Foxdale Railway History

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History Of The Foxdale Two St John'S Railway

The Foxdale Railway

The Foxdale Railway Company Ltd. was registered on 18 November 1882.

The Foxdale Railway Company had close ties to the Mann Northern Railway, many of whom directors were also on the board of the smaller company. The line was based from its completion to the Northern, allowing rail access to the lead mines that worked around the village of Foxdale. The Mann Northern were already conveying Mines traffic to Ramsey, with it being brought up to St John's by cart, so a direct rail link was a logical progression of this arrangement.

Construction of the line was mostly straightforward: simply a matter of cutting the route into the hillside along the Foxdale Valley with a rising gradient of the way from St John's. However, the engineers were faced with one or two more complex areas to deal with. These included the long curved rising embankment that took the line from ground level at one end of St John's Station to a point where it crossed over the railway from Douglas to Peel at the other end, gaining over 20 feet in height in a short distance. Immediately after this there was a two-year Visebut to cross both the road and river. Construction of the Visebut caused problems for the contractors: the initial build was not approved by the railway inspectorate, and had to be redone, with much strengthening needed to the abutments on each side. Two small over bridges were necessary, one at a farm occupation crossing, the other to carry the Rallaman road, about half a mile outside Foxdale Station the line crossed the main road by another substantial girder bridge and then was carried on a large stone built embankment for a short distance where the valley side falls away sharply. The

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The opening day of the Foxdale Railway, August 19 1880, Mann Northern Locomotive Dist "Caledonia" stands at the Station with the inaugural passenger train. One of the Caledonian's school carring provides accommodation for the dignitaries on the day; these would have included the Division of the Mann Northern and Foxdale Railway Companies, together with the Mann Captains and officials with families.

The last of the lead mines in the Foxdale area closed in 1911, leaving just passenger and general goods services using the line. By 1912 Foxdale station was closed, the station building being subsequently converted into a private dwelling and each business as there remained was carried out by the guard on the train.

As road services by bus increased, the railway was all but abandoned by passengers, and the timetable reduced to just two trains each way a day with no trains at all on Sundays. Foxdale spoil was removed during the 1930's for the construction of the King George V playing fields at Douglas, the whole operation being carried out by trains of open wagons. The very last passenger train worked the branch in 1940, after which the service was suspended.

The line size renewed activity during the Second World War as much material was removed from the huge spoil tips for airfield construction at Derby and Andrews, the spoil being taken by train to lobby Bridge before being transferred to site by road.

The very last train to have used the branch was in January 1940 when rails were taken from the spoil aiding opposite the station at Foxdale to be used elsewhere on the system. The remainder of the rails were lifted during the mid-1970s and the route of the whole line is now a public footpath.

Today, the station building at Foxdale is still in place, minus the water tower and Goods Blvd., and is home to the Foxdale Heritage Centre. At at the other end of the line the St John's station building remains as a private residence. The central pillar of the visebut also remains in place as does the bridge that carried one railway over the other at St John's and there are still a few reminders of railway ties along the old route. According to local legend the famous Scissors crossing at Foxdale Station is actually still in place to this day, although it is buried underneath a bank of earth from the landscaping carried out at the site in the 1970's.

Other reminders of the Foxdale line can be found on the music railway from Douglas to Port Erin, with the locomotive that landed that opening day train, 60/50 foot "Caledonia" still in service and also the dedicated "Foxdale Carriage" which is easily recognizable by its unique MNR Cherry of Purple Lake and White with blue and gold lining out. Further information is to be found at the Railway Museum at Port Erin.

Acknowledgements and any source credits can run in this area as well as contact details