Onchan Head Halt (
Manx: ''Stadd Chione Coonaghyn'') (occasionally marketed as "White City" in conjunction with the nearby pleasure grounds) was once the first official stopping place on the
Manx Electric Railway
The Manx Electric Railway ( Manx: ''Raad Yiarn Lectragh Vannin'') is an electric interurban tramway connecting Douglas, Laxey and Ramsey in the Isle of Man. It connects with the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway at its southern terminus at Derby Castle ...
on the
Isle of Man
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and is less than one mile from the southern terminus of the line.
Origins
The halt was opened in the earliest years of the tramway to serve the then new White City pleasure grounds and the nearby beach at Happy Valley, although not appearing in much of the timetable literature for the first years its popularity was such that it eventually became an official stopping place and remains so today. The area was one of the first on the island to be lit by electricity, using the supply from the electric railway. One of the original lamp standards was moved to a heritage area in Onchan Village known as ''The Butt'' in 1987 and restored to original condition.
Structures
In the earliest years of the railway this station was furnished with a staffed booking office, such was the popularity of the location that this was staffed for several years, despite its close proximity to the terminus. It was accompanied by the turn of the twentieth century by a covered accommodation for waiting passengers. However, when the resort declined in popularity these facilities were removed in 1978.
Environs
In line with management changes in the late 1990s, a modern bus shelter was erected here in 1999 serving both the railway and bus services in the area, in keeping with the management policy to provide shelter at as many wayside locations as possible. At this time the station also lost its hand-painted station nameboard in favour of a modern bus stop-type sign; until the summer of 2009 a painted bench remained in situ as a reminder of the old days. To the side of the station is a pedestrian footpath serving the nearby housing estate, and the station is demarcated by a token piece of fencing at its southernmost end.
''White City''
![MER-white city](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/MER-white_city.jpg)
This area was once a popular destination for holidaymakers and for many years as it served the nearby
White City White City may refer to:
Places Australia
* White City, Perth, an amusement park on the Perth foreshore
* White City railway station, a former railway station
* White City Stadium (Sydney), a tennis centre in Sydney
* White City FC, a football clu ...
pleasure grounds, which were closed in the early 1980s. Despite the closure of the resort the station has remained open but today largely serves only local traffic. Despite seeing little use, the station still has its own run-round loop which facilitated trams on short workings to return to the depot on the correct running line, as for many years short workings shuttled between
Derby Castle Station
Derby Castle Terminus ( Manx: ''Kione Stashoon Chashtal Derby'') is the southern terminus of the Manx Electric Railway. It is located on the north side of Douglas, Isle of Man; Douglas Station on the Isle of Man Railway is located on the south ...
and here, such was the demand of the amusement park with its wooden roller coaster and traditional attractions such as a ghost train and dodgems.
The resort declined in the 1970s and the coaster was replaced with a multi-lane plastic slide when the former became unsafe. Latterly, the area was utilised by a
BMX
BMX, an abbreviation for bicycle motocross or bike motocross, is a cycle sport performed on BMX bikes, either in competitive BMX racing or freestyle BMX, or else in general street or off-road recreation.
History
BMX began during the earl ...
racing club before being given over to redevelopment in the 1990s and it now houses a large block of apartments as well as some detached private dwellings, all served by a loop road which surrounds the estate, installed in 1897 when the original amusement park was developed.
Route
See also
*
Manx Electric Railway Stations
There are many local stopping places on the Manx Electric Railway on the Isle of Man. Trams may stop wherever it is convenient to do so.
Following is a list of the acknowledged stopping places. The primary (i.e. timetabled) stopping places ar ...
*
Onchan
Onchan (; glv, Kione Droghad) is a village in the parish of Onchan on the Isle of Man. It is at the north end of Douglas Bay. Administratively a district, it has the second largest population of settlements on the island, after Douglas, with wh ...
References
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Sources
Manx Electric Railway Stopping Places(2002) Manx Electric Railway Society
(2003) Jon Wornham
Official Tourist Department Page(2009) Isle Of Man Heritage Railways
{{DEFAULTSORT:Onchan Head Railway Station
Railway stations in the Isle of Man
Manx Electric Railway
Onchan
Railway stations opened in 1893