Colby railway station
Colby Railway Station Stashoon Colby | |
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Isle of Man Railway Company | |
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Location | Colby, Isle Of Man |
Coordinates | 54°05′40″N 4°42′15″W |
Owned by | Isle of Man Railways |
Line(s) | Port Erin Line |
Platforms | Two (Raised) |
Construction | |
Structure type | Open Shelter |
Parking | Dedicated, Adjacent |
History | |
Opened | 1874 |
Closed | Seasonally Since 1965 |
Rebuilt | 1991 / 2001 |
Previous names | Isle of Man Railway Co. |
Traffic | |
Passenger Only (Since 1958, Goods Previously) | |
Services | |
Waiting Shelter |
Colby Station is a small station on the southern edge of the village of Colby in the south of the Isle of Man served by the Isle of Man Railway; it forms part of the sole remaining section of the network which once covered over 46 miles island-wide.
Origins
The station was established in 1874 it consisted of a goods siding, with a ground level platform, waiting room and station master's office on the north side of the running line. The building was of the same design as the one at Ballasalla Station which was demolished in 1985, and the one still extant at Santon Station. A passing loop was added in 1907 breaking the 5 mile 5 furlong single line section between Castletown and Port Erin into two almost equal sections.
Location
Trains approach the station from the north on a right curve and depart in a southerly direction in a straight section that lasts until The Level road crossing via Kentraugh Farm occupational crossing. The station is located on the outskirts of the village, and the houses that back onto the perimeter of the station on one side are that of the local authority. The village has its own public house, the Colby Glen which is visible in the trees to the north of the station, and the housing can be seen from the passing trains. In 2011 the local football club established new headquarters in the field to the seaward side of the station, for which a new automated level crossing was installed at the northern extent of the station. This was the first new level crossing on the railway for over a century. The station is a mandatory stopping place and one of the busiest on the line for local traffic, popular with locals who travel by train to do their shopping in either Douglas or Port Erin.
Rationalisation
The building here survived through nationalisation and was demolished in 1980, leaving no shelter for waiting passengers. The former goods platform is still distinguishable on the westerly side of the station, the siding itself being long-since lifted. Until 1991 the pointwork was still in place at the northerly end of the station but this was removed when remedial works were carried out at this time. In 1991 the shelter from Braddan Bridge on the long-abandoned line to Peel was refurbished and relocated here, but since the station received platforms on both up and down sides of the loop in conjunction with an all-island sewerage network in 2002, the waiting shelter is no longer at platform height, being left in-situ at a lower point giving it an unusual appearance in respect of the actual platforms.
Translation
The station is unique in being the only one on the line to not carry bi-lingual station nameboards because the name translated carries exactly the same spelling, but this does lead to an inconsistency of naming along the line.
Route
Preceding station | Isle of Man Railway | Following station | ||
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Level | Port Erin Line | Ballabeg |
See also
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)
External links
Sources
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