The Groudle Glen Railway (Manx: Raad Yiarn Glion Ghroudal) is a narrow gauge railway near Onchan in the Isle of Man, on the boundary of Onchan and Lonan, which is owned and operated by a small group of enthusiastic volunteers and operates on summer Sundays; May to September and Wednesday evenings in July and August along with a number of annual special events. History 1896 – 1939 The line was built in the late Victorian era to cater for a new demand for transport down Groudle Glen after the opening of the Manx Electric Railway. A zoo was built, and the Groudle Glen Railway connected to it. The narrow gauge line ran from the upper part of the glen, Lhen Coan, to the zoo at Sea Lion Rocks. The line opened on 23 May 1896 and initially operated with a single locomotive, called Sea Lion, and three coaches. The locomotive was built by W.G. Bagnall Ltd. of Castle Engine Works, Stafford. The line became so popular that a second locomotive, Polar Bear and additional coaches were purchased. The railway operated successfully until the outbreak of the First World War, when all services ceased and the zoo was closed. After the war, the zoo re-opened and the locomotives were overhauled and returned to service, but by 1921 they had been replaced with battery-operated locomotives. These proved unreliable and the original steam locomotives were again overhauled and returned to service. The railway closed again during the Second World War and the zoo closed for good. A landslide during the war years meant that services could not return to the original terminus. 1950 – 1981 The line took some time to re-open after the war; with the zoo closed, the glen was less frequently visited. Only one locomotive returned for the 1950 season. Over the next twelve years the seasons were of variable length and no timetable was officially issued. The final season was 1962, with Polar Bear by then inoperable. The final two seasons were known as the "fairground era" as the stock was painted in loud colours with blue and red dominating, and fairground-style lettering and lining applied to the locomotive. By the late 1960s the engines had been removed from the glen. Polar Bear was restored to working condition at Amberley Working Museum, West Sussex. Sea Lion went to Kirk Michael railway station on static display, before moving to Loughborough.