Foxdale Forsdal | |
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The Isle of Man Railway Co., Ltd. The Manx Northern Railway Co., Ltd. The Foxdale Railway Co., Ltd. | |
General information | |
Location | Upper Foxdale, Isle of Man |
Coordinates | 54.170°N 4.636°W |
Owned by | Isle Of Man Railway Co. |
Line(s) | Foxdale Line |
Platforms | One, Raising |
Tracks | Various, See Text |
Construction | |
Structure type | Station Building |
Parking | None Provided |
History | |
Opened | 17 August 1886 |
Closed | 16 May 1940 |
Previous names | Manx Northern Railway Co. |
Passengers Lead Ore / Passenger / Livestock | |
Services | |
Waiting Room / Booking Hall / Toilets |
Foxdale Station (Manx: Stashoon Forsdal) was the southern terminus of the Foxdale Railway in the Isle of Man.
The station was established by the railway as its southern extent, built primarily to serve the lead ore industry which at the time of the line's arrival had thrived for many years but was in decline; the railway never met the expectations of its backers which were largely formed from the directorships of the Manx Northern Railway. A limited passenger service was provided from 1886 for which a solitary carriage was provided. This became known as Kitto's Coach (being named after the mines' captain who had insisted upon its provision) and later simply the Foxdale Coach. This item of stock survives today and was restored to 1887 condition in 2013 by the railway. The station featured the only diamond-type "scissor" crossing on the island's railway network, which is believed still to be in situ today, buried beneath the mines' spoils to the rear of the station building. The mining industry collapsed in the village and the line was closed in 1940 although the rails remained in place for many years and it is believed that stock workings to this station took place as late as 1960. Today the station building survives and is used as a heritage centre, having previously seen use as a community centre and, prior to this, as the headquarters of the Manx Flux & Mica Co., for several years after the railway had closed.
Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
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Waterfall Halt towards St. John's | Foxdale Railway | Terminus |
Port Erin is a seaside village in the south-west of the Isle of Man, in the historic parish of Rushen. It was previously a seaside resort before the decline of the tourist trade. Administratively it is designated as a village district, with its own board of commissioners. The district covers around 1 square mile, and is adjacent to: Port St Mary to the south-east; the main part of Arbory and Rushen parish district to the north and east; the sea to the west; and an exclave of Arbory and Rushen parish district to the south. Following recent residential expansion, the settlement is now contiguous with that of Port St Mary, and on 18 July 2018 Tynwald authorised a public enquiry into the proposed expansion of the district boundary to include some of this expansion.
Ramsey is a coastal town in the north of the Isle of Man. It is the second largest town on the island after Douglas. Its population is 7,845 according to the 2016 Census. It has one of the biggest harbours on the island, and has a prominent derelict pier, called the Queen's Pier. It was formerly one of the main points of communication with Scotland. Ramsey has also been a route for several invasions by the Vikings and Scots.
The Isle of Man Railway (IMR) is a narrow gauge steam-operated railway connecting Douglas with Castletown and Port Erin on the Isle of Man. The line is 3 ft narrow gauge and 15+1⁄2 miles long. It is the remainder of what was a much larger network that also served the western town of Peel, the northern town of Ramsey and the small mining village of Foxdale. Now in government ownership, it uses original rolling stock and locomotives and there are few concessions to modernity.
St John's is a small village in the sheading of Glenfaba in the Isle of Man, in the island's central valley. It is in the House of Keys constituency of Glenfaba & Peel, which elects two MHKs.
Douglas railway station is the main terminus of the Isle of Man Railway and is located at the landward end of the quay in Douglas, the capital of the Isle of Man. It was once the hub for now closed lines to Peel, Ramsey and Foxdale.
Castletown Railway Station is an intermediate station on the Isle of Man Railway on the Isle of Man forming part of sole remaining section of the once extensive network that operated across the island. The station is the busiest of the railway's intermediate stations, being the closest to a number of local visitor attractions. In peak season service trains often pass here, making the station one of the railway's more active stopping places. The station occupies a site within walking distance of the main town and is in close proximity to the local playing fields.
