Ballasalla railway station
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ballasalla Station | |
|---|---|
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| Location | |
| Place | Ballasalla |
| Local authority | Rushen |
| Operations | |
| Managed by | Isle Of Man Heritage Railways |
| Platforms in use | 2 |
| History | |
| Opened 1874 | |
| National Rail - UK railway stations | |
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | |
Ballasalla Railway Station is located in the village of Ballasalla in the south of the Isle of Man, close to the airport, and is served on a seasonal basis by the Isle of Man Railway.
Contents |
[edit] Buildings
The original wooden station was built in 1874 (to the same design as that still extant at Santon, a previous halt on the line). It was demolished in 1985 and replaced with a brick building to house a small ticket office and waiting area. This new building was opened in 1986 by Jack Nivison, the former President of the Legislative Council of the Isle of Man and MHK for Middle. Prior to this, the station, along with many other intermediate stopping places on the line, did not provide passenger platforms. The new building however was built at platform height, and was capable of holding a five-coach train, later increased to seven. In 2002 the opposite side of the line also received a full-length platform, which also serves the goods siding and a modern bus shelter was also installed. The station also possesses a stone-built water tower and crossing keepers'[clarification needed] but, the latter was extensively modified to house the now-defunct mechanical station gates.
[edit] Facilities
The station, which has a car park, is bisected by the A8 Ballasalla to Castletown road. The land to the west of the station which is now occupied by modern offices was once a goods yard. It was a busy site serving the local market in the village, which was once one of the largest on the island for trading in livestock. But by the 1970s hthis industry, and the railway which served it, were in decline. The site had become a dumping ground for surplus rolling stock and was the road access point for the scrappers to collect the rail from the redundant sections of line to Peel in the west and Ramsey in the north. By the time the yard was eventually lifted in 1985 it was a fraction of its size and only housed some goods vans and the railway's breakdown crane, which was subsequently relocated to Castletown, and later after cosmetic restoration to the old disused station at Union Mills on the old Douglas to Peel line. One shorter siding was however retained and is extant today, receiving full height platforms in 2002.
[edit] Crossing
At the time the railway arrived here the road was little more than a pack-horse road and it was fitted with traditional level crossing gates. A gatekeeper's house was also built: this still stands but is now a private house. It was not until the 1960s that the wooden manually operated gates were replaced with far larger mechanical gates, and the small gate lodge modified to accommodate the "wheelhouse". The gates were opened and closed by a large ship's wheel structure. These distinctive gates were a feature of the line and survived until 2001 when, in line with a health and safety ruling, they were removed and replaced with automatic barriers which are now operated by the station staff from the platform.
[edit] Terminus
In the 1970s, prior to the nationalisation of the railway, the station was for a season the terminus of the line, with a short operation between Ballasalla and Port Erin being the only service in 1976. The previous year the line was shorter still, only offering travel between Port Erin and Castletown. However, in 1977 the line opened once more in its entirety and has remained open ever since.
[edit] Attractions
The station serves the local attractions at Silverdale Glen, a small park with boating pool and water-powered merry-go-round and the national heritage site at Rushen Abbey; both of these attractions are less than 15 minutes walk from the station. It is also used by the locals, who use it to travel to the shops in Douglas and also at Port Erin. It serves the nearby Whitestone Inn and is a short distance from the Balthane Industrial Estate; until comparatively recently goods were carried here for collection by businesses located on this estate.
[edit] Redevelopment
Although now extensively modernised and not really recognisable as the station that existed until 1985, it remains one of the most picturesque settings on the line and is popular with photographers who get the opportunity to take images of two trains at once, as this staion is now the only crossing place in use on the line: after timetable changes in 2001 there are no further crossing trains at Castletown railway station.
[edit] Route
| Preceding station | Isle of Man Transport | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ronaldsway towards Port Erin |
Isle of Man Railway | Santon towards Douglas |
[edit] References
- James I.C. Boyd Isle Of Man Railway, Volume 3, The Routes & Rolling Stock (1996) ISBN 0-85361-479-2
- Norman Jones Scenes From The Past: Isle Of Man Railway (1994) ISBN 0-54351-955-6
- Robert Hendry Rails In The Isle Of Man: A Colour Celebration (1993) ISBN 0-59624-884-1
- A.M Goodwyn Manx Transport Kalidescope, 2nd Edition (1995) ISBN 0-85361-479-2
