Ultimate Driving Experiences
Have you ever wanted to try your hand at driving a Victorian steam train or electric tram? Here at Isle of Man Railways you can do just that on one of our heritage railways.
Ultimate Driving Experiences (UDEs) are available on the Isle of Man Steam Railway and the Manx Electric Railway.
Each UDE takes a full day and includes safety briefings, history of the railway and the rolling stock, theory tuition and most excitingly hands on driving experience! For those who are really passionate there is also the opportunity to help with the morning cleaning and preparation routine, but this is entirely optional.
Your tram or train will be exclusively for the use of the Driving Experience. There will be a maximum of three participants on each experience so you always get one to one attention and full supervision.
First time participants start on a beginner’s course to get to grips with the controls, learn the line and practice your driving style.
We offer an intermediate course for participants coming back for a second experience. This gives you more driving time and more advanced shunting experiences.
On The Manx Electric Railway and Isle of Man Steam Railway we now offer an advanced course for participants who have already completed their beginners and intermediate course. On the Manx Electric Railway this involves driving recently restored Ratchet Car 14.
How to book:
Phone 01624 697419 or email IOMUDE@gov.im - limited dates are available and will be allocated on a first come first served basis. Our UDEs are very popular so don't delay.
Please email or call to check availability.
Dates for 2025 can be viewed below:
Customer Testimonials:
- 'Thank you for such an unforgettable day, if we lived in Laxey we would undoubtedly sign up for additional courses (but it's a long way from Seattle).'
- 'The UDE was everything that I could have possibly hoped for, the format of the day was perfect, and I cannot think of any way that it could be improved.
- 'I've just got back from a splendid day playing with No 7 on the MER.'
- 'Just returned home to Sweden from a short holiday, of which the highlight was undoubtedly the UDE on the MER.'