Location Station Road, Lezayre. Line(s) North Line Structure type Station House Owner Isle of Man Railway | Coordinates 54.325°N 4.429°W Tracks One Running Line Opened 23 September 1879 Platforms in use 1 | |
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Owned by Isle of Man Railway Co. | ||
Lezayre Station was a stopping place on the Manx Northern Railway, the first halt outside the terminus at Ramsey; it was later owned and operated by the Isle of Man Railway; it served the village of the same name in the Isle of Man and was an intermediate stopping place on a line that ran between St. John's and Ramsey.
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History
The station was situated on the outskirts of Ramsey to serve a small hamlet of the same name and was opened as an original stopping place on the Manx Northern Railway's St. John's to Ramsey line on 23 September 1879 (1879-09-23). The station was provided with a distinctive tall-gabled stone building with brick quoins, which was also used by the level crossing keeper. No raised platform or passing loop were provided, the track being ballasted up to rail level in a similar fashion to other stations on the line. It was a manned station for the early years of the line although was one of the quietest on the whole network owing to its close proximity to the terminus. It was downgraded to a request stop as early as 1908. It was removed from the timetable from 1950 although trains continued to call there and tickets were available. The station was finally closed officially in 1958 although it was still possible to alight there by (unofficial) arrangement with the train crew.Goods facilities were minimal, a siding being provided from 1884 until 1926.
Later Years
Passenger services ceased altogether on 13 November 1965 (1965-11-13), when the whole network closed down. The line and the station were re-opened on 3 June 1967 (1967-06-03) under the auspices of the Marquess of Ailsa, but this stay of execution proved to be short-lived when the passenger service was withdrawn for the final time on 6 September 1968 (1968-09-06). The line through the station remained open for a short period to accommodate a freight service of oil tanks until October 1969 (1969-10) when the Ramsey line was finally closed. The track was lifted in 1974 but the building remained, in derelict condition for several years.
After Closure
After the line closed, the station building spent a number of years in a derelict condition, before being fully restored for use as a private dwelling. It was then owned by a local enthusiast who installed a small section of rail to denote the building's origins, the railway having long since disappeared. Today the trackbed to the side of the station structure forms part of a heritage trail which can be accessed via the road which once dissected the railway at this point.