Douglas Railway Station (Manx: Stashoon Raad Yiarn Ghoolish) is the main terminus of the Isle of Man Railway and is located at the landward end of the quay in Douglas, the capital of the Isle of Man. It was once the hub for now closed lines to Peel, Ramsey and Foxdale.
Location
The station is located on the southern side of the island's capital, Douglas, and is at the far landward end of the North quay close to the old town and finance centre. It has car parking available for railway patrons on the site of the former goods yard and departure platforms and is served by nearby bus services from many locations on the island. The current station buildings in red Ruabon brick were constructed between 1887 and 1913 replacing timber constructions established upon the opening of the line in 1873. The site was reclaimed from marshland, the nearby Lake Road attesting this fact.
History
Origins The Isle of Man Railway Company bought the site in 1872, and diverted the Douglas River to the south side of the site to ease construction of its new station. The original station building was a 70' by 30' wooden structure with a zinc tiled roof located approximately where the present booking hall now stands. This accommodated booking office, general and ladies' waiting rooms, telegraph office, parcels office, porters' room and stationmaster's office. Beyond this were two platforms, with an engine release, and siding between them, whilst on the south side were two sidings and a goods shed and platform. A warehouse stood on the site of the later office building. North of the track leading from the station, there stood a three road stone building original constructed as a locomotive and carriage shed, with a small maintenance area, but soon repurposed as a locomotive shed and workshop for the growing railway. The opening of the Port Erin line brought a modest expansion of the station with additional platform faces being added south of the original departure platform, and north of the arrival platform. This created two island platforms, the northern one of which was used for Peel trains, the southern for Port Erin trains. In 1875 a three road iron carriage shed was provided about where the Bus Vannin parking area is today, and between this and the running lines a rudimentary ground frame was constructed to control trains entering and leaving the station. The Peel and Port Erin lines then left the station as two parallel single lines with only a single crossover between them which allowed trains from Peel to access the goods yard.
Rebuilding By the mid-1880s it was clear that rail traffic had outgrown the modest original station, and that rebuilding was necessary. This commenced in 1887 with the construction of offices, refreshment room and bar, and a new ladies' waiting room on the site of an old warehouse in the south east corner of the site. This was followed by a new booking hall and platforms (1891/2), a signal box (1892); a new carriage shed (1893); new workshop, locomotive shed, and carpenters' shop (1892–96); men's lavatory (1904); platform canopies (1909), and stables c.1913. This station remained largely intact until 1979 when the station was rationalized. The station, together with gateway and other structures, was listed as a Registered Building of the Isle of Man in 1984. With six photos.
Buildings
Entrances The main entrance to the station is via a grand archway at the junction of Peel Road and Athol Street. This has two gilt-topped turrets and clock tower, between which are a set of steps descending to the station. These gates are usually closed, but there is a smaller gate on the left side of the structure which provides pedestrian access from Athol Street and the financial district. A second entrance at the bottom of the hill from North Quay provides level/vehicular access to the station.
Main buildings Entering down the Peel Road steps, the visitor is faced with two large Ruabon brick buildings. The building ahead of the visitor, which is now used as the Customs House, was constructed as the railway's administrative offices in 1887, and also accommodated, on the ground floor, the Ladies' Waiting Room and lavatory, a licensed refreshment room, and bar. The building to the right is the main station building which originally housed the booking hall, ticket office, parcels office, porters' room, stationmaster's office, to provide storage for millions of card tickets and railway records. This building was designed in 1888, but not constructed until 1891/2, following the abandonment of plans for a steam railway from Douglas, via Quarter Bridge to Onchan and Laxey. The present iron and glass canopy across the front of the building was added in 1909.
Modification 1979–1980 The former parcels office was adapted to provide management offices in 1979/80, but was vacated since management were relocated following the completion of Transport Headquarters at Banks Circus elsewhere on the site of the carriage shed in 1999. The souvenir shop was also established at this time, initially operated by the Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters' Association and later by the railway itself. A café was established at this time in the former booking hall. The vacant upper floor was added to the office area at the north end of the building in 1979, and involved the introduction of a staircase into the building which now divides the original ticket office into two. At the same time, the booking hall floor was sealed using a resin material slightly raising the floor level,
Renovations 1990–1991 Housing a restaurant (Greens), a mezzanine floor was installed during extensive interior works, the booking/stationmasters' office, and a tiny passenger waiting area. When the mezzanine and kitchen area were installed in 1990/1 a new wooden floor was laid on top of the original raising the floor level by a further . At the same time, the 1920s ticket window, and 1979 souvenir shop in the centre of the booking hall were removed.
