Caernarfon railway station

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.

For the original station that served the same town until 1970, see Caernarvon railway station.

Caernarfon
Station on heritage railway
Welsh Highland train and water tower at Caernarfon below the walls of Segontium Terrace.
LocationCaernarfon, Gwynedd
Wales
Coordinates53.1375°N 4.2719°W / 53.1375; -4.2719
Grid referenceSH480624
Owned byFfestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways
Managed byFfestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways
Platforms1
Key dates
11 October 1997Opened[1]

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 during 2018 and 2019 and was first used for Sion Corn (Santa Claus) trains in December 2018.

Preceding station   Heritage railways Following station
Terminus   Welsh Highland Railway
Porthmadog - Caernarfon		   Bontnewydd
  • 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
  1. "Rebuilding the Welsh Highland Railway; Phase 1: Caernarfon to Dinas, 1997".
  2. Conolly (1967) page 19
  3. Jowett (1989)
  4. Rear (1996)
  5. Disused Stations: Menai Bridge
  6. 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 9780860935650. 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.
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