The Level is a seasonally operated request stop on the Isle of Man Railway located in the sheading of Rushen on the Isle of Man. This is the sole remaining section of the railway which once spanned over 46 miles with lines to Peel in the west, Ramsey in the north and the mining village of Foxdale in the centre of the island.
The Manx Northern Railway (MNR) was the second common carrier railway built in the Isle of Man. It operated as an independent concern only from 1879 to 1905.
The Isle of Man Railway Museum in the village of Port Erin in the Isle of Man is a small museum of the history of the Isle of Man Railway from its founding in 1873 to the present, including the now-closed lines that served Peel, Ramsey and Foxdale, and the remaining line to Port Erin which forms part of the southern terminus.
The Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters' Association Ltd (IoMSRSA) is a railway preservationist group dedicated to ensuring the continued operation of the Isle of Man Railway on the Isle of Man. Since its inception in 1966 the group has provided volunteer workers, acted in a watchdog role and undertaken the restoration of the Groudle Glen Railway on the island, as well as supporting projects on the railway and producing a journal Manx Steam Railway News regularly.
The rolling stock used on the Isle of Man Railway today is entirely original but the serviceable passenger coaches number 14, out of an original total of 75 carriages. The 3 ft gauge railway was provided with a variety of stock from different manufacturers over its time, and types of coach were categorised according to a lettering system, with the original four-wheeled coaches being of A, B, C and D types, and so on. The F prefix encompassed all bogie vehicles including conversions from the A-D series. Letters G-M denoted goods stock. N referred to ex-Manx Northern Railway 6 wheel carriages. The types of stock can be summarised as follows:-
The Foxdale Railway was a 3 ft narrow gauge branch line which ran from St. John's to Foxdale on the Isle of Man.
This article details each of the lines operated by the Isle of Man Railway, including the original line to Peel in the west, opened in 1873, followed by the Port Erin line the following year, as well as the Manx Northern Railway's line between St John's and Ramsey and the Foxdale Railway's line between St John's and Foxdale.
Crosby Railway Station was an intermediate stop on the Isle of Man Railway; it served the village of Crosby in the Isle of Man and was a stopping place on a line that ran between Douglas and Peel. It was part of the island's first railway line.
Kirk Michael Railway Station was an intermediate station on the Manx Northern Railway (MNR), which ran between St. John's and Ramsey in the Isle of Man, later owned and operated by the Isle of Man Railway; it served the village of Kirk Michael.
Waterfall was the only intermediate station on the Foxdale Railway on the Isle of Man.
St John's Railway Station was on the Isle of Man Railway (IMR), later merging with the nearby station of the Manx Northern Railway (MNR); it was the junction of lines to Douglas, Peel, Ramsey and Foxdale. It was close to Tynwald Hill.
Ramsey Station was a station on the Manx Northern Railway, later owned and operated by the Isle of Man Railway; it served the town of Ramsey in the Isle of Man, and was the terminus of a line that ran between St. John's and this station, which was the railway's headquarters.
One of the characteristics of the Isle of Man Railway are the numerous level crossings and farm crossings along the various routes; many smaller crossing places are marked only by gates the criss-cross farm land and provide access to individual private roads which connect the farms to the main roads. Being largely rural in nature the railway has many of these scattered along the existing South Line, and there were, as one might expect, many more on the closed sections of the railway. These can be summarised as follows, along with other points of interest along the line not covered in the Isle of Man Railway stations section:-
Lezayre Railway Station was an intermediate stopping place on the Manx Northern Railway, a line that ran between St. John's and Ramsey in the Isle of Man. It was the first halt outside the terminus at Ramsey. It was later owned and operated by the Isle of Man Railway. It served the small village known as Churchtown centred on the parish church, Kirk Christ Lezayre.