IoM Foxdale Branch

I visited the Isle of Man a couple of times in the early 70s on family holidays and I'm sure that the Foxdale branch still had rails in situ at that time as I have a recollection of walking along the track near the station at Foxdale and catching grasshopper!

Can any confirm when the track was finally lifted on this branch, I know it shut in the early 60s.

Thanks

 

I walked it about 8 years ago (give or take). I seem to recall there were rails buried in the tarmac at a level crossing. I also found the odd telegraph pole along the route, but that's about all.

I also walked some of the Manx Northern in a howling gale with rain coming in sideways off the Atlantic, until eventually, thoroughly drenched, I gave up half way along and squelched off to catch the bus back. That was fun. What a route that must have been in its day; pity so many viaducts are now missing.

Edit: didn't actually answer the question though, did I? ;-)

 

Foxdale Branch

I recall visiting St John's in 1969 when the Peel and Ramsay lines were still working, and that the first part of the Foxdale branch was virtually impassable due to a thick growth of gorse. I visited the Foxdale terminus briefly on my next visit in - I think - 1971 and the rails were still there then, although they obviously had not been used for a long time.

I would think it most likely the rails were lifted at the same time as the Peel and Ramsay lines, unless anyone knows differently ?

Richard

 

As I understand it, the Foxdale line closed to passengers in 1940, 42 or 43, depending on what source you read, to goods in 1960 (although this was in January 1960, and was apparantly just retrieving some rails from Foxdale sidings for re-use elsewhere, so the final revenue train could have been any time betwwen 1943 and 1959) and was lifted, along with the Peel and Ramsey Lines, in 1974 or so.

Google is your friend...

John

 

Funnily enough, just been reading about this. Have just checked Stan Basnett's recent book (Trains of the Isle of Man - the Ailsa Years) and there are pictures of them lifting the track through Waterfall halt in March 1976.

There are quite a lot of pictures in various books (the Vic Mitchell ones are particularly good plus ones written by Edward Gray) of the track & track bed in excellent condition up to when it was lifted in the 1970s (the last train was, as someone rightly said in 1960 - think No.8 was sent to collect some rails - it closed to passengers in 1943 but occasional goods train ran up until 1960) due in no small part to it being ballasted with spoil from the lead mines at Foxdale (in fact, there's still very little growing on it now!).

Alas, the rails in the road (to the old mine workings) were covered over (lost?) when the road was improved a few years ago.

Hope this is useful!

 

Pictures taken today when we went for a walk along the Foxdale line. Note the telegraph pole still standing between Foxdale & Waterfall.

The gate was buried in a hedgerow at the level crossing between Foxdale & Waterfall. Looked a little too flimsy to be a railway gate but who knows (was that crossing ever gated?).

Took photos of where I thought the covered rails in the road were at Foxdale but wasn't too convinced. However, I'm more convinced looking at the pictures - think the wet tarmac made them more visible.

 

ISTR that the crossing was open - the gate was added in later years in an effort to dissuade things wandering off down the trackbed.

 

Thanks for the info all, was back over 5 years ago for a brief visit but wasn't able to stop off at Foxdale at the time. Nice to know that my memory isn't all that bad! Looking forward to showing my young lad the island one day soon.

 

On the IOMRSSA forum one of the users said that infact the tracks at Foxdale Station are still there - however they were buried under a layer of spoil, and they have produced an image which shows this. It would be interesting to have a look and see if anything can be located!...
I can certainly remember the tracks in the road, and they were a lot more apparent about 10 years ago as they actually protruded out of the opposite side of the tarmac.

 

On the IOMRSSA forum one of the users said that infact the tracks at Foxdale Station are still there - however they were buried under a layer of spoil, and they have produced an image which shows this. It would be interesting to have a look and see if anything can be located!... <I can certainly remember the tracks in the road, and they were a lot more apparent about 10 years ago as they actually protruded out of the opposite side of the tarmac. There is also a few sets of rails dumped in the undergrowth along the line - it may be that they weren't considered worth salvaging or else they were just laid to one side in the undergrowth and were forgotten about. There's a set on the way to Waterfall.

 

Here's the picture from the Picasa Album Isle of Man Railway 1966 to 1973. Thanks to the original photographer for sharing it in his album.


Picasa Web Albums - 10893150417257485... - Isle of Man R...

 

Attached is two pictures (not mine). The person who took the pictures has said that it would just be a matter of digging to find the tracks. As they were there when they were covered up (and the picture is taken in 1969 about 5 or 6 years before the IOMR lines were ripped up by the scrapmen) I am fairly convinced by him that they are still there. I won't say too much but I hope to some on the ground reasearch to verify whether or not the lines are still there at some point in the futue..



It doesn't take much to observe from knowing the station in this day and age, having seen pictures of how it was, and seeing these images that the ground level is definitely a lot higher now than it was back then - ergo there is a strong possibility that if the tracks were buried they are still there now....

 

I hope to be in a position to confirm this for certain..

 

Interesting pictures and date because I know it was either 1972 or 1974 when I was there (we went two separate years around this time) and definitely remember walking along the line at Foxdale with the rails and pointwork in place. Maybe we were close to the station site rather than at it (it was a long time ago now!) but definitely around Foxdale.

 

Just wondering was the scissors crossing visible? - that was the trackwork behind the station building, not the loop which was in front of it?

 

honestly can't remember, I would have been age 10 or so. I do remember walking along the trackbed between the rails so it's quite possible it was where you suggest Allan.