Santon railway station
Encyclopedia
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.
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.
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.
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.
and the railway's brakedown 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 ststion from the north side is over another high bridge.
Request stop
In public transport, a request stop or flag stop describes a stopping point at which trains or buses stop only on an as-need or request basis; that is, only if there are passengers to be picked up or dropped off. In this way, infrequently used stopping points can be served efficiently.Trains save...
near Newtown
Newtown, Isle of Man
Newtown is a community within the parish of Santon, Isle of Man. To the northern part of the community lies Mount Murray and to the north-west the Broogh Fort - an iron age fort dating from the 13th century....
in the parish of Santon
Santon (parish)
Santon is a parish of the Isle of Man. It has an area of approximately eight square miles and is the island's smallest parish, located in the sheading of Middle which is composed of the parishes of Braddan, Marown and Santon. Currently the Captain of the Parish is Donald Gelling.The parish church...
, 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...
; it forms part of the sole remaining line of 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...
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
Douglas, Isle of Man
right|thumb|250px|Douglas Promenade, which runs nearly the entire length of beachfront in Douglasright|thumb|250px|Sea terminal in DouglasDouglas is the capital and largest town of the Isle of Man, with a population of 26,218 people . It is located at the mouth of the River Douglas, and a sweeping...
road, between the stations of 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...
and Port Soderick
Port Soderick railway station
Port Soderick Railway Station is the first station on the Port Erin line of the Isle of Man Railway and is located near the settlement of the same name on the Isle of Man...
. 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
Ballasalla
Ballasalla is a village in the parish of Malew in the south-east of the Isle of Man, close to the town of Castletown. The village was built mostly from the ruins of the nearby Rushen Abbey, a Cistercian abbey founded in the 12th century and dissolved in the 16th century.-Governance:The local...
in 1985 and Colby
Colby, Isle of Man
Colby is a small village in the south of the Isle of Man in the parish of Arbory. It lies on the A7 road between the towns of Castletown and Port Erin and close to the similarly sized village of Ballabeg.-History and facilities:...
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 ChristmasFather Christmas
Father Christmas is the name used in many English-speaking countries for a figure associated with Christmas. A similar figure with the same name exists in several other countries, including France , Spain , Brazil , Portugal , Italy , Armenia , India...
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
Mulled wine
Mulled wine, variations of which are popular in Europe, is wine, usually red, combined with spices and typically served warm. It is a traditional drink during winter, especially around Christmas and Halloween.-Glühwein:...
, 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
Castletown railway station
Castletown Railway Station is an intermediate station on the Isle of Man Railway on the Isle of Man forming part of sole remaining section of the once extensive network that operated across the island. The station is the busiest of the railway's intermediate stations, being the closest to a number...
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.70Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters' Association
The Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters' Association is a railway preservationist group dedicated to the continued operation of the Isle of Man Railway on the Isle of Man Since its inception in 1966 the group have provided volunteer workers and a watchdog role and commenced its own project in the...
and the railway's brakedown 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 ststion from the north side is over another high bridge.
Route
Sources
- [Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters' Association]