Ballasalla railway station

Infobox UK station
name = Ballasalla
code =


manager = Isle of Man Steam Railway
locale = Ballasalla
borough = Rushen
usage0405 =
usage0506 =
platforms =
start =

Ballasalla railway station is located in the heart of the village of Ballasalla in the south of the Isle of Man close to the airport and is still served on a seasonal basis by the Isle of Man Steam Railway, originally opened in 1874.

The original wooden railway station building (to the same design as that still extant at Santon, the previous halt on the line) was demolished in 1985 and replaced with a brick building to house a small ticket office and waiting area. This new building was opened in 1986 by Jack Nivison; prior to this time, the station, along with many other intermediate stopping places on the line, never provided passenger platforms. The new building however was built at platform height, and the platform was capable of holding a five-coach train, later increased to seven. In 2002 the opposite side of the line also received a full-length platform, which also serves the goods siding. A modern and out-of-keeping bus shelter was also installed at this time. The station serves the local attractions at Silverdale, a small park with boating pool and water-powered merry-go-round and the Rushen Abbey site operated by Manx National Heritage.

The land to the westerly side of the station which is now occupied by modern offices was once a considerably sized goods yard, complete with sidings, cattle docks, etc., and was a busy site serving the local mart in the village which was once one of the largest on the island for trading in livestock. By the 1970s however this industry, and the railway which served it, were in decline and the site had become a dumping ground for surplus rolling stock and was the road access point for the scrappers to collect the rail from the redundant sections of line to Peel in the west and Ramsey in the north. By the time the yard was eventually lifted in 1985 it was a fraction of its size and only housed some goods vans and the railway's breakdown crane which was subsequently relocated to Castletown and, ultimately after cosmetic restoration, to the old disused station at Union Mills on the old Peel line. One shorter siding was however retained and is extant today, receiving full height platforms in 2002.

Car parking is available at the station and it is also served by regular buses travelling between Douglas and Port Erin or Port St Mary on the A5 road. The station is bisected by the main Douglas to Port Erin road at its southern end, now a major artery to the island's capital. At the time the railway arrived however it was little more than a pack-horse road; to this end it was fitted with traditional level crossing gates and a gatekeepers' house was erected (this is still in place today but is now a private dwelling). It wasn't until the 1960s that the wooden manually operated gates were replaced with far larger mechanical gates, and the small gate lodge modified to accommodate the "wheelhouse", the gates being opened and closed by a large ships'-wheel structure and the gatekeeper requiring a good view of traffic on either side of the railway. These distinctive gates were a feature of the line and survived until 2001 when, in line with health and safety ruling, the gates were removed and replaced with uncharacteristic automatic barriers which are now operated by the station staff from the platform.

In the 1970s prior to the railway's nationalisation this station was for a season the terminus of the line, with a short operation between here and Port Erin being the only service in 1976. The previous year the line was shorter still, only offering travel between Port Erin and Castletown but happily in 1977 the South Line opened once more in its entirety and has remained open ever since. Although now extensively modernised and not really recognisable as the station that existed until 1985 it remains one of the most picturesque settings on the line and is popular with photographers who get the opportunity to take images of two trains at once, this now serving as the only (used) crossing place on the line, since timetable changes in 2001 saw no further crossing trains at the next station of Castletown.

Route

rail line
previous=Ronaldsway
towards Port Erin
next=Santon
towards Douglas
route=Isle of Man Railway|col=000000
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