Douglas Bay Horse Tramway is celebrating this week as senior driver Peter Cannon starts his 50th season driving trams!
Peter joined Douglas Corporation Transport (Horse Tram Section) as a tram conductor on 6 July 1975.
In his words: “I was taught to conduct by Reggie Brew, one-day training in those days, then you were out on your own.
“The following year I was trained to drive by Gussie Craine mainly, and also Jack Teare. Minimum of two weeks, then a test with the stables foreman who at the time was Steve Strickett, then you were again out on your own. I passed!”
Promotion
Driving horse trams since 1976, Peter was later promoted to Tramway Supervisor/Inspector before being appointed Tramway Operations Supervisor in 1992 which also included tramway maintenance.
Peter oversaw a fleet of historic trams, and though with little budget, he kept a varied fleet of trams in service.
Jobs included fixing broken seat backs and running boards, painting, and servicing the trams running gear—no easy task, a position he held until the horse tramway was taken over in 2016 by the government.
Since then, Peter has been Senior Driver on the Tramway.
Giant Haystacks
He said: “I’ve met many well-known people in the past 50 years – Billy Idol, Giant Haystacks, David Jason, Nigel Mansell, The Tweenies, Gaz Topp, Michael Portillo, Dave Myers, Paul Chuckle, The Red Arrows, Governors, the list goes on.
“My favourite horses – Robin & Sarah back in the early days, Teddy & Tracey in the 80’s & 90’s, then Charlie, Amby & Kewin in 00’s. It would be big Alec now, but I’ve never disliked any of them to be honest. All of them did the best they could.
“Perhaps you could say that I favoured the ones I had a part in training the most.”
As for tramcars, Peter has a couple of favourites from the past: “That would be sunshade 35 and toastrack 41, the way they drove, sadly both no longer in existence”.
Milestone
Reflecting on the upcoming 150th anniversary of the Horse Tramway, Peter says: “It’s another great milestone. I was conducting on Centenary Day in 1976.
“My driver was Peter Lace, tramcar 40 and our horse for the grand parade was Gus. Promenades were five deep with people in places particularly at the Villa. 20 tramcars in the parade, 50 horses down at the Sea Terminal, great fun and a great day for the Tramway.
“It will be a shame if the track isn’t back to the Sea Terminal for the 150th, but it is what it is.”
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