Maintenance 2011–2016 In more recent years, the north end of the building has experience subsidence due to the presence of a main sewer at that end of the building, and there has been considerable deterioration of the disused office area at the north end of the building. In 2011, a major restoration scheme to underpin the north end of the building repair the roof, and possibly rebuild the old canopy over the circulating area was announced. Roof repairs were completed in 2013, but the rest of the scheme was subjected to a review, the results of which are discussed below. In the active part of the building, seating for the restaurant has increasingly encroached on the passenger facilities within the former booking hall.
Redevelopment 2016–2017 The building saw further works undertaken in 2016 and turned into The Tickethall and the station masters' facilities removed and gift shop installed. This involved the removal of upper storeys, creation of kitchen and catering area, underpinning of the central internal wall which had become detached from the exterior walls, lift installation, disabled toilets, a new mezzanine to house the café, and retrofitting of some blocked up doorways. The resultant current layout is largely given over to catering with the former booking hall being a gift shop with open service desk rather than traditional ticket hatch, a replica of this remains in the wall as a historical reminder.
Signal box
Commission and use Built in 1892 and located at the station throat between the carriage shed and the workshops. The Points Box, as it was called locally, contained a 36-lever frame signal box was built by Dutton & Co., of Worcester, and supplied to the railway when the yard was further modified and the workshops were extended. The frame is a unique survivor of the 'drink-handle' type in which the handle of the lever also serves as the catch handle. The 'box features a set of characteristic wooden external steps that must be climbed to access the levers, with storage space beneath the timber-built top section, this would have housed all the linkage and control gear.
Layout The top section also features a three-quarter glazed section and integral fireplace, and bears a considerable resemblance to Dutton's signal boxes constructed for the Great Northern Railway (Ireland) about this time. From there the signalman on duty could command a view of the entire yard, controlling every traffic movement from passenger trains to complex shunting procedures. The one thing the signalman did not control was the staff and ticket single line safe-working, which in accordance with earlier practice remained the responsibility of the stationmaster. Douglas signal box lacked both telegraph and telephone when it was constructed, and it was not provided with a telephone until 1925 following an overrun accident in August of that year. Train to and from Peel and Castletown, and for shunting movements within the station were indicated to the signalman by a comprehensive whistle code.
Decommissioning The 'box remained in use until the summer of 1970 when the point work of the Port Erin arrival platform and its associated signals were disconnected. These points were then controlled with hand levers and the signals were placed permanently in the 'off' position so that trains could arrive and depart without the box being staffed, saving the associated wage costs. Thereafter, it was used only for more complicated shunting movements in which case it would be staffed by a member of the train crew or the stationmaster. The remainder was taken out of use in 1979/80 when the old Port Erin Platforms – 5 & 6 – were removed and the area cleared for parking.
Relocation Since that time the building has been relocated to make way for the new transport headquarters and Bus Vannin garages in 1998, moving forward from its original site at the same time as the 1893 carriage shed was demolished. Today it remains out of use but is occasionally open to the public as part of annual transport festivals hosted by the railway. During these events the box is tended to and staffed by members of the Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters' Association a local voluntary organisation. The box housed a number of special train headboards, paraffin signal lamps, tri-colour torches and well as some ancillary locomotive parts, but these items been relocated to the Bothy in front of the works/locomotive shed to allow work to commence on an interior restoration of the signal box to something close to its 1960 condition.
Current signals The original frame has been replaced by a small panel, initially in the stationmaster's office and now in the small hut at the foot of the platform, which controls the starter and home signals. The original was installed in 1983, and controlled the colour light home signal which guards the approach to the station from the south. In 2016 this was replaced by a new unit controlling two motor-worked semaphore platform starters, which, as permission to depart is given by the stationmaster, function more like the train ready "off" indicators seen on mainland railway stations indicating that station work is complete, and the train can depart when it receives the right away. The unit also controls colour light home signals some distance from the station, these were renewed in 2024.
Other structures