Howstrake Camp Campal Howstrake | |
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Manx Electric Railway | |
General information | |
Coordinates | Pole No. 087-088 |
Owned by | Isle Of Man Railways |
Platforms | Ground Level |
Tracks | Two Running Lines |
Construction | |
Structure type | Stone Shelter |
Parking | None |
History | |
Opened | 1893 |
Closed | Derelict |
Previous names | Manx Electric Railway Co. |
Howstrake Camp Halt (Manx: Stadd Campal Howstrake) (occasionally "Howstrake Holiday Camp Station", with or without the station suffix) is a stop on the Manx Electric Railway on the Isle of Man located at the line's first summit on the climb from the terminus, before descending into the nearby valley.
The station was used almost exclusively in conjunction with the nearby holiday camp from which it gained its name and despite the closure of the camp in 1985 remains a functioning request tram stop today. It also retains its original stone-built waiting shelter albeit in a poor state of repair, which has its name painted on the rear wall facing out to sea and bears the legend "Howstrake Holiday Camp Station" along its roof line. The building has been in a poor state of repair for a number of years and is now fenced-off. Originally the building was erected by and maintained by the owners of the holiday camp.
The station has remained nominally open in recent times since the closure of the adjacent holiday camp but facilities have not been maintained on site for many years. After part of the roof collapsed, the station building was closed and fenced-off around 2015 and remains so today (2021). Tramcars do still stop here but only on request of passengers, or by flagging down a passing car to board. Being situated on an exposed coastal headland the shelter formerly provided welcome respite for walkers, the coastal road being a popular walk.
Today the area is in a state of decay as can be seen from the dilapidated state of this once-grand entrance area. The station is something of an oddity, being that the shelter is on the "wrong side" compared to the entrance gates meaning that the road must be crossed between the two when there is in fact sufficient land for the shelter on the railway side of the road which is taken up by large entrance gates; upon first glance these gates appear to lead nowhere, but they actually once led to a tunnel which was the official entrance to the camp proper, located on the rocks below the tramlines, and the entrance point to the tunnel can be seen from the passing trams a few yards further down the line, noted by a substantial stone wall to the left of the running lines. The tunnel had however been sealed off since the closure of the camp, but the small toll cottage can still be made out in the undergrowth on the other side of the line.
The camp itself sprawled across the hillside overlooking the Groudle Glen Railway on the adjacent hillside and some of the chalets remain today; the area is private property but reasonable views of it can be achieved from the outer terminus of the aforementioned railway, and some information about the site is also available here. The camp was first developed as a male-only tented village with all accommodation being in the form of distinctive looking bell tents. In the late 19th century it caused scandal by becoming the first camp on the island available to both sexes and it was operated by the same company that ran the enormously successful Cunningham's Camp in Douglas some four miles away. During the Second World War the camp was used as a music school by the Royal Naval School of Music before returning to holiday use upon cessation of the hostilities. Latterly it was a seasonal affair and after a fire ripped through the main dining hall in 1985 it closed.
The Douglas Bay Horse Tramway on the Isle of Man runs along the seafront promenade for approximately 1 mile (1.6 km), from the southern terminus at the Villa Marina, to Derby Castle station, the southern terminus of the Manx Electric Railway, where the workshops and sheds are located. It is a distinctive tourist attraction. However works have been underway to relay all of the track in 2019 and at present only a third is usable, with no published completion date for the works.
The Manx Electric Railway is an electric interurban tramway connecting Douglas, Laxey and Ramsey in the Isle of Man. It connects with the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway at its southern terminus at Derby Castle at the northern end of the promenade in Douglas, and with the Snaefell Mountain Railway at Laxey. Many visitors take an excursion on the trams. It is the oldest electric tram line in the world whose original rolling stock is still in service.
Derby Castle Terminus is the southern terminus of the Manx Electric Railway. It is located on the north side of Douglas, Isle of Man; Douglas Station on the Isle of Man Railway is located on the south side of town, with the MER station being termed "Derby Castle" to differentiate between the two.
Lewaigue Halt is an intermediate stopping place on the northern section of the Manx Electric Railway on the Isle of Man.
Onchan Head Halt was once the first official stopping place on the Manx Electric Railway on the Isle of Man and is less than one mile from the southern terminus of the line.
Ramsey Station serves the town of Ramsey in the Isle of Man; it is the northern terminus of the Manx Electric Railway. It was formerly known as Ramsey (Plaza) Station after the nearby Plaza cinema, now demolished and turned into a car park. Today it is often also known as Ramsey Tram Station and signage to this effect adorns the station, despite the line being described as a railway. It should not be confused with Ramsey's former station on the Isle of Man Railway.
Garwick Glen Halt is a rural intermediate request stop on the east coast route of the Manx Electric Railway on the Isle of Man.
Balladromma Beg Halt is an intermediate stopping place on the Manx Electric Railway on the Isle of Man.
Ballaragh Halt is an intermediate stopping place on the northerly section of the Manx Electric Railway on the Isle of Man
Ballaglass Glen Halt is an intermediate stopping place on the northerly section of the Manx Electric Railway on the Isle of Man.
Belle Vue Halt , also known as Bellevue, is an intermediate stopping place on the northern section of the Manx Electric Railway on the Isle of Man.
Groudle Lane Halt is a request stop on the Manx Electric Railway on the Isle of Man, located below the line's first summit on the descent into the nearby valley of the same name.
Braeside Halt is a stopping place on the Manx Electric Railway on the Isle of Man and is located on the first section of the inter-urban line a short distance from its southernmost terminus.
Eskadale Halt is an intermediate request stop on the east coast route of the Manx Electric Railway on the Isle of Man.
Ballamenagh Halt is a request stop on the Manx Electric Railway on the Isle of Man.
Dumbell's Row is an intermediate stopping place on the Manx Electric Railway on the Isle of Man and is the first on the northern section of the line from Laxey, opened in 1899.
Dolland Halt is a diminutive intermediate stopping place on the northern section of the Manx Electric Railway in the Isle of Man. Although unofficial it remains in use upon request.
Dhoon Quarry Halt is a rural request stop on the northern section of the Manx Electric Railway on the Isle of Man, close to the quarry with which it shares its name. Although the quarry is no longer active, the area is now one of the line's bases for permanent way supplies and stock, and during the 1990s it provided the terminus for the Year Of Railways (1993) event featuring steam locomotive No. 4 "Loch" of the Isle of Man Railway hauling trailers over the metals of the Manx Electric Railway between Dumbell's Row and this point. For this reason there is a concrete-built docking area built especially for the locomotive to take on coal and water, which has more recently been used as a loading area for flatbed wagons on the line. In addition to the two usual running lines there are several sidings, a fraction of what was once here, and these were used solely in connection with quarry traffic. A collection of buildings were also extant, including the "Creosote Cottage" and the body off a 10-12 class tramcar used as a storeroom for many years. By the time of the 1993 events the area had been tidied up, portaloos installed and many of the old building disappeared. The stone-built cottage remains in situ however and is used in connection with permanent way duties. From a passing tram today, there are always items of interest here, it is where the 0-6-0 diesel locomotive "Bertie" is usually stored together with a stockpile of replacement sleepers.