Instruct: Given a question, retrieve relevant passages that can help answer the question.
Query: How long is the Isle of Man Railway line?
The Isle of Man Railway (IMR) (Manx: Raad Yiarn Vannin) is a narrow gauge steam-operated railway connecting Douglas with Castletown and Port Erin. The line is 3ft (914mm) narrow gauge and 15.3 miles (24.6km) long. It is the remainder of what was a much larger network (over 46 miles (74km)) that also served the western town of Peel, the northern town of Ramsey and the small mining village of Foxdale. Now in government ownership, it uses original rolling stock and locomotives and there are few concessions to modernity.
Under the original Manx Northern Railway operations, trains ran to St. John's, where there was a junction with the Isle of Man Railway's Peel to Douglas line. Some trains continued on to Douglas by agreement with the other company, and by 1888 when the northern company was struggling financially, the larger company took responsibility for all operational activities, ultimately taking over the whole line in 1905. Owing to the close proximity of the railway-owned Glen Wyllin Pleasure Grounds some services terminated at Kirk Michael from here. After the merger, through services to Douglas and stations on the south line were offered. During the wars the north line was busy with troop carrying trains which started from here.
Formed in 1870 with the first line following three years later, the Isle of Man Railway Company operated services until 1977 (see below) merging with the Manx Northern Railway and Foxdale Railway in 1905. The railway is now marketed as the Steam Railway to differentiate it from the Manx Electric Railway, operated by the same department. It was marketed as "Isle of Man Railway" until closure in 1965. From 1969 to 1972, it operated as the Isle of Mann Victorian Steam Railway Company Limited, reverting to Isle of Man Railway. When nationalised in 1978 it fell under the banner of "Isle of Man Railway<b data-parsoid='{"dsr":[8091,8098,3,3]}'>s", along with the Manx Electric Railway. Re-branding to Isle of Man Passenger Transport took place from 1984 but the steam line was not affected, and this reverted to Isle of Man Railways from 1990, when a re-branding exercise took place with the emphasis on the Victorian origins of the railway. A change in management style occurred in 1999, and trains, trams and buses were presented as Isle of Man Transport. The electric railway was affected more by this change, with a series of non-historical and modern liveries, but in 2007 this was changed and the railway is marketed once more as the Isle of Man Railway. In keeping with the historical aspect, coaches and locomotives carry original names and transfers. The banner heading of all the railways was again changed in 2009 and became collectively known as Isle of Man Heritage Railways, although the "heritage" tag has been dropped latterly. Joint timetabling with the Manx Electric Railway sees the line titled as the Steam Railway in marketing material.
Sulby Glen was a station on the Manx Northern Railway, later owned and operated by the Isle of Man Railway; it served the village of Sulby in the Isle of Man and was an intermediate stopping place on a line that ran between St. John's and Ramsey.
After the Second World War, the railway struggled financially, and in 1957 it was nationalised at a cost of £50,000 (). A nationalisation livery of green and white was applied to some trams and trailers for a limited time, though this was unpopular and later dropped. A government Board was formed to manage the line and the Snaefell Mountain Railway (and still does so after various changes of title from the original "Manx Electric Railway Board" to "Isle of Man Passenger Transport Board", and now Isle of Man Heritage Railways (the word "heritage" was added in 2009). This is a division of the Department of Infrastructure of the Isle of Man Government, which also operates the island's buses as Bus Vannin).
Crosby Station was an intermediate stop on the Isle of Man Railway; it served the village of Crosby in the Isle of Man and was a stopping place on a line that ran between Douglas and Peel. It was part of the island's first railway line.
The Isle of Man has a rich transport heritage and boasts the largest narrow-gauge railway network in the British Isles with several historic railways and tramways still in operation. These operate largely to what is known as "Manx Standard Gauge" ( narrow gauge) and together they comprise about of Victorian railways and tramways. The Isle of Man Railway Museum in Port Erin allows people to find out more about the history of the Manx railways, and was until 1998 accompanied by a similar museum in Ramsey, which was dedicated to the history of the electric line, but this was closed and converted into a youth club. The steam railway to the south of the island, electric to the north and mountain line to the summit of Snaefell, the island's only mountain, are all government-owned, and operated under the title "Isle of Man Railways", as a division of the island's Department of Infrastructure. The lines at Groudle Glen and Curraghs Wildlife Park are both privately owned but open to the public.
St Germain's was a station on the Manx Northern Railway, later owned and operated by the Isle of Man Railway; it served the small 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.
The village's historic railway station opened on 1 July 1873 and last operated on 7 September 1968 when the line closed. It was on the Douglas to Peel line of the Isle of Man Railway which now forms the Heritage Trail, following the course of the old line. The station was demolished but the crossing keeper's cottage on the east side is now a shelter for walkers on the trail.
Peel Station was a terminus on the Isle of Man Railway; it served the city of Peel in the Isle of Man and was the final stopping place on a line that ran between Douglas and the city. It was part of the island's first railway line.
