Ballabeg Station

Station Name:

Date Opened:

Date(s) Closed:

Lines Served:

Coordinates:

Postal Address:

From Douglas:

Current Status:

Ballabeg

4th June 1876

4th October 1948

Port Erin

54°05’28”N 4°40’26”W 

Off Arbory Road, Ballabeg

11 Miles, 40 Chains

Open Seasonally  (By Request)

Above: the original structure at Ballabeg Station was similar to those provided elsewhere on the line but without the open shelter in the central portion; it was later added to with an extension to the rear and later replaced with the version that remains.

(Photo: I.o.M.S.R.S.A.)

There has been a request stop here since the earliest days of the railway, and despite it being quite some distance from the village from which it takes its name (a more accurate locale would be Ballanorris, for which the nearby pumping station is named) the halt has had a chequered career.  Initially fitted with a unique third class station building in timber and boasting its own station master, the original structure was removed from the site at an unknown date.  The current structure is more accurately a platelayers' hut rather than providing any passenger accommodation and dates from prior to the second world war. Appearing intermittently in timetables, even into nationalisation years it was sometimes marked as being closed until 1989, thereafter it has been open as a request stop each season and is a popular stopping off point for walkers and spectators for the Southern 100 racing on the nearby Billown Circuit.


It was not until 1987 that the canopy was fitted to the front, complete with decorative fascias making it look like an appealing railway structure, and a small section of concrete platform which was extended using sleeper walling in 2001 to create an area capable of accommodating up to four carriages.  In more recent times it has been tended to by members of the local W.I. who are on site daily in the summer months, having gained quite the reputation for bursts of floral colour.  The Association undertook a repaint and refurbishment of the station in 2021, repainting it from green into a more cheerful maroon and cream scheme to make it more distinguishable from the nearby main road.  Picket fencing and period signage complete the scene and volunteers from the Association tend the site and carry out smaller repairs to ensure it remains looking its best.

Platelayers’ Hut / Shelter / Half-Height Platform / Limited Parking / Historical Displays

After Association Renovations

July 2022

No.13 Kissack Passes By

June 2013

Association Platform Furniture

July 2022

Flowers & Association Renovations

July 2022

No.12 Hutchinson Passes By

May 2001

With Womens' Institute Bunting

June 2019

Quiet Time Between Trains

August 1994

During Association Renovations

July 2022

M.N.Ry. No.4 Caledonia Arriving

July 2022