Onchan Head railway station
Encyclopedia
Manx Electric Railway
The Manx Electric Railway is an electric inter-urban tramway connecting Douglas, Laxey and Ramsey in the Isle of Man. It connects with the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway at its southern terminus at Derby Castle at the northern end of the promenade in Douglas, and with the Snaefell Mountain Railway at...
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...
and is less than one mile from the southern terminus of the line.
Origins
The halt was opened in the earliest years of the tramway to serve the then new White City pleasure grounds and the nearby beach at Happy Valley, although not appearing in much of the timetable literature for the first years its popularity was such that it eventually became an official stopping place and remains so today. The area was one of the first on the island to be lit be electricity, using the supply from the electric railway. One of the original lamp standards was moved to a heritage area in Onchan Village known as The Butt in 1987 and restored to original condition.Structures
In the earliest years of the railway this station was furnished with a manned booking office, such was the popularity of the location that this was manned for several years, despite its close proximity to the terminus. It was accompanied by the turn of the twentieth century by a covered accommodation for waiting passengers. However, when the resort declined in popularity these facilities were removed in 1978.Environs
In line with management changed in the late 1990s a modern bus shelter was erected here in 1999 serving both the railway and bus services in the area, in line with management policy to provide shelter at as many wayside locations as possible. At this time the station also lost its hand-painted station nameboard in favour of a modern bus stop-type sign; until the summer of 2009 a painted bench remained in situ as a reminder of the old days. To the side of the station is a pedestrian footpath serving the nearby housing estate, and the station is demarcated by a token piece of fencing at its southernmost end.White City
This area was once a popular destination for holidaymakers and for many years as it served the nearby White City pleasure grounds, which were closed in the early 1980s. Despite the closure of the resort the station has remained open but today largely serves only local traffic. Despite seeing little use, the station still has its own run-round loop which facilitated trams on short workings to return to the depot on the correct running line, as for many years short workings shuttled between Derby Castle Station and here, such was the demand of the amusement park with its wooden roller coaster and traditional attractions such as a ghost train and dodgems.The resort declined in the 1970s and the coaster was replaced with a multi-lane plastic slide when the former became unsafe. Latterly, the area was utilised by a BMX
BMX
Bicycle motocross or BMX refers to the sport in which the main goal is extreme racing on bicycles in motocross style on tracks with inline start and expressive obstacles, and it is also the term that refers to the bicycle itself that is designed for dirt and motocross cycling.- History :BMX started...
racing club before being given over to redevelopment in the 1990s and it now houses a large block of apartments as well as some detached private dwellings, all served by a loop road which surrounds the estate, installed in 1897 when the original amusement park was developed.
Route
Sources
- Manx Electric Railway Stopping Places (2002) Manx Electric Railway Society
- Island Images: Manx Electric Railway Pages (2003) Jon Wornham
- Official Tourist Department Page (2009) Isle Of Man Heritage Railways