Santon railway station

Santon Railway Station Stashoon Raad Yiarn Skylley Stondane Isle Of Man Railway
Station statistics
Address	Castletown Road, Santon, IM9 4RR.
Line(s)	Port Erin Line
Structure type	Station Building
Platforms	Two, Raised (One Goods, Disused)
Tracks	Two Running Lines & One Siding
Parking	Dedicated, Adjacent
Other information
Opened	1 August 1874
Closed	1958 (Seasonal Since 1965)
Owned by	Isle Of Man Heritage Railways
Formerly	Isle Of Man Railway Company
Traffic
Passenger Only (Since 1965, Goods Previously)
Services
Waiting Shelter

Santon Station is a request stop near Newtown in the parish of Santon, Isle of Man; it forms part of the sole remaining line of the Isle of Man Railway which once encompassed over 46 miles of network and retains its original station building. The halt played host to Santa's Grotto each December as part of the railway's Santa Trains service for many years until 2009. Seasonal services now terminate at Castletown Station.

Location

The station is situated off the A5 Port Erin to Douglas road, between the stations of Ballasalla and Port Soderick. To the north of the station the line passes over a road bridge and travels along an embankment; immediately after leaving the station environs the line passes under the main Douglas to Ballasalla road and thereafter onto another much larger embankment across the Santon Burn to the occupational crossings of Ballalona and Ballastrang farms. The latter is the sole remaining manned level crossing and retains its manually operated gates. A further manual crossing is extant at Port Erin Station though this is manned by station staff rather than a dedicated gatekeeper.

Building

The station is the last on the line to still boast its original 1874 building; however, similar structures were in place but demolished at Ballasalla in 1985 and Colby in 1980. The building is of simple style, being of timber construction with corrugated iron roofing, painted in an orange and red style unchanged for many years. It includes station master accommodation and porters rooms as well as a passenger waiting shelter recessed from the running lines. In 1985 the station building was cosmetically restored at the expense of the now-defunct Isle Of Man Railway Society and attention was given to the wooden slatting that form its exterior walls; a better form of wooden window shutters were also added at this time, the previous incarnations having been a somewhat crude affair. Upon completion of the project a large sign board denoting the improvements was erected over the porters' room window, but this was later removed when the group became defunct. In the intervening years no further remedial work was carried out and the condition of the building deteriorated considerably until it received further attention in 2002 as part of the redevelopment of the station when the entire infrastructure of the railway was overhauled.

Santa's Halt

The station has played host to Father Christmas and his enchanted grotto for several years from 1986 when the railway's popular Santa Trains terminated here, the station being renamed as Santa's Halt annually for this purpose. In more recent years this practice was discontinued and a much shorter run was introduced with Father Christmas passing among the passengers to distribute presents and trains only travelling as far as various points on the first section of the line prior to Port Soderick station. Happily, in 2008 the full run to Santon was reinstated, and a further two years of these services were provided. The grotto was constructed each December by panelling in the recessed passenger waiting shelter in the station building. The railway's three coach Bar Set of saloon coaches were placed in the siding at the station for provision of mulled wine, mince pies, tea, coffee and other refreshments and the area suitably decorated; the station renamed for the occasion which used to take place in the first two weekends of December. However, in 2010 a considerable revamp of the railway's established seasonal services saw the terminus moved from here to Castletown Station which was renamed Tinseltown for the occasion; although the Santa Trains do still pass each other at Santon still, no passenger facilities are located here and it is only manned by railway staff to ensure safe crossing of trains rather than for the purposes of passenger facilities.

Parcels & Livestock

For many years the station played unofficial host to the railway's left luggage; legend has it that once uncollected parcels and such were not claimed after a certain period they were sent here for storage; such was the regularity of this occurrence that by the time of its closure in 1958 (it became an unmanned halt after this time) the covered storage areas were packed full with passengers' unclaimed belongings. Situated as it is, in a largely rural area, the siding here was once extremely active with cattle traffic and despite its tranquil location the station was busy with farm traffic; such was demand that it remained a manned station until relatively late in the railway's history; the development of suitable road vehicles to transport livestock eventually saw to the demise of this. The cattle dock remains in situ today, used as a ballast storage area.

Terminus

The station has not been manned for a great many years and until a major relay of the entire railway in 2001 it was largely untouched for well over a century. In connection with these major works, for the duration of the 2002 summer season the station acted as the railway's terminus while major tracklaying was in progress and at this time the station facilities were improved considerably, with each of the two rooms of the original building being renovated to provide accommodation for station staff to the left, and passengers to the right. A drinks vending machine was installed at this time, and it was said that it was the most activity that the sleepy station had even seen it its entire 130+ year existence. When the track renewal programme was completed it was revered to original form, though the improved facilities were to remain beneficial for the annual Santa Trains which terminated here until 2009.

Environs

The station can be found by taking a left turn immediately after having passed over the bridge under which the railway travels. The turning is demarkated by a white wall with the station's name carved into a stone set into the wall. There is a further driveway entrance on the northern approach which is accessed via a small road to the station's northeasterly side. The station's sheltered location boasts some magnificent palm trees. What now forms a flower bed on the station platform was once the foundation for wooden store, constructed from the bodywork of an old brake van; it was common to find new uses for vehicles in this way. There was also a manure siding protected from the running line by a series of hoardings; the goods siding and its respective platform remain extant although relaid in recent years. The siding for many years was home to an array of expired stock such as the final surviving wagon M.70 and the railway's breakdown crane. In connection with the station's temporary role as the line's terminus in 2002 a water tank on metal legs was installed and this remains extant although largely unused. A park bench is located on the "up" platform with a brass plaque duly dedicated. Immediately to the south of the station the line passes underneath the main Douglas to Port Erin road by means of a bridge and after passing through a short cutting passes over the Santon Burn atop a man-made embankment. Entry to the station from the north side is over another high bridge.

Route

See also

• Isle of Man Railway stations
• Santon
• Mount Murray
• Fairy Bridge

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 1-870119-22-3
• Robert Hendry Rails in the Isle of Man: A Colour Celebration (1993) ISBN 1-85780-009-5
• A.M Goodwyn Manx Transport Kaleidoscope, 2nd Edition (1995)

Sources

• [Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters' Association]

Coordinates: 54°07′06″N 4°35′03″W / 54.1182°N 4.5841°W / 54.1182; -4.5841