Foxdale Railway
Encyclopedia
The Foxdale Railway was a branch line which ran from St. John's
to Foxdale
on the Isle of Man
.
(MNR), many of whose directors were also on the board of the smaller company. The line was leased from the outset by the MNR.
Shortly after the line had opened, the lead mining industry started to decline and in the Foxdale company went into liquidation
. The fortunes of the MNR were closely tied to the Foxdale line due to the terms of the lease being favourable to the smaller concern. Much of the MNR's freight revenue originated in Foxdale, with loaded wagons of lead being transported to the harbour in Ramsey and coal and mine supplies ferried back to the mines.
The MNR operated the line on behalf of the liquidators until, following an investigation by a Tynwald
committee, the Isle of Man Railway
(IMR) took over all operations on the MNR including the Foxdale line on . The IMR was then authorised to purchase both the MNR and the Foxdale line a few months later on .
Today, the station building at St. John's is still in place but now a private dwelling, similarly at the other end of the line the station is extant, but now forms part of a youth club for local children. The stanchions of the former viaduct
also remain in place and there are still some rails visible in the road at the outer terminus. It is little known that the famous Scissors crossing behind the station is actually still in situ to this day, although unknown to most people as it was buried underneath a bank of hardcore from the mines(there are actually images which shows this happening). This possibly means that Foxdale has the distinction of being the station on the IoM's closed network which still has most of the original station trackwork still surviving!
, the only intermediate station, to the terminus in Upper Foxdale. The tracks extended beyond Foxdale into the mine workings area. There were at one time plans to extend the line to join with the IMR's Port Erin line at Ballasalla
, but these came to nothing.
The railway initially used the MNR station at St. John's, situated to the west of the IMR station. Later, in 1886, the MNR abandoned this and built a new platform and station building on the alignment of the Foxdale Railway more closely adjacent to the IMR station. Foxdale line trains used this facility until 1927, after which trains reversed in and out of the IMR station.
Upon the opening of the railway, the MNR ran some services from Ramsey to Foxdale, but passenger traffic on the line was always light and these services gave way to local shuttles between St. John's and Foxdale. Latterly, passenger services consisted of a loco and one coach. The coach used was specifically made for the branch and survives today (see The Foxdale Coach).
The MNR purchased a more powerful locomotive to work goods services over the branch and its steep gradients (see Caledonia).
St. John's railway station
St. John's Railway Station was a station on the Isle of Man Railway, later merging with a neaby station of the Manx Northern Railway; it served the village of St...
to Foxdale
Foxdale railway station
-Route:...
on the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
.
History
The line was officially opened by the Foxdale Railway Company Ltd. (registered on ) on allowing rail access to the lead mining workings around the village of Foxdale. The company had close ties to the Manx Northern RailwayManx Northern Railway
The Manx Northern Railway was the second common carrier railway built in the Isle of Man. It operated as an independent concern only from 1879 to 1905.- History :...
(MNR), many of whose directors were also on the board of the smaller company. The line was leased from the outset by the MNR.
Shortly after the line had opened, the lead mining industry started to decline and in the Foxdale company went into liquidation
Liquidation
In law, liquidation is the process by which a company is brought to an end, and the assets and property of the company redistributed. Liquidation is also sometimes referred to as winding-up or dissolution, although dissolution technically refers to the last stage of liquidation...
. The fortunes of the MNR were closely tied to the Foxdale line due to the terms of the lease being favourable to the smaller concern. Much of the MNR's freight revenue originated in Foxdale, with loaded wagons of lead being transported to the harbour in Ramsey and coal and mine supplies ferried back to the mines.
The MNR operated the line on behalf of the liquidators until, following an investigation by a Tynwald
Tynwald
The Tynwald , or more formally, the High Court of Tynwald is the legislature of the Isle of Man. It is claimed to be the oldest continuous parliamentary body in the world, consisting of the directly elected House of Keys and the indirectly chosen Legislative Council.The Houses sit jointly, for...
committee, the Isle of Man Railway
Isle of Man Railway
The Isle of Man Railway is a narrow gauge steam-operated railway connecting Douglas with Castletown and Port Erin in the Isle of Man. The line is built to gauge and is long...
(IMR) took over all operations on the MNR including the Foxdale line on . The IMR was then authorised to purchase both the MNR and the Foxdale line a few months later on .
Decline and closure
The last lead mine in the area closed in 1911 and from then on only spoil trains and the infrequent passenger and general goods services used the line. From , tickets were no longer sold at Foxdale station, the station building being converted into a private dwelling during the 1920s. The last regular passenger train worked the branch in 1940, after which the service was replaced by buses. The line saw some troop specials during the Second World War as well as spoil trains and the occasional passenger service, run due to bus shortages. The last train reported to have used the branch was an engineering working in which removed rails and other material from Foxdale to be used elsewhere on the system. The rails were finally removed during the mid-1970s and much of the route is now a designated public walkway.Today, the station building at St. John's is still in place but now a private dwelling, similarly at the other end of the line the station is extant, but now forms part of a youth club for local children. The stanchions of the former viaduct
Viaduct
A viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early...
also remain in place and there are still some rails visible in the road at the outer terminus. It is little known that the famous Scissors crossing behind the station is actually still in situ to this day, although unknown to most people as it was buried underneath a bank of hardcore from the mines(there are actually images which shows this happening). This possibly means that Foxdale has the distinction of being the station on the IoM's closed network which still has most of the original station trackwork still surviving!
The route and services
The line ran from an end-on junction with the MNR west of St. John's, then passed to the north of the IMR station before curving south and crossing the IMR's line from Douglas via an overbridge (the only place where railway crossed railway on the Isle of Man) to the east of the station. The line had a fairly constant incline through Waterfall HaltWaterfall railway station
For the railway station in Sydney, NSW, Australia, see Waterfall railway station, SydneyWaterfall Halt was the only intermediate station on the Foxdale Railway on the Isle of Man.-Facilities:...
, the only intermediate station, to the terminus in Upper Foxdale. The tracks extended beyond Foxdale into the mine workings area. There were at one time plans to extend the line to join with the IMR's Port Erin line at Ballasalla
Ballasalla railway station
Ballasalla Railway Station is located in the village of Ballasalla in the south of the Isle of Man, close to the airport, and is served on a seasonal basis by the Isle of Man Railway...
, but these came to nothing.
The railway initially used the MNR station at St. John's, situated to the west of the IMR station. Later, in 1886, the MNR abandoned this and built a new platform and station building on the alignment of the Foxdale Railway more closely adjacent to the IMR station. Foxdale line trains used this facility until 1927, after which trains reversed in and out of the IMR station.
Upon the opening of the railway, the MNR ran some services from Ramsey to Foxdale, but passenger traffic on the line was always light and these services gave way to local shuttles between St. John's and Foxdale. Latterly, passenger services consisted of a loco and one coach. The coach used was specifically made for the branch and survives today (see The Foxdale Coach).
The MNR purchased a more powerful locomotive to work goods services over the branch and its steep gradients (see Caledonia).