Manx Heritage Transport Celebrated at National Tram Awards

They might be tucked away for winter, but the Isle of Man’s trams have just been busy winning awards.

The Manx Electric Railway and the island’s heritage railways have scooped two national titles at the 2025 British Trams Online Tram of the Year Awards, beating competition from across the UK, including Blackpool and Manchester.

Not bad for a little rock in the Irish Sea.

First up, Heritage Tram of the Year went to Manx Electric Railway Trailer 50, a tram with serious history.

Trailer 50 returned to service last year for the first time since 1978, following a major restoration carried out by a mix of dedicated volunteers and Isle of Man Railways staff.

Clearly, all that hard work paid off, with the public voting it the best heritage tram in the UK.

And that wasn’t the only win heading across the water.

The Manx Heritage Transport Festival was crowned Event of the Year, winning by a nail-biting four votes.

The festival celebrates the island’s vintage transport, bringing together trams, trains and transport fans for a weekend of nostalgia, noise and plenty of photo opportunities.

The awards are decided entirely by public vote, and Manx Electric Railway thanked everyone who got involved, calling it a ‘special year’ for the island’s vintage electric railways.

This isn’t even the first time the MER has done this either, it’s now the fifth time a Manx Electric Railway tram has taken home the Heritage Tram of the Year title.

With two wins under the belt, 2026 is shaping up to be another huge year for Manx transport, with the Manx Heritage Transport Festival (July 28 to August 2) set to celebrate two big birthdays – 150 years of the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway and 50 years since the nationalisation of the buses.

You can find out more at www.iombusandrail.im/heritage.