| Ballabeg Railway Station Stashoon Balley Beg Isle Of Man Railway |
||
|---|---|---|
| Station statistics | ||
| Address | Colby Road, Malew, IM9 2FW. | |
| Coordinates | 54°05′28″N 4°40′26″W | |
| Lines | Port Erin Line | |
| Structure | Platelayers' Hut | |
| Platforms | One, Raised | |
| Tracks | One Running Lines | |
| Parking | Dedicated, Adjacent | |
| Other information | ||
| Opened | 23rd July 1877 | |
| Closed | 1967 Only (Seasonal Since 1965) | |
| Rebuilt | 1944 | |
| Owned by | Isle Of Man Heritage Railways | |
| Formerly | Isle Of Man Railway Company | |
| Traffic | ||
| Passenger Only | ||
| Services | ||
| Waiting Shelter
|
||
Ballabeg Station is a diminutive request stop near the village of Ballabeg in the south of the Isle of Man. It forms part of the sole remaining section of the former network which covered 46 miles across the island. A further station of this name also appears on the Manx Electric Railway to the north, see Ballabeg Tram Station for further details.
Contents |
The station consists of only a small wooden hut which acts as a shelter for waiting passengers. This was originally a track works' permanent way hut and remains locked, but a small lean-to canopy was added in 1982. The station is served seasonlly by the Isle of Man Railway, connecting with Castletown to the southeast and Colby to the west.
It is quite some distance from the village itself and for that reason the manned aspect was discontinued many years ago, the station remaining timetabled but only as a request stop for a great number of years.
The original station building here was a more complex affair, and the station was for some time manned in the early years of the line despite its location some distance from the village it serves. The extant station building is a platelayers hut which has never been opened to provide passenger shelter. In the winter of 1987 a verandah was added to the front of the station and a concrete platform area created and the station became one of the most popular for lineside photographers. The site was further improved in 2001 when a pumping station for the all-island sewer network was installed to the rear of the station and a platform to fit three coaches was added. This takes the form of a wall of sleepers which has been back-filled to provide a half-height platform for alighting and boarding passengers.
The station is approached on the northern side opn a curve leading to the outskirts of Castletown, and to the south passes underneath a bridge which carries the road to the village itself. This road also forms part of the Billown Racing Circuit where the Southern 100 races take place annually.
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 remains in situ however an "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. At this time a short low level platform was installed and vehicular access improved, in conjunction with the access required for the nearby pumping station.
The station carries bi-lingual station nameboards in keeping with policy, and these were installed in 2008; it remains as a request stop only.
The station remains open today but only as a request stop; passengers wishing to board trains here must give a clear hand signal to the driver and those wishing to alight must inform the guard prior to departure from the relevant previous station.
| Preceding station | Isle of Man Railway | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colby | Port Erin Line | Castletown |