Port Jack Halt is the name of the first official stopping place on the Manx Electric Railway

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 situated a short distance from the terminus.

Environs

Today, the site is known for being the location of the chip shop of the same name, but in the busy tourist days of the island it was a popular stopping off point for visitors on their way to the White City located a few yards along the coast. It remains open today but is only demarkated by a small bus stop-type sign fitted to one of the green overhead poles. The site is also served by the island's Bus Vannin

Bus Vannin

Bus Vannin is the title of the government owned and operated bus service on the Isle of Man. The name was adopted in June 2009 having previously been branded as Isle of Man Transport...

 service. Whilst never appearing in the railway's timetables or scheduling, the halt has long been established as a dropping-off point for local traffic and tramcars stop on either side of the road that bisects the railway at this point, either on the southerly side outside the chip shop, or the northerly which directly leads to a set of public conveniences.

Douglas Bay Hotel

The station was once the closest to the Douglas Bay Hotel which dominated the skyline until gutted by a devastating fire in 1988. The hotel was the focal point of the headland and built from red brick with a tower at its centre; it was famous for the Texas Bar, a Wild West-themed saloon that was open to both residents and non-residents. In latter years, a small swimming pool was built in the grounds nearby to the passing tramlines. Since demolition, the site has been redeveloped and now forms the basis of a large office block which is the local headquarters of the Royal Skandia

Scandia

Scandia was a name used for various uncharted islands in Northern Europe by the first Greek and Roman geographers. The name originated in Greek sources, where it had been used for a long time for different islands in the Mediterranean region...

 group. A circular tower has been incorporated into the design of the building, slightly echoing the hotel structure it replaces.

Facilities

The area was once a bustling place for tourists to visit and featured a penny amusement arcade with slot machines and the like, a milk bar known as the "Moo Kow" and other shops that traded in souvenirs and the like. Being above a stony beach of the same name, previously known as "Port-E-Vada Creek" the shops traded largely in seaside equipment as one would expect. The distinctive Mock Tudor-style buildings remain today, now location for a tanning shop, tapas

Tapas

Tapas are a wide variety of appetizers, or snacks, in Spanish cuisine. They may be cold or warm ....

 bar and the famous "Port Jack Chippie" chip shop; in the terrace behind is a convenience store and hairdressers' salon. It was once a busy area for tourists, with many of the buildings that now form private dwellings or apartments being bed-and-breakfasts or guest houses.

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