Douglas Railway Station

Fares and timetables can be found at: www.iombusandrail.info

The Isle of Man Railway Company bought Douglas Railway Station in 1872, and diverted the Douglas River to the south side of the site to ease construction of its new station. The original station building was a 70' by 30' wooden structure with a zinc tiled roof located approximately where the present booking hall now stands. This accommodated booking office, general and ladies' waiting rooms, telegraph office, parcels office, porters' room and stationmaster's office. Beyond this were two platforms, with an engine release, and siding between them, whilst on the south side were two sidings and a goods shed and platform. A warehouse stood on the site of the later office building. North of the track leading from the station, there stood a three road stone building original constructed as a locomotive and carriage shed, with a small maintenance area, but soon repurposed as a locomotive shed and workshop for the growing railway.

The opening of the Port Erin line brought a modest expansion of the station with additional platform faces being added south of the original departure platform, and north of the arrival platform. This created two island platforms, the northern one of which was used for Peel trains, the southern for Port Erin trains. In 1875 a three road iron carriage shed was provided about where the Bus Vannin parking area is today, and between this and the running lines a rudimentary ground frame was constructed to control trains entering and leaving the station. The Peel and Port Erin lines then left the station as two parallel single lines with only a single crossover between them which allowed trains from Peel to access the goods yard.

By the mid-1880s it was clear that rail traffic had outgrown the modest original station, and that rebuilding was necessary. This commenced in 1887 with the construction of Offices, refreshment room and bar, and a new ladies' waiting room on the site of an old warehouse in the south east corner of the site. This was followed by a new booking hall and platforms (1891/2), a signal box (1892); a new carriage shed (1893); new workshop, locomotive shed, and carpenters' shop (1892-96); men's lavatory (1904); platform canopies (1909), and stables c.1913. This station remained largely intact until 1979 when the station was rationalized.