Llanberis railway station (Snowdon Mountain Railway)

Llanberis (SMR) railway station is the lower terminus of the Snowdon Mountain Railway, located in Llanberis, Gwynedd, Wales.

Llanberis (SMR)
Station on heritage railway
LocationLlanberis, Gwynedd
Wales
Coordinates53.1163°N 4.1195°W / 53.1163; -4.1195
Grid referenceSH 582 597
Platforms2[1]
History
Original companySnowdon Mountain Railway
Key dates
6 April 1896Opened and closed following an accident
9 April 1897Opened

The station houses the headquarters of the tourist railway which climbs for 4.7 miles (7.6 km) from Llanberis to the summit of Snowdon, the highest peak in Wales.[2] The station stands in the valley bottom at an altitude of (353 ft (108 m)), the summit station stands at 3,493 feet (1,065 m), 68 feet (21 metres) below the summit of the mountain.

The station opened with the railway on 6 April 1896, but closed the same day following an accident.[3] It reopened on 9 April 1897, without mishap and has operated since, even throughout most of the Second World War, as there was military activity near the mountaintop.[4]

The station has two platforms. The first stretch of line is uphill at 1 in 50, steep for a main line but shallow compared with the 1 in 6 incline that begins shortly afterwards. The line's engine shed and workshop are visible from the platform ends.[5]

Preceding station   Heritage railways Following station
Terminus   Snowdon Mountain Railway   Waterfall
Line open, station closed
Interchange with Llanberis on the Llanberis Lake Railway

References
  1. Mitchell & Smith 2010, Photos 115-8 & Maps XXXIV & XXXV.
  2. Tourist Attractions in Snowdonia Wales - Visit Snowdon Mountain Railway!, archived from the original on 15 April 2003
  3. Boyd 1990, Photos S/2 & S/3.
  4. Mitchell & Smith 2010, Photo 116.
  5. Griffiths & Smith 1999, p. 197.

Sources
  • Boyd, James I.C. (1990) [1972]. Narrow Gauge Railways in North Caernarvonshire, Volume 1: The West. Headington: The Oakwood Press. ISBN 978-0-85361-273-5. OCLC 650247345.
  • Griffiths, Roger; Smith, Paul (1999). The Directory of British Engine Sheds and Principal Locomotive Servicing Points: 1 Southern England, the Midlands, East Anglia and Wales. OPC Railprint. ISBN 978-0-86093-542-1. OCLC 59458015.
  • Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2010). Bangor to Portmadoc: Including Three Llanberis Lines. Country Railway Routes. Midhurst: Middleton Press. ISBN 978 1 906008 72 7.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.