Kirk Michael railway station

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Station statistics
Ramsey Manx Northern Railway station
Platforms	2
Other information
Opened	September 23, 1879 (1879-09-23)
Closed	September 6, 1968 (1968-09-06)

Kirk Michael station was a station on the Manx Northern Railway, serving the village of Kirk Michael in the Isle of Man.

1 Description and history
2 Route
3 References
4 See also

[edit] Description and history

Ramsey-bound train at Kirk Michael station, Isle of Man

The station was opened on September 23, 1879 (1879-09-23) as part of the Manx Northern's line between St. John's and Ramsey. It was provided with quite substantial red sandstone, slate roofed buildings consisting of station master's office and waiting room, together with a goods shed, which was replaced by a stone built building by the Isle of Man Railway in 1923. There was a water tank at the St. John's end of the facility which was used by steam locomotives travelling in either direction.

In addition to the village, the station also served the nearby Glen Wyllin Pleasure Grounds. This was developed in the 1890's and later purchased and further developed by the Isle of Man Railway. The path/railway beyond here were wider than usual, as a demarked pathway parallel to the running line gave access to the park, once one of the most popular tourist destinations on the island and a large source of income for the railway who often provided special services to this station to cope with the demand of the resort.

Much of the Isle of Man Railway's marketing stated the station name as either ’Michael or simply Michael, the apostrophe one assumes acknowledging the potential "Kirk" prefix, but in later times the station was given its full title.

The station buildings still survive today and now house the local fire brigade whilst the goods shed has been converted to house the fire engine. A set of mock-up level crossing gates have been installed to show the railway's existence here, and sections of rail remain in the macadam of the road.