Isle of Man Railways
The Isle of Man Railway is a narrow gauge steam-operated railway connecting Douglas with Castletown and Port Erin. The line is 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge and 15.3 miles (24.6 km) long. It is part of what was a much larger network that served the westerly town of Peel, the northern town of Ramsey and the small mining village of Foxdale, a network of over 46 miles (74 km), large for an island as small as the Isle of Man. Now in government ownership, it uses original rolling stock and locomotives and there are few concessions to modernity. Click here for more information.
Santon Station
Santon Station is now only a request stop near Newtown in the parish of Santon.
The building is of simple style, being of timber construction with corrugated iron roofing, painted in a cream and red style unchanged since the late 1960s. It includes station master accommodation and porters’ rooms as well as a passenger waiting shelter recessed from the running lines. In 1985 the station building was cosmetically restored at the expense of the now-defunct Isle Of Man Railway Society and attention was given to the wooden slatting that form its exterior walls; a better form of wooden window shutters were also added at this time, the previous incarnations having been somewhat crude affairs. Upon completion of the project a large sign board denoting the improvements was erected over the porters' room window, but this was later removed when the group became defunct. In the intervening years no further remedial work was carried out and the condition of the building deteriorated considerably until it received further attention in 2002 as part of the redevelopment of the station when the entire infrastructure of the railway was overhauled. Has had a recent repaint in 2014. Hanging baskets and flowers added plus a bench on platform opposite station building.
The building has also been made a listed building, being the only remaining original building of this type on the Island.
The station is occasionally used for crossing trains during special events such as 'Rush Hour' and the annual Santa Trains each December. The "passing loop" is unique now, being of "Y" formation whereas all remaining station pointwork either has left or right hand turnouts; the result is that when viewed from the over-bridge on the southern side of the station, the layout has a very symetrical appearance.
The Cache
The Coordinates take you to the platform of Santon Station, there you will need to use your observational skills to locate and answer the following questions : -
- Note the station sign, on the top line (in Manx) the third from end letter is ? that value = A
- Memorial Seat – What year did Wilfred meet Sarah 189? = B.
- How many daughters did Wilfred and Sarah have = C
- Street Lamps – Number of street lamps on and around the platform area. = D
The final is a short walk away and outside the station grounds at
N54. 07. (A-1) (D*2) (B-A)
W004. (B/3) (D+1). 0 A (C+4)
There is no need to leave the platform when collecting the relevant information and, as always, take care and respect this beautiful area.
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 Congratulations to 2of9 CC & Embi on being FTF
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