Beware of gradients.

[Broithe]

This could have been so much worse....

 

http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/pictures-runaway-mountain-tram-crash-drama-1-7824668

 

[DiveController]

That's a shame. Nice looking tram. Luckily no one more injured than the vehicle itself!

[Georgeconna]

Poor thing. Sad to see this happen.

[RedRich]

I traveled on that lovely railway to see the wheel at Laxey. Terrible shame and as has been mentioned lucky no one was injured.

 

Rich,

[jhb171achill]

The IOM is a must-visit destination this year. Apart from the usual feast of steam and electric, there is a possibility that it might be the last year of the unique, and by far the oldest in the world, horse tramway in Douglas.

[Noel]

The IOM is a must-visit destination this year. Apart from the usual feast of steam and electric, there is a possibility that it might be the last year of the unique, and by far the oldest in the world, horse tramway in Douglas.

 

I spent a lot of time on IOM in the 80s and 90s. Fond memories of a most peculiar and interesting place that seemed lost in time. No speed limit on the mountain road and terms like road rage did not even exist in their vocabulary, quite the opposite. Fond memories of catching a train ride regularly at Ballajora. Tourism their former economic golden egg was in rapid decline by the mid 90s. Cute little airport back then too with 'La Rosette' a cutsie and fine eatery just up the road in Ballasalla. They still had the 'birch' back then as they were technically outside the EEC, so had almost zero crime levels and door locks were rarely used. The mountain railway had spectacular views but I did often wonder about the gradient.

[jhb171achill]

They still are, as I understand, outside the EU. thus, they are not part of Britain, not part of the UK, not part of the EU, and obviously not part of England, let alone Scotland, Wales or Ireland!

 

I met one of their politicians by pure chance on the steam trai from Port Erin a few years ago, and he gave the impression of a very proud and independent people. To our ears, it sounds odd coming from people with what to us is just another "English" accent!

 

I was there as a teenager when their centenary was taking place, and Nos. 4 "Loch", 10, 11, 12 and 13 were in action at the time. The old company was still running the railway but was trading under the embarrassingly ghastly name of the "Isle of Man Victorian Steam Railway"... with a souvenir "shoppe" or something like that... St. Johns Junction was still intact with carriages all parked up in sidings but weeds beginning to take over the track.

 

In terms of the birch, I do sometimes think that if this could be applied to some anti-social elements here from time to time, and to hell with their "dignity" or "rights", maybe, just maybe the world would be calmer....

 

In that year, we travelled to Ramsey as well, and the track and station were intact there too. The four wheeled crane was in a siding - this, I believe, is the crane now cosmetically restored and on display at the erstwhile Union Mills station. A truly fascinating system.

[Broithe]

They still are, as I understand, outside the EU. thus, they are not part of Britain, not part of the UK, not part of the EU, and obviously not part of England, let alone Scotland, Wales or Ireland!

Indeed the IoM isn't, and never has been in the EU, the same applies to the Channel Islands. Hence the rather strange tax arrangements that go on.

 

The Queen is, rather strangely, actually Lord of Man.

[jhb171achill]

That's right, Broithe. And that's the reason that on IOM stamps, banknotes and coins she has no crown - she's actually not the Queen at all there!

 

I thinks it's because the royalty originally would have been King (or queen) of England, and this would eventually have been amended to a UK definition. With the IOM never being in the UK, it makes sense.

 

One wonders, constitutionally, if the IOM would be free to secede from what, effectively, is the British empire?

[Broithe]

That's right, Broithe. And that's the reason that on IOM stamps, banknotes and coins she has no crown - she's actually not the Queen at all there!

 

I thinks it's because the royalty originally would have been King (or queen) of England, and this would eventually have been amended to a UK definition. With the IOM never being in the UK, it makes sense.

 

One wonders, constitutionally, if the IOM would be free to secede from what, effectively, is the British empire?

They're not quite as separate as, say, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are. I believe that IoM's Defense and Foreign Affairs are handled from Westminster.

 

Anybody is free to secede, if they can cope with the obstructions.

 

A large part of their 'function' now seems to be tax avoidance schemes, though that is more prevalent in the Channel Isles.

[Noel]

Indeed the IoM isn't, and never has been in the EU, the same applies to the Channel Islands. Hence the rather strange tax arrangements that go on.

 

The Queen is, rather strangely, actually Lord of Man.

 

IOM discovered while outside the EEC they were still subject to the European Court of Human Rights and were also in receipt of some EEC grant aid so the 'birch' went.

[Broithe]

IOM discovered while outside the EEC they were still subject to the European Court of Human Rights and were also in receipt of some EEC grant aid so the 'birch' went.

 

EU and the European Court of Human Rights are not really connected - The Court is a function of the Council of Europe, which has 47 member states, not just the 28 EU ones - almost everybody, except Belarus - even Russia, Turkey, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland.

[Maitland]

This is devastating. The cars are over 120 years old- they represent the bleeding edge of technology in 1895, and are almost unchanged since, thanks the history of tourism within the British Isles- two world wars, a depression, and the rise of road transport and charter flights saw to it that there was never the capital to modernise it. There were only 6 cars built- one was lost to a fire some 25 or 30 years ago, and now there are four. We had a trailer on the "flat" line, the Manx Electric, overturned a year or so ago - fortunately without much damage- and I'm left wondering if they aren't paying enough to get the quality of staff needed for historically sensitive material like this.It really is of World Heritage standard, and should be protected as such.