| This article is about the station. You may be looking for the engine, the episode, the viaduct, the bridge, or the tunnel. |
Rheneas, meaning "Divided Waterfall" in Sudric, is a station and waterfall on the Skarloey Railway. The station has a passing loop with two platforms and an ungated level crossing. There is also a two-berth engine shed here. A watermill is close by.
The Tunnel section ends at a spectacular gorge spanned by a viaduct which, apart from the tunnel, was the major engineering feature of the line. Below, and half a mile north of the viaduct the gorge narrows and ends in a precipitous rock face some 200ft high. Over this a mountain stream, divided at the top by a boulder, drops in two separate falls. These Falls are an impressive sight particularly after heavy rain.
The station is a picturesque one and much photographed. It is sited near the Falls for the convenience of visitors and is, in consequence, on a narrow ledge with no room for a passing loop. All trains stop here however for ticket examination, and the few minutes’ delay enables tardy travellers to scramble up to the station and catch their train. All Up trains take water here while ticket inspection is going on. The tank of the water tower is fed from the mountain stream.
Many visitors spend a morning or afternoon here; so the Railway has made a footpath from the station along the edge of the gorge to the lip of the Falls. From here, a stepped path descends into the gorge. The walk down the gorge and under the viaduct is an impressive one, and a meal at the Falls Hotel suitably rounds off a pleasant excursion. The hotel gives good service and excellent cuisine, but is somewhat pricey. For those with shallower purses The Gorge Café provides self-service lunches, teas and snacks. The Café owns the field adjoining their premises which is a licensed camping site. Part has been laid out as a picnic area.
There is no village at Rheneas. The hotel and café are the only dwellings, and are closed during the winter. Rheneas can be reached on foot from Skarloey station by a pleasant walk through the woods (2 miles). Alternatively there is an equally attractive and well marked footpath from Glennock (6 miles). Follow beside the railway till you reach the bridge over the Hawin Dooiey, then drop down to the river and follow its bank till the path joins that from Skarloey at a wooden footbridge.
It first appeared in the Skarloey Railway Stories miniseries and in other seasons as stock footage. It was also used to represent one of the stations on the Mid Sodor Railway.
