Extracted From A 1973 Paper : Robert Preston Hendry

(Bracketed Numbers Refer To Example Tickets)

The first section of the Isle of Man Railway, the Peel Line opened on 1st  July 1873 (A1-A4) and the Port Erin Line followed without ceremony on 2nd August 1874 (01/02). Ballabeg Station did not open until 4th June 1876 and both its first (D1-D2) and second (24 and G) batches of tickets- are quite distinctive.  The Manx Northern Railway opened on 23rd September 1879 and was an entirely independent Company, with its own directorate, locomotives and rolling stock, but until 6th November 1880, it was worked by the Isle of Man Railway which explains why the original ticket stocks from north line stations are titled “Isle of Man Railway Coy., Limited”.

“Poortown” opened on 1st  November 1884 but was soon given a more dignified name - “Peel Road” - on 24th May 1885, No Poortown tickets have been seen but. the early Manx Northern Peel Road ticket•:, presumably of 1365 (F3) are distinctive. The earliest I.M.R. tickets to Peel Road (0/1/2/5) seen to date from post-1905; possibly on such rare accordant: as they were needed "Poortown" ' tickets suitably amended were used until then?

The Foxdale Railway is reported as having been opened on 17th August 1886 - this was nominally an independent company, but even before it was opened it was lensed for fifty years to the Manx Northern Railway, it had the same Secretary and Manager, as well as many Directors in common.  Manx Northern tickets seem to have been used frou the opening (types 111-118).  It did publish one timetable of its own dated 12th August 1886 which stated that the railway would open for public traffic on 14th August. 

By 1st October 1886 the local papers carried a timetable headed "Manx Northern & Foxdale Railway Companies Limited" signed by James Cameron, Manager of both companies, showing Ramsey to Foxdale and Peel to Douglas timetable and vice versa, (incidentally who to an up train did not connect with an up train ex-Peel or vice versa such train was given a letter (A-D) instead of a number (1-12), and another timetable headed, as it had been since)) November 183(4 Isle of Man Railways, comprising tho lines of the Isle of Man Railway Co. Limited and the Manx Northern Railway Co. Limited, signed by G.H. Wood only, for the I.M.R., which included the Ramsey line but not the Foxdale, Timetable; The April 1887 timetables were similarly duplicated but from 29th May 1887 a single timetable headed Isle of Man Railways, and signed by both G.H. Wood and James Cameron was published.

This included the Foxdale trains but made no reference to the existence of the Foxdale Railway as it separate entity.  Tho Foxdale Railway went into voluntary liquidation on 14th July 1891 and the Manx Northern was always in difficulties.  The I.M.R. formally absorbed the other two on 19th April 1905 having worked then since 20th February 1904.  The Knockaloe Branch was opened to serve an internee camp in the 1915-1918 period.  The writer was unable to discover anything about tickets, if any used; this line which was owned by the Government but worked by the XXX despite the fact that my Grandfather, who was on the staff at Knockaloe, travelled regularly; alas, he passed on when I was a small child. Possibly Government Warrants or merely identification documents wore used in place of tickets. 

Now we refer to the rise and fall of various halts. The earliest, Glen Helen, is rather fascinating.  The 1876 Summer Timetables show "Glen Helen" as it it were on the railway complete with departure times. From these times it seems that tho trains actually stopped at Ballacraino Level Crossing to let passengers alight to travel on by coach to the glen.  The fares were shown as being the sane as for St. John's (which was less than half a mile away).  The 1879 Timetable for 8th June again showed Glen Helen as if it were on the railway but gives identical times for both St. John's and Glen Helen.  The next Railway Timetable 1st July 1879 naken no reference to Glen Helen, but below it is a timetable headed "Glen Helen" stating that the Company's coaches connected with the trains (giving the train times ex-Douglas, etc., and allowing thirty-three to forty three minutes for the journey from St. John's to the glen with the fare of 6d.  The 1880 timetable made no reference at all to Glen Helen, and incidentally refers to Port Soderick and Santon, any tickets to Glen Helen, Port Soderick or Santon have been seen.  In later years, e.g. 1st July 1906 the timetable shows "St. John's far Glen Helen and Glen Maye"; and Ballacraine is shown as a halt for specint trains on T.T. Race Day in June 1927. 

Braddan was opened to take the crowd to the open air church service held on Summer Sunday mornings. The earliest Braddan tickets suggest that this night have been from about 1882 but there is no definite proof of this. It was well patronised right up to the closure, so much so that three different vintages of First Class single tickets from Braddan-Douglas of the Williamson era have been seen (only five others for the rest of the railway).

THIS SECTION IS A WORK IN PROGRESS