Ulfstead Road was the summit station of the Mid Sodor Railway. The station is named after the nearby road that links Ulfstead to Peel Godred.
History
Ulfstead Road stands at 867ft above sea level, 264ft higher than Cas-ny-Hawin, though the two places are, as the crow flies, only 1½ miles apart. To reduce the gradient to manageable proportions, the Mid Sodor decided to climb the mountain in a series of loops, increasing the distance between the two places to 6 miles. Due to scanty clearances, the inspector ordered that all carriage doors should be locked between Arlesdale and Ulfstead Road.[1]
A branch line from Ulfstead Road to the town of Ulfstead itself was originally planned, and strongly urged by the Earl of Sodor, but proved to be impracticable and was dropped. All up trains were required to stop at Ulfstead Road for water, while all down trains were required to stop for brake tests. During these stops, the opportunity was taken to check carriage doors.[2]
In the 1890s, Galahad Qualtrough served as stationmaster of Ulfstead Road. Two men, Bill Shuvvel, with his traction engine, and Josh Herder, with his troupe of cows, would commonly come to an impasse on the nearby bridge and create a traffic jam. Bill generally got the best of the confrontations, due to Josh's cows losing interest and searching for entertainment elsewhere and stray on to Station premises, much to the anguish of Stationmaster Qualtrough. While Josh was rounding up his strays, Bill would take his chance and leave.[3]
The mountain section of the Mid Sodor Railway was closed in 1936 and with it Ulfstead Road.
Appearances
The Railway Series
Companion Volumes
- 1984 - The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways (mentioned)
- 1995 - The Thomas the Tank Engine Man (mentioned)
Trivia
- Ulfstead Road is based on Esgairgeiliog station from the Corris Railway. Wilbert supplied photographs of the Corris station to Dorris Stokes so she could build a authentic station house for his MSR layout, to replace the one he had built.[4]
- The stone station building for Strawberry Grove in Thomas & Friends shares the same basis, albeit mirrored.
Gallery
The Railway Series
Behind the Scenes
Station Guide
| Preceding station |  Mid Sodor Railway
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cas-ny-Hawin Line and station closed |
Mid Sodor Railway | Ballamoddey Line and station closed | ||
References
| Locomotives | Duke | Stanley | Falcon | Stuart | Albert | Jim | Tim | The Mine Engine | Alfred* | Gerry* | John* | Jennings* | Atlas* |
|---|---|
| Rolling Stock | Cora | Mid Sodor Railway Coaches | Saloon Coaches |
| Trains | The Picnic | The Parliamentary | The Horse and Cart |
| People | The Mid Sodor Railway Manager |
| Stations | Arlesburgh Harbour | Arlesburgh Bridge Street | Ffarquhar Road | Marthwaite | Arlesdale Green | Arlesdale | Cas-ny-Hawin | Ulfstead Road | Ballamoddey | King Orry's Bridge |