Ticketing Notes On Halts

SECTION IN PROGRESS


Ballacostain Halt

This served the nearby rifle range and special tickets were issued as per agreement with the Douglas Rifle Club dated 5th May 1902; special tickets also existed for King William’s College O.T.C. to travel from Castletown to the range.


Quarter Bridge

Opened-occasionally for passengers going to the T.T. race course or for agricultural shows; at the height of the bus wars between 1923 and 1929 both Quarter Bridge and The Level were shown in the timetables as Request Halts; Douglas to Quarter Bridge and vice versa (Singles typo 06/7 and Returns type Q11 And pi) have been seen-but:I have not seen anything to The Level.


Bishopscourt Halt

was shown as-r) scheduled stopping place for the special Mondays Only train to Ramsey Market in the 1950/35 period but no tickets:• have boon soon - possibly excess fare tickets would have sufficed. Trains did occasionally stop at West Berk Level Crossing to take up or set down but have never seemingly appeared on any official reference to this in the timetable. 


Ballavolley Halt 

This opened in 1964 to serve the Wild Life Park. Blanks from Douglas and semi-blanks of the 1967 issue from Peel and St. Johns to "'Wild Life" were written out to order, no printed tickets have come to light.


Ronaldsway Halt 

Opened on 2 June 1967 (one day prior to the reopening to collect Lord Ailsa) to serve the airport, blanks or amended tickets endorsed Airport were used. This closed after.1969 but was reopened as Great Meadow Halt for the 1971. season; Great Meadow was a stately home not very far away. 


Mill Road Halt 

wasHuhod to take people to the Southern 100 Motor Cycle Club Races on the nearly Billown Circuit; some amended tickets to this unofficial halt have been seen, overwritten from Castletown standard tickets. 


Other Stations

Many of the minor stations were used as request halts, or closed at varying ;times according to season and traffic.  Waterfall, Lezayre, St. Germains and Peel Road were, very frequently, and Ballabeg, Port Soderick, Union Mills, Sulby Bridge and Colby were all so shown at times, and even Crosby was omitted from the timetable for one week (19th-25th September 1961). 


Closure & Reopening

On 13th November 1965 the railway closed “temporarily” to enable urgent track repairs to be undertaken but in February 1966 the closure was made “permanent”However, the Marquis of Ailsa leased the railway as from 1st April 1967 and this was formally re-opened on 3rd June.  Originally the Peel Line only was to have boon operated, and an entirely new style of tickets was produced accordingly. In the event, the Ramsey Line, was opened on 4th June 1967 and the line on to Castletown on 11th July. Existing tickets were used for these additional lines.  In 1968 the line was opened on to Port Erin and the Victorian aspect was stressed, again existing tickets were used (and misused!).  In 1969 another entirely different style of ticket came out and was captioned Isle of Man Victorian Steam Railway Co. Ltd. but alas the Peel and Ramsey lines did not re-open. In 1972 Lord Ailsa surrendered his lease and the original Conpany resumed operation of the South Line using largely.I.o.M.V.S.R. tickets.