887, but as they were built in 1883 they are the oldest two surviving tramcars on the Island. No.14 is on display in the Manx Museum and remains in near original form, whereas no.18 is still in service having been converted into a single deck saloon in 1903 and then back to a double-decker in 1988!
What is special about the history of the tramway?
The Douglas Tramway is the longest running in Britain, and the only one to have operated continuously since its opening (with the exception of World War Two and recent Promenade refurbishment works). A similar system exists in South Australia, and there are other smaller horse-drawn systems around the world.
We see a lot of happy families and smiling children on the trams each day, including a few neuro-divergent children and young adults who get a lot of enjoyment from our animals. Some make regular visits to the stables, ride the trams daily through the summer, and even make trips to see the horses in the fields through the winter. The interactions between horse and humans is always a nice thing to see.
Currently the tramway operates from Derby Castle to Broadway, a journey of around 10 minutes. Travelling along the Victorian Douglas Promenade they have great views out to sea and glimpses of local life along the busy seafront.
One interesting local feature is the Manx highway code which stipulates that cars overtake the trams on the left, which makes Douglas one of the only places in the UK where you can overtake a moving vehicle on the left!
Do the horses enjoy their job?
The horses love it. Traditionally, Clydesdales, shires and cobs have pulled the trams, and now we've started breeding our own, which are Clydesdales crossed with cobs.
There are degrees based around equine care so it's not something that's easy to summarise, but our horses receive regular visits from dental, veterinary and farriery specialists and receive year-round expert care. I could probably write a book on how these horses are cared for. With everything from diet, supplementation, training, breeding, foot care, general health and first aid, hay choice and production, grooming, stable management, land management included. The list really is extensive and multifaceted.
Between work, the horses get to live out in herds with their friends as horses should, grazing, rolling, running, grooming as they please. In the off season we get the shoes off and let them go back to nature as much as we can, without omitting any of the previous care mentioned. There are also shows and events that we take them to when time permits. In the past, they would attend regular ploughing competitions through the winter.
Experience the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway
The beautiful Isle of Man showcases incredible natural beauty with enchanting nostalgia. From picturesque Port Erin to the spectacular views from Snaefell, uncover its wonders on heritage railways, including the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway on our Classic Vintage Railways of the Isle of Man tour.
