Lhen Coan Lhen Coan | |
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Groudle Glen Railway | |
General information | |
Location | Groudle Glen, Isle Of Man |
Coordinates | 54°10′44″N4°25′37″W / 54.1789°N 4.4269°W |
Owned by | Groudle Glen Railway |
Platforms | Ground Level |
Tracks | Various |
Construction | |
Structure type | Various |
Parking | None |
History | |
Opened | 1896 (Reopened 1986) |
Rebuilt | 1986-1998 |
Lhen Coan Station (Manx: Stashoon Lhen Coan) is the landward terminus of the Groudle Glen Railway in the Isle of Man. It is reached by visitors from the nearby Groudle Glen railway station on the Manx Electric Railway.
The main terminus of the Groudle Glen Railway is located in the heart of the glen and it's commonly thought it was named after a small glen spur from the main glen, but that is in fact called Glen Coan which translated from the local Manx Gaelic means "Narrow Valley" but at some point in history it adopted the name Lhen Coan for reasons unknown, which translated means "Narrow Lane"[ dubious – discuss ]
The station sits on a shelf on the northern side of the valley and was originally served by a run-round loop, covered overall by a Swiss-style canopy, with single-road locomotive shed and siding. There was also a souvenir shop which took hexagonal form in a style similar to those seen on the nearby Manx Electric Railway. The locomotive shed was destroyed by a fallen tree in 1967 and the unsafe canopy was destroyed in 1979, leaving the site empty.
When the restoration of the line by volunteers from the Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters' Association began in 1982 the site was merely a footpath and took considerable effort to reach with the new railhead. By 1986 however a new metal-framed, three-road locomotive and carriage shed was opened, just forward of the site of the original, serving as the line's only covered area for stock.
By 1993 a replica of the distinctive station canopy was completed and in the intervening years a number of small temporary huts have been erected beginning with a booking office (later moved and used as a store), a souvenir shop (now located under the canopy and at one time used as a tea room until the installation of facilities at the outer terminus), larger replacement souvenir shop and store room which doubles as a grotto for the festive services. A further siding was added in 2005 and a lean-to building created to store vehicles.
In 2007 the railway erected a two-road, purpose-built locomotive shed in a similar style to the original, which necessitated the removal of the station siding and widening of the area; this shed is now in use, and a further siding is being[ when? ] laid in front of what is now the carriage shed for further permanent way stock storage. The station site is now considerably larger than it was in the days of the original line but the volunteers have been careful to not lose the feeling of the original station. In the early part of 2009 a new souvenir shop was erected, similar in style to the replica canopy; the station was also refurbished in a lighter shade of brown and cream. In 2011 the 1992 booking office hut was deemed beyond repair and was replaced with a new booking office constructed in similar style to the new shop and canopy building and painted in the station colour scheme of brown and cream.
In 2012 planning permission was granted to extend the platform area substantially out into the glen, and to construct a new larger utility building to replace the old tea hut of 1986. Construction work started in September, funded by the Manx Lottery Trust and Tower Insurance, and required the railway to transport 140 tons of rock to the site, for the platform extension foundations and infill. New stone faced walls to link the 2007 engine shed to the existing 1896 dry stone wall were also part of the project. The building was constructed by volunteer joiner Stephen Goody to match the style of the canopy, shop and booking office, and the entire area was completed in time for the Christmas services.
The Groudle Glen Railway is a 2 ft 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.
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.
Port St Mary Railway Station is a station in Port St Mary in the south of the Isle of Man and is served by the Isle of Man Railway, having first opened in 1874 when the line to nearby Port Erin was completed. It forms part of the sole remaining section of the railway which once covered a network of some 46 miles across the island. The station is less than a mile away from the terminus and has no passing loop or run-round facilities, but a siding serving the goods shed was lifted in the 1979 but reinstated in 2002 at the same time as the whole of the permanent way was replaced along the line. When reinstated, the siding was not connected to the imposing goods shed, however in the winter of 2007/2008 rail connections were restored. A second siding which once served the rear of the shed was removed in 1974 and has not been replaced. Both sets of facing points were on the northern approach, the second lifted siding running parallel to the shed access as far as the exterior loading platform.
Port Erin Railway Station is the western terminus of the Isle of Man Railway in the village of Port Erin on the Isle of Man; it is the sole remaining outer terminus of the railway. Until 1968 there were termini at both Peel and Ramsey in the west and north of the island respectively. This station was the second established terminus of the Isle of Man Railway: the first opened at Peel in 1873.
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 open line between Douglas and Port Erin.
Ravenglass Heritage Railway Station is the Western terminus of the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway. It is situated to the east of Ravenglass main line railway station, which is on the Cumbrian Coast Line. The facilities at the railway station include toilets, under-cover platforms, booking office and café. The railway station complex incorporates 2 locomotive sheds, a carriage shed, a signal box, managerial offices and 2 camping coaches; along with the railway station itself.
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 the journal, Manx Steam Railway News.
The Groudle Glen Water Wheel unofficially known by the sobriquet of Little Isabella is a rustic water wheel, situated in Groudle Glen on the Isle of Man, that was originally built in 1893 with the arrival of the Manx Electric Railway to the glen.
Groudle, or Groudle Glen, a glen on the outskirts of Onchan on the Isle of Man, is formed in a valley leading to the sea at the small port of the same name. It is one of the officially-listed Manx National Glens.
Lhen Coan is the only natural canyon on the Isle of Man situated in Groudle Glen on the outskirts of Onchan. It is also the name of the nearby station on the Groudle Glen Railway. In the Victorian era the canyon was accessed by rustic timber walkways, which have been removed but the canyon is clearly discernible from the main path, and is crossed by a footbridge at the approach to the railway's main station.
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.
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.
This is a general list of rolling stock and locomotives currently or formerly on the Groudle Glen Railway on the Isle of Man.
One of the characteristics of the Isle of Man Railway is the numerous level crossings and farm crossings along the various routes; many smaller crossing places are marked only by gates that criss-cross farm land and provide access to private roads connecting 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 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:-
Groudle Glen station is the first mandatory stopping point and major station on the Manx Electric Railway which serves the village of Groudle Glen in the Isle of Man, and is situated between Groudle Lane and Eskadale on the route to Laxey and Ramsey.
Lime Kiln Halt is the only intermediate station on the narrow gauge Groudle Glen Railway in the Isle of Man; it also serves as the line's temporary terminus on certain occasions. It is situated at the midpoint of the short line, above the nearby beach and car park.
Headland Station was the temporary terminus of the Groudle Glen Railway in the Isle of Man between 1983 and 1991, after which time the line was reinstated to its original terminus at Sea Lion Rocks. It also served as the terminus between 1950 and 1962.
Sea Lion Rocks is a railway station and outer terminus of the Groudle Glen Railway in the Isle of Man. It served as the outer terminus from 1896 until 1939 and again from 1992 to date.
Dolphin and Walrus are diesel locomotives that are operated on the Groudle Glen Railway.