Carnarvon and Llanberis Railway

The Carnarvon and Llanberis Railway, built under the Caernarvon and Llanberis Railway Act 1864, was an eight-mile branch line from the Carnarvonshire Railway running from Caernarfon to Llanberis, via Pont Rhythallt (for Llanrug), Cwm-y-Glo, and Padarn Halt.

Carnarvon and Llanberis Railway
Overview
TerminiCaernarfon
Llanberis
Service
Operator(s)London and North Western Railway 1869-1923
London Midland and Scottish Railway 1923-1948
British Railways 1948-1964
History
Opened1 July 1869 (1869-07-01)
Closed20 October 1964 (1964-10-20)
Technical
Line length8 mi (13 km)
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Route map
Bangor and Carnarvon Railway
to Bangor
 Caernarvon
Caernarfon
(WHR)
Quay Sidings
Caernarvon (Morfa)
Carnarvon (Pant)
Pont Rug
Pontrhythallt
Bontnewydd
(WHR)
Cwm-y-Glo
Llanberis Tunnel
Glynrhonwy Quarries
Padarn Halt
Llanberis
Dinas Junction
Llanwnda
Groeslon
Penygroes
Nantlle Branch Junction
Nantlle
Summit
Pant Glas
Brynkir
Ynys
Llangybi
Chwilog
Afon Wen

History

The Carnarvon and Llanberis railway bill passed through parliament in 1864.[1] The estimated cost of construction of the line 8 miles (13 km) long was £110,000 (equivalent to £10,895,314 in 2019).[2]

Construction started on 15 September 1864 when the first sod was cut by the Hon. Emily Wynne of Glynllifon, daughter of Spencer Bulkeley Wynn, 3rd Baron Newborough. The event was marked with a procession of 700 children with the Llanrug Brass Band, and the Revd. W. Lloyd William, vicar of St Padarn's Church, Llanberis.[3] The plan was for the railway to be operated by the London and North Western Railway.[4]

The railway opened on 1 July 1869[5] but was overshadowed by a nitro-glycerine explosion at a quarry near Cwm-y-Glo railway station which resulted in 5 deaths and 12 severe injuries.

The line from Llanberis to Caernarfon was built from Llanberis towards Caernarfon. For a while the railway terminated at Caernarvon (Morfa) railway station. When the "Caernarfon Town Line"[6] was built through a tunnel under the centre to join the various routes. Morfa station was closed on 5 July 1870, though it appears that formal paperwork was not concluded until the following January.[7]

In 1870 the London and North Western Railway took full ownership of the line, and the Carnarvon and Llanberis railway company was dissolved.[8]

The railway was initially built as a local link between villages, serving the local population. However tourist traffic increased hugely after the Snowdon Mountain Railway opened in 1897.[9]

Accidents

On 25 August 1872 the market train from Llanberis was approaching Carnarvon when it was run into by a ballast engine. A second class carriage received the full shock of the ballast engine and was knocked to pieces. The two passengers aboard were uninjured.[10]

Closure and traces of the railway

The station closed for regular passenger services in 1930 but was still used by summer excursion trains[11] until 7 September 1962 and freight services until 3 September 1964.[12][13]

The last fare-paying passenger service was an enthusiasts' special on 20 October 1964.[14][15] The line was lifted in 1965.[16]

Some evidence of the railbed still exists. The site of the track in Llanberis now carries the A4086 road where it by-passes the village along the lakeshore, and the former station is occupied by a craft centre. An area known locally as the Sidings on the shores of Llyn Padarn also shows some evidence of its past. The next section of railbed runs alongside the lake and is now the Lon Las Peris ("Peris Green Lane") cycle path., There is also evidence of the former railway on bridges and a tunnel near Cwm-y-glo, near Llwyncoed Farm - mentioned in the song Tylluanod ("Owls") by the local band Hogia'r Wyddfa ("Snowdon Lads") in 1969. The railbed then follows the line of the A4086 through Cwm-y-glo past Y Fricsan Inn, the site of Cwm-y-Glo railway station. It then follows the River Seiont downstream for the rest of its route to Caernarfon.

References
  1. "Carnarvon & Llanberis Railway". North Wales Chronicle. Wales. 2 April 1864. Retrieved 22 October 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  2. UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  3. "Cutting of the First Sod of the Carnarvon and Llanberis Railway". North Wales Chronicle. Wales. 17 September 1864. Retrieved 22 October 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. "Carnarvon and Llanberis Railway". Cardiff and Merthyr Guardian, Glamorgan, Monmouth and Brecon Gazette. Wales. 29 September 1865. Retrieved 22 October 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. "The Terrible Accident near Carnarvon". Bolton Evening News. England. 2 July 1869. Retrieved 22 October 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. Town line history, via Disused Stations
  7. Quick 2009, p. 110.
  8. "Carnarvon and Llanberis Railway". Aberystwyth Times. Wales. 21 May 1870. Retrieved 22 October 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  9. Baughan, Peter E. (1988). The North Wales Coast Railway. ISBN 0-9510302-9-9.
  10. "Alarming railway accident near Carnarvon". South Wales Daily News. Wales. 27 August 1872. Retrieved 22 October 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. Johnson 1995, p. 71.
  12. Shannon & Hillmer 1999, p. 18.
  13. Kneale 1980, Plate 129.
  14. 20 October 1963 railtour record, via Six Bells Junction
  15. Rear 2012, p. 71.
  16. Rear 1979, pp. 87 & 89.

Sources
  • Johnson, Peter (1995). North Wales (Celebration of Steam). Shepperton: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 0-7110-2378-6.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Kneale, E.N. (1980). North Wales Steam, 1927-68. Poole, Dorset: Oxford Publishing Co. ISBN 0 86093 074 2.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Quick, Michael (2009) [2001]. Railway passenger stations in Great Britain: a chronology (4th ed.). Oxford: Railway and Canal Historical Society. ISBN 978-0-901461-57-5. OCLC 612226077.
  • Rear, W.G. (1979). London Midland steam in North Wales. Truro: D Bradford Barton Ltd. ISBN 0 85153 225 X.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Rear, W.G. (2012). Caernarvon & the Lines from Afonwen & Llanberis: 28: Scenes from the Past Railways of North Wales. Nottingham: Book Law Publications. ISBN 9 781907 094781.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Shannon, Paul; Hillmer, John (1999). North Wales (British Railways Past & Present) Part 2. Kettering: Past & Present Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-85895-163-1. No 36.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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