Starting Point - Crosby Station site, Finishing Point - St John's Station site, Distance 7.5 Miles.
The Foxdale branch on the Isle of Man was built by the Foxdale Railway Co and operated by the Manx Northern Railway from opening in 1886. It was mainly built for freight from the mines at Foxdale, though a couple of passenger stations were provided. More information about the line, and the others on the island, as well as details of the stations I visit on this walk can be found on the Disused Stations website.
I started from the site of Crosby station (right hand side on the above map where Old Church Road meets the Steam Heritage Trail). I walked to Ballacurry Farm, about half way between Crosby and St John's. From Ballacurry Farm a path called Ballacurry Road runs to the site of Cornelly Mine. The "Road" in the name Ballacurry Road is a bit of a delusion of grandeur, it seems to be a dried up stream bed with rocks underfoot and thick vegetation.
Cornelly Mine
Cornelly Mine was at the northern edge of the mines of Foxdale and some of the buildings of the mine survive.
Below - The surviving buildings of Cornelly Mine. The buildings seem to include two engine houses and chimneys, this is the one on the western edge of the site.
Below - An information plaque on the chimney.
Below - Chimney and engine house on the eastern edge of the site.
Below - Behind the buildings a footpath leads in to an area of mine waste. The area around the mine buildings was quite overgrown with brambles so I wasn't able to get much closer to the mines buildings.
Below - Another view of the engine house and chimney from the west of the site.
Below - Another view of the buildings at the east of the site.
Below - A view from the corner of Ballacurry Road
Ballacurry Road continues after its dog leg at the site of the mine, emerging on to Ballavar Road. Another footpath connects from Ballavar Road to Lhoobs Road. Across Lhoobs Road it passes Kionsleiu Plantation and Kionsleiu Reservoir. Kionsleiu Reservoir is a man made reservoir with an earth bank as a dam and is a remnant of the mining industry in the area.
Below - Kionsleiu Reservoir, the dam can be seen on the far side.
The footpath emerges on to East Foxdale Road which heads in to the village of Foxdale. In Foxdale a clock tower is another remnant of the local mining industry.
Below - The clock tower in Foxdale.
Below - Information board at the clock tower. Click to enlarge.
Below - Remnants of the Miners Institute building behind the clock tower.
Below - This building across the road from the clock tower is the former mines office.
Below - The Clock Tower Industrial Park occupies the site of mines buildings in Foxdale. Railways entered the mines site here from the railway station across the road.
Below - Another information board in Foxdale village.
Foxdale
Below - The former station building at Foxdale, now a visitor centre which unfortunately wasn't open at the time of my visit. The station opened in 1886 and closed to passengers in 1943 but goods trains continued until 1960.
Below - Information board at the station.
Below - Another view of the station. The middle section of the front wall would originally have been wooden but has been replaced with brickwork that blends in with the rest of the building. There were originally plans to extend the line to Castletown but the Foxdale branch was never more than a short branch primarily for freight. The passenger service was just a couple of trains a day with a single coach (which is still in use on the Isle of Man Steam Railway).
Below - Another information board at the site of the railway.
Below - The former trackbed is now a footpath most of the was to St John's. The railway follows the Foxdale River, at this point on the right in a deep valley. The river was utilised by the mining industry.
Below - Information board describing the route of the line.
Waterfall
Below - The low bridge over the Foxdale Main Road has been removed. After crossing the road the wooden steps up the embankment at the other side have been condemned so the trackbed is next accessed at Ballamoar Farm Lane. This was originally the access for Waterfall station.
Below - Farm access bridge near at the site of Waterfall station.
Below - The site of Waterfall station, the road is on the left and the station was on the embankment in the centre of the picture. The station was just a wooden shelter which no longer survives.
A bridge across Gleneedle Stream is missing so the path joins the road to cross the stream but is back on the railway route at the other side.
Below - Bridge under Ballanass Road.
Below - Another bridge not shown on the map.
Below - Approaching St John's, remains of the drainage for the line.
Below - A sleeper seen next to the route near St John's. The track was removed around 1970.
On the approach to St John's the line crossed Foxdale Road on a large two span metal viaduct. The metal spans have been removed but the abutments and centre pier survive. With the bridge removed the footpath takes a left turn to emerge on to Slieu Whallan Road which can be followed in to St John's. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of the remains of the bridge over Foxdale Road.
Below - I did get a picture of the bridge over the Douglas to Peel route from my walk on that line. The trackbed of the Foxdale branch on top of the bridge is not accessible at this point.
Below - Station Road in St John's crosses over the former Foxdale branch on a bridge. This is the view east from the bridge where the cutting of the railway can be seen.
St John's (MNR)
Below - Looking west from the bridge the Manx Northern Railway's St John's station can be seen, now in use as a house but remarkably intact with the platform, station building and water tower surviving.
Below - The station building can just be seen through the trees, this was built to the same design as that at Foxdale. The centre wooden section has again been replaced but in this case with a rendered finish. The base of the water tower can just about be made out covered with Ivy to the right of the station building.
The MNR originally had its own station for Ramsey across the road from the IoMR station on the Douglas to Peel route, thought to have just been a wooden building. When construction started on the Foxdale branch this was abandoned and MNR trains from Ramsey used the above station. When the IoMR took over the MNR the Ramsey trains were diverted in to the IoMR station. From 1927 the Foxdale branch train was also diverted in to the IoMR station, running through the MNR station and reversing in to the IoMR station.
From St John's I got the bus onwards to Ramsey before returning to Douglas on the Manx Electric Railway.
I have done earlier walks of the Douglas to Peel line and St John's to Ramsey Line as well as the Laxey Mines Trail.
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