Several significant lines operate on the Isle of Man. The gauge Isle of Man Steam Railway operates as a tourist attraction. The Manx Electric Railway has the two oldest operating electric trams in the world. The gauge Snaefell Mountain Railway climbs the island's main peak and is the sole operating Fell system railway in the world.
Douglas Railway Station is the main terminus of the Isle of Man Railway and is located at the landward end of the quay in Douglas, the capital of the Isle of Man. It was once the hub for now closed lines to Peel, Ramsey and Foxdale.
Gob-Y-Deigan was a station on the Manx Northern Railway, later owned and operated by the Isle of Man Railway; it served a beach near Kirk Michael in the Isle of Man and was an intermediate stopping place on a line that ran between St. John's and Ramsey.
The Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters' Association Ltd (IoMSRSA) is a railway preservationist group dedicated to ensuring the continued operation of the Isle of Man Railway on the Isle of Man. Since its inception in 1966 the group has provided volunteer workers, acted in a watchdog role and undertaken the restoration of the Groudle Glen Railway on the island, as well as supporting projects on the railway and producing a journal "Manx Steam Railway News" regularly.
Port Soderick Railway Station is the first station on the Port Erin line of the Isle of Man Railway and is located near the settlement of the same name on the Isle of Man. It forms part of the sole remaining section of the railway which once served a 46-mile network across the island.
West Berk was a station on the Manx Northern Railway, later owned and operated by the Isle of Man Railway; it served a small area near Kirk Michael in the Isle of Man and was an intermediate stopping place on a line that ran between St. John's and Ramsey.
Bishop's Court Halt was a station on the Manx Northern Railway, later owned and operated by the Isle of Man Railway; it served the residence of the local bishop in the Isle of Man and was a stopping place on a line that ran between St. John's and Ramsey.
Ballaugh Station was a mandatory stopping place on the Manx Northern Railway that ran between St. John's and Ramsey in the Isle of Man. It opened when the line was opened and was later owned and operated by the Isle of Man Railway; it served the village of Ballaugh.
Union Mills Railway Station was an intermediate stop on the Isle of Man Railway; it served the village of Union Mills in the Isle of Man and was a stopping place on a line that ran between Douglas and Peel. It was part of the island's first railway line and the first official stopping place.
One of the characteristics of the Isle of Man Railway are the numerous level crossings and farm crossings along the various routes; many smaller crossing places are marked only by gates the criss-cross farm land and provide access to individual private roads which connect the farms to the main roads. Being largely rural in nature the railway has many of these scattered along the existing South Line, and there were, as one might expect, many more on the closed sections of the railway. These can be summarised as follows, along with other points of interest along the line not covered in the Isle of Man Railway stations section:-
The long main line of the Far North Line ran through sparsely populated terrain, and the provision of branch lines was of limited commercial value. There was an important main branch, and three local branches, of which two were light railways. Taking them from south to north, they were as follows.
The Black Isle lies between Nairn and Invergordon, with relatively moderate salt water crossings of the Moray Forth and Cromarty Firth. The Great North of Scotland attempted to get access to Inverness by a railway crossing the Black Isle, and as a tactical move the Highland Railway promoted a branch line to Fortrose from Muir of Ord. The line opened in 1894, but was never economically significant. Passenger services were withdrawn in 1951 and the line closed completely in 1960.
The importance of reaching the West Coast led to the promotion of the "Dingwall and Skye Railway". Authorised in 1865 the long line was to branch from the Far North Line at Dingwall and run to Kyle of Lochalsh, facing the Isle of Skye across Kyle Akin. The line faced serious money problems and was also excluded from Strathpeffer by the intransigence of a local land owner there. The line opened as far as Stromeferry, on Loch Carron, in 1870. Kyle of Lochalsh was finally reached in 1897, and continues in operation today.
The Light Railways Act 1896 was passed with the intention of encouraging minor local railways that might not be able to finance full scale Parliamentary Bills.
The Isle of Man Railway Museum in the village of Port Erin in the Isle of Man is a small display that shows the history of the Isle of Man Railway through exhibits and visual displays which chart the history of the railway from its opening in 1873 until the present day, covering the now-closed lines that served Peel, Ramsey and Foxdale as well as the remaining line to Port Erin to which it forms part of the southern terminus.
Sulby Bridge was a station on the Manx Northern Railway, later owned and operated by the Isle of Man Railway; it served the village of Sulby in the Isle of Man and was an intermediate stopping place on a line that ran between St. John's and Ramsey.
Ramsey Station was a station on the Manx Northern Railway, later owned and operated by the Isle of Man Railway; it served the town of Ramsey in the Isle of Man, and was the terminus of a line that ran between St. John's and this station, which was the railway's headquarters.
The station was built by the Isle of Man Railway and opened on 1 July 1873. The station was located at the end of the railway line from Douglas via St John's to the town of Peel. The decision to locate the station by the harbour was taken late in 1872 when the Isle of Man Railway abandoned plans to extend the line to Ramsey. The station building was located next to Peel harbour. A small goods depot was situated next to the platforms, on the side farthest from the harbour.