The Friends of Castletown Railway Station held two events on Friday (August 2) to mark the 150th anniversary of its opening.

There was a community fundraising event with entertainment, old photos, displays of railway stock and memorabilia in the afternoon, before a special ceremony in the evening with the unveiling of a blue plaque at Castletown Railway Station to mark the 150th anniversary.

Entertainment was provided throughout the day’s events by Manx dancers Perree Bane and the Castletown Metropolitan Silver Band.

All funds raised from the event were in support of the Friends of Castletown Station, a voluntary support group who undertake projects to enhance Castletown Railway Station.

The special commemorative plaque, which was kindly donated by local charity Castletown Heritage, was unveiled by the president of the Friends of Castletown Station, Tony Brown OBE, who was the town’s former MHK and a former Chief Minister of the island.

A spokesperson for the Friends of Castletown Station said: ‘Tony was invited to undertake this task in recognition of his active support for Isle of Man Railways during his period as MHK for Castletown.

‘This is in addition to the direct actions he took during his time as Minister for Transport to secure the long-term future of Castletown Station and the Southern line of the railway.’

The spokesperson added that after the station was built, people were ‘able to travel to Douglas in 30 minutes and to Port Erin in 20 minutes, being substantially quicker than any previous forms of travel.

‘The impact of the opening of the southern railway line and Castletown Station had a dramatic impact that we cannot imagine today.’