Ballabeg station

Ballabeg Railway Station Stashoon Raad-Yiarn Balley Beg
The Isle of Man Railway Co., Ltd.
General information
Location	Colby Road, Malew, Isle of Man, IM9 2FW.
Coordinates	54°05′28″N 4°40′26″W
Owned by	Isle of Man Government Department of Infrastructure
Line(s)	Port Erin (South) Line Between Douglas & Port Erin
Platforms	One, Raised Half-Height
Tracks	One Running Lines No Loop / Sidings
Construction
Structure type	Platelayers' Hut
Parking	dedicated, adjacent
Other information
Status	unstaffed
History
Opened	23 July 1877
Closed	seasonally since 1965
Rebuilt	1944
Services
Preceding station   Isle of Man Railway   Following station Colby   Port Erin Line   Castletown

Ballabeg Station is a diminutive request stop near the village of Ballabeg in the south of the Isle of Man, on the island's steam railway, the sole remaining section of the former network which covered 46 miles across the island. There is another station with the same name, but serving a different village, on the Manx Electric Railway to the north.

Origins

The station (or halt) consists of only a small wooden hut which is a shelter for waiting passengers. There was originally a track works permanent way hut, which remains locked, but a small lean-to canopy was added in 1982. The station is served seasonally by the Isle of Man Railway; other nearby stations are Castletown to the southeast and Colby to the west. The original station building here, installed in 1877, was a more elaborate affair: it was similar in appearance to third class timber buildings at other stations along the line although smaller in size but still with a station master and other platform staff. The date this building was removed is unknown, but the replacement hut has been on the site for many years; the earliest evidence of the current structure is in a 1946 photograph.

Location

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Location on the Isle of Man

The station is located on the A28 road about half a mile (0.8 km) south of the village of Ballabeg in the parish of Arbory. This road is part of the Billown Racing Circuit where the Southern 100 races take place each July; the circuit is also used for the Pre-T.T. Classic races in May. The station ceased to be manned many years ago. Ballabeg has remained on the timetable for many years, but only as a request stop. The station is used for spectators to access these races and is also a popular drop-off point for the annual Laa Columb Killey (St Columba's Day) festival which takes place in a nearby field each summer.

Buildings

The original station building here was a more complex affair, and the station was for some time manned in the early years of the line despite its location some distance from the village it serves. The extant station building is a platelayers hut which has never been opened to provide passenger shelter. In the winter of 1987 a verandah was added to the front of the station and a concrete platform area created and the station became one of the most popular for lineside photographers. The site was further improved in 2001 or 2002 when a pumping station for the all-island sewer network was installed at the rear of the station: vehicular access was improved and a platform to fit three coaches was added, in the form of a wall of sleepers which has been back-filled to provide a half-height platform for alighting and boarding passengers.

Friends Of...

In more recent times since the 1990s, the station was tended to by local supporters who added flower baskets, old-fashioned advertising signs and the like, making it one of the most picturesque yet tranquil stations on the line. A blackboard was put in place and cheerful notes regularly updated on it for the passing traveller to observe but this practice has latterly stopped. The station carries bilingual station name boards in keeping with policy, and these were installed in 2008; it remains a request stop only: passengers wishing to board trains here must give a clear hand signal to the driver and those wishing to alight must inform the guard prior to departure from the previous station. There remained until 2016 in situ an "Isle of Man Ferry Express" container which was cosmetically restored by local enthusiasts. This was used on the railway in the 1960s in an unsuccessful attempt to introduce freight traffic to the line but was removed being in a parlous state.

Renovations (2021)

Volunteers from the Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters' Association undertook renovation works at the station during the summer of 2021 which included the provision of traditional concrete railway planters, restored platform furniture complete with station name, litter bins and a repaint of the former platelayers' hut from green into royal maroon to make the structure stand out from the surrounding greenery; two short sections of picket fencing were also erected to further define the platform area which will be continued as funding allows; a replacement running in board will also be added to complete the project.

See also

• Isle of Man Railway stations
• Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters' Association
• Ballabeg

References

• Boyd, James I.C. (1996). Isle Of Man Railway, Volume 3, The Routes & Rolling Stock. ISBN 0-85361-479-2.
• Goodwyn, A.M. (1995). Manx Transport Kaleidoscope (2nd ed.).
• Hendry, Robert (1993). Rails in the Isle of Man: A Colour Celebration. ISBN 1-85780-009-5.
• Jones, Norman (1994). Scenes from the Past: Isle of Man Railway. ISBN 1-870119-22-3.
• "(untitled)". New Popular Edition Maps. Shows the station on a navigable O.S. map

External links

• Ballabeg Station
• Isle Of Man Guide
• Online Reference Guide