Ballabeg railway station

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The old permanent way hut at Ballabeg which serves as the station at this sleepy location.

Ballabeg Railway Station is a small station near the village of Ballabeg in the south of the Isle of Man. It consists of only a small wooden hut which acts as a shelter for waiting passengers. This was originally a permanent way hut and remains locked, but a small lean-to canopy was added in the 1980s. The station is served seasonlly by the Isle of Man Railway, connecting with Castletown railway station to the southeast and Colby railway station to the west. In more recent times, the station was tended to by local supporters who added flower baskets, old-fashioned advertising signs and the like, making it one of the most pictureque yet tranquil stations on the line. A blackboard was put in place and cheerful notes regularly updated on it, for the passing traveller to observe but this practice has latterly stopped. There does remain in situ however and "Isle of Man Ferry Express" container which was cosmetically restored by local enthusiasts. This was used on the railway in the 1960s as part of an unsuccessful attempt to introduce freight traffic to the line. Considerable changes were made at this site in 2002 when a pumping station for a local sewerage network was installed. The station carries bi-lingul station nameboards in keeping with policy, and these were installed in 2008; it remains as a request stop only.