Caernarfon railway station: Difference between revisions
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The narrow gauge line was built from Dinas to Caernarfon in 1997, thus providing the extension to Caernarfon of the Welsh Highland Railway that was originally authorised by [[Act of Parliament]], but never built. Between Caernarfon and Dinas, the new Welsh Highland line shares the old standard gauge trackbed with the '[[Lôn Eifion]]' tourist cycle track. This section of line is operated by the [[Ffestiniog Railway]] under the provisions of The Caernarfon Railway Light Railway Order 1997 made 8 October 1997. <ref>[http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1997/19972534.htm Statutory Instrument 1997 No. 2534]</ref> |
The narrow gauge line was built from Dinas to Caernarfon in 1997, thus providing the extension to Caernarfon of the Welsh Highland Railway that was originally authorised by [[Act of Parliament]], but never built. Between Caernarfon and Dinas, the new Welsh Highland line shares the old standard gauge trackbed with the '[[Lôn Eifion]]' tourist cycle track. This section of line is operated by the [[Ffestiniog Railway]] under the provisions of The Caernarfon Railway Light Railway Order 1997 made 8 October 1997. <ref>[http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1997/19972534.htm Statutory Instrument 1997 No. 2534]</ref> |
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A new station to a modern design was built in 2017-2019 and was first tried for the Sion Corn (Santa Claus) trains in Advent 2018. It is expected to be complete and opened in March 2019. The design is a compromise within the requirements of Cadw (because it is within sight of the World Heritage Site 300m away at Caernarfon Castle) and to the requirements of other planning authorities. Nevertheless it is one of the more startling, but neat, building designs put up in North Wales for many years. |
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{{Heritage rail start}} |
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Revision as of 22:46, 14 January 2019
Caernarfon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Location | Gwynedd |
| Coordinates | 53°08′15″N 4°16′19″W / 53.1375°N 4.2719°W |
| Owned by | Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways |
| Managed by | Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways |
| Platforms | 1 |
| Key dates | |
| 11 October 1997 | Opened[1] |
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Caernarfon Station is the northern terminus of the narrow gauge Welsh Highland Railway, located in the town of Caernarfon. It was opened on 11 October 1997[1] when the line was constructed from Dinas.
History
The railway between Caernarfon and Dinas was formerly part of the standard gauge Carnarvonshire Railway, later LNWR and LMS,[2][3] between Caernarfon and Afon Wen, which was closed by British Railways in December 1964, and the tracks lifted.
Northwards of the present Caernarfon station, the former standard gauge line ran through a tunnel, which is now used by a public road, to the site of the original Caernarvon railway station. The LNWR was under an obligation to build a station on this site (below Segontium Terrace), however the town corporation waived its claim to this station. [4] The original line continued on to a junction with the Chester and Holyhead Railway just south of the Britannia Bridge, terminating at the now-demolished Menai Bridge Station.[5]
Opening
The present station is sited on the former standard gauge trackbed adjacent to St. Helen's Road, opposite the former locomotive works of De Winton & Co and beneath the high retaining walls of Segontium Terrace, which can be reached from St Helen's Road via a pedestrian footbridge. The station buildings accommodate the booking office, a tourist shop and passenger facilities. In the winter of 2005/06 the passenger platform and run around loop at Caernarfon were lengthened to permit the operation of trains up to 10 carriages long.
The narrow gauge line was built from Dinas to Caernarfon in 1997, thus providing the extension to Caernarfon of the Welsh Highland Railway that was originally authorised by Act of Parliament, but never built. Between Caernarfon and Dinas, the new Welsh Highland line shares the old standard gauge trackbed with the 'Lôn Eifion' tourist cycle track. This section of line is operated by the Ffestiniog Railway under the provisions of The Caernarfon Railway Light Railway Order 1997 made 8 October 1997. [6]
A new station to a modern design was built in 2017-2019 and was first tried for the Sion Corn (Santa Claus) trains in Advent 2018. It is expected to be complete and opened in March 2019. The design is a compromise within the requirements of Cadw (because it is within sight of the World Heritage Site 300m away at Caernarfon Castle) and to the requirements of other planning authorities. Nevertheless it is one of the more startling, but neat, building designs put up in North Wales for many years.
| Preceding station |  Heritage railways
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terminus | Welsh Highland Railway | Bontnewydd | ||
Gallery
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A view of the station from the pedestrian overbridge in August 2005. -
NGG16 No.138 at Caernarfon below the walls of Segontium Terrace. -
Train hauled by Ffestiniog Railway locomotive Prince departs Caernarfon station, October 2002.
References
Notes
- ^ a b "Rebuilding the Welsh Highland Railway; Phase 1: Caernarfon to Dinas, 1997".
- ^ Conolly (1967) page 19
- ^ Jowett (1989)
- ^ Rear (1996)
- ^ Disused Stations: Menai Bridge
- ^ Statutory Instrument 1997 No. 2534
Sources
- Boyd, James I.C. (1988) [1972]. Narrow Gauge Railways in South Caernarvonshire – Volume 1. Headington: The Oakwood Press. ISBN 978-0-85361-365-7. OCLC 20417464.
- Boyd, James I.C. (1989) [1972]. Narrow Gauge Railways in South Caernarvonshire - Volume 2: The Welsh Highland Railway. Headington: The Oakwood Press. ISBN 978-0-85361-383-1. OCLC 145018679.
- Conolly, W.P. (1967). British Railways Pre-Grouping Atlas and Gazetteer (5th ed.). Shepperton: Ian Allan. ISBN 978-0-7110-0320-0. OCLC 152403109.
- Jowett, Alan (March 1989). Jowett's Railway Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland: From Pre-Grouping to the Present Day (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-086-0. OCLC 22311137.
- Johnson, Peter (2002). An Illustrated History of the Welsh Highland Railway. Hersham: Oxford Publishing Co. ISBN 978-0-86093-565-0. OCLC 59498388.
- Rear, W.G. (1996). Scenes from the past No. 28: Caernarvon and the lines from Afonwen and Llanberis. Stockport: Foxline Publishing. ISBN 1-8701-1942-8. OCLC 57122074.
