Abergynolwyn railway station
Encyclopedia
Abergynolwyn railway station is a station on the Talyllyn Railway
at Abergynolwyn
near Tywyn
, Gwynedd
in mid-Wales
. It is 6 miles, 44 chain
s (10.54km) from .
Originally this was the terminus for passenger trains, though the line continued onward to the incline up to the slate quarry
at Bryn Eglwys
, and another incline down into the village. In 1976 this former mineral line was opened to passengers, though Abergynolwyn remains the principal station at the eastern end of the line as there are no facilities at , the current terminus.
As at Tywyn Wharf and all other stations, there is only one platform, on the north side of the line. When the line was extended it became necessary to accommodate two trains simultaneously, so the platform was extended in length, making it the longest narrow gauge railway platform in Britain at the time.
Abergynolwyn is Welsh
for Mouth of the River with a Whirlpool.
Talyllyn Railway
The Talyllyn Railway is a narrow-gauge preserved railway in Wales running for from Tywyn on the Mid-Wales coast to Nant Gwernol near the village of Abergynolwyn. The line was opened in 1866 to carry slate from the quarries at Bryn Eglwys to Tywyn, and was the first narrow gauge railway in Britain...
at Abergynolwyn
Abergynolwyn
Abergynolwyn is a village in southern Gwynedd, Wales, located at the confluence of the Nant Gwernol and the Afon Dysynni.Historically, the village was part of Merionethshire and its main industry was slate quarrying and the village was founded in the 1860s to house workers at the nearby Bryn...
near Tywyn
Tywyn
Tywyn is a town and seaside resort on the Cardigan Bay coast of southern Gwynedd , in north Wales. The name derives from the Welsh tywyn and the town is sometimes referred to as Tywyn Meirionnydd...
, Gwynedd
Gwynedd
Gwynedd is a county in north-west Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. Although the second biggest in terms of geographical area, it is also one of the most sparsely populated...
in mid-Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. It is 6 miles, 44 chain
Chain (unit)
A chain is a unit of length; it measures 66 feet or 22 yards or 100 links . There are 10 chains in a furlong, and 80 chains in one statute mile. An acre is the area of 10 square chains...
s (10.54km) from .
Originally this was the terminus for passenger trains, though the line continued onward to the incline up to the slate quarry
Slate industry in Wales
The slate industry in Wales began during the Roman period when slate was used to roof the fort at Segontium, now Caernarfon. The slate industry grew slowly until the early 18th century, then expanded rapidly until the late 19th century, at which time the most important slate producing areas were in...
at Bryn Eglwys
Bryn Eglwys
Bryn Eglwys was a remote slate quarry located near Abergynolwyn in Gwynedd mid-Wales.- History :The quarry was first worked on a small scale in the early 1840s. In 1864 William McConnel leased the quarry, forming the Aberdovey Slate Company Limited. McConnel planned to increase production at Bryn...
, and another incline down into the village. In 1976 this former mineral line was opened to passengers, though Abergynolwyn remains the principal station at the eastern end of the line as there are no facilities at , the current terminus.
As at Tywyn Wharf and all other stations, there is only one platform, on the north side of the line. When the line was extended it became necessary to accommodate two trains simultaneously, so the platform was extended in length, making it the longest narrow gauge railway platform in Britain at the time.
Abergynolwyn is Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
for Mouth of the River with a Whirlpool.