Penrhyn railway station
Encyclopedia
Penrhyn station on the Ffestiniog Railway
is located on a restricted site at Pen-y-Bwlch above the town of Penrhyndeudraeth
(Penrhyndeudraeth means Headland between two beaches).
Beyond Penrhyn station, the railway crosses the A4085
Penrhyndeudraeth to Llanfrothen road on the line's only remaining gated and manned level crossing. Because of the layout of the crossing, three privately-owned terraced houses are between the two crossing gates, a feature believed unique in the UK.
The station is at a height of 160 ft (50 m) and a distance of 3 miles 8 chains
(5.0 km) from Porthmadog
.
Penrhyn station closed to passenger traffic on 15 September 1939
) Mr. K. W. C. Grand visited the Ffestiniog Railway and travelled from Porthmadog Harbour
by the first passenger train to Penrhyn since 1939. The public passenger service was resumed on 20 April 1957.
Penrhyn served as a temporary terminus until the line was re-opened to Tan-y-Bwlch
in 1958, a run round loop being squeezed into the site for the purpose. The loop at Penrhyn continued in use as a passing loop for timetabled trains until 1974.
Much of the station building is now occupied by the volunteers hostel which was officially opened in 1972. Complete renovation by volunteers was followed on 3 May 1992 by an official re-opening.
Ffestiniog Railway
The Ffestiniog Railway is a narrow gauge heritage railway, located in Gwynedd, Wales. It is a major tourist attraction located mainly within the Snowdonia National Park....
is located on a restricted site at Pen-y-Bwlch above the town of Penrhyndeudraeth
Penrhyndeudraeth
Penrhyndeudraeth is a village and community in the Welsh county of Gwynedd. It is located between Traeth Mawr , the now largely reclaimed estuary of the Afon Glaslyn, and Traeth Bach , the estuary of the Afon Dwyryd. The village is close to the mouth of the Afon Dwyryd on the A487 from...
(Penrhyndeudraeth means Headland between two beaches).
Beyond Penrhyn station, the railway crosses the A4085
A4085 road
The A4085 is a 20-mile road between Caernarfon and Penrhyndeudraeth in North Wales that runs through the scenic Aberglaslyn Pass. There are several locations where the road is of substandard width....
Penrhyndeudraeth to Llanfrothen road on the line's only remaining gated and manned level crossing. Because of the layout of the crossing, three privately-owned terraced houses are between the two crossing gates, a feature believed unique in the UK.
History
The station opened on 6 January 1865 at the commencement of passenger services, and was rebuilt in 1879 using components from the original Porthmadog Harbour Station—externally it has changed little since. Originally called Penrhyndeudraeth, during the 1870s the name of was shortened to Penrhyn, in order to avoid confusion with the station on the Cambrian Railways coast line at the lower end of the town.The station is at a height of 160 ft (50 m) and a distance of 3 miles 8 chains
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...
(5.0 km) from Porthmadog
Porthmadog
Porthmadog , known locally as "Port", and historically rendered into English as Portmadoc, is a small coastal town and community in the Eifionydd area of Gwynedd, in Wales. Prior to the Local Government Act 1972 it was in the administrative county of Caernarfonshire. The town lies east of...
.
Penrhyn station closed to passenger traffic on 15 September 1939
Restoration
The station was specially reopened on Monday 12 November 1956 when the General Manager of British Railways (Western RegionWestern Region of British Railways
The Western Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s and was wound up at the end of 1992...
) Mr. K. W. C. Grand visited the Ffestiniog Railway and travelled from Porthmadog Harbour
Porthmadog Harbour railway station
Porthmadog Harbour station in North Wales is the southern passenger terminus of two narrow gauge railways: the Ffestiniog Railway, which was built in 1836 to carry dressed slate from Blaenau Ffestiniog to Porthmadog for export by sea, and the Welsh Highland Railway, built in 1923, which runs to...
by the first passenger train to Penrhyn since 1939. The public passenger service was resumed on 20 April 1957.
Penrhyn served as a temporary terminus until the line was re-opened to Tan-y-Bwlch
Tan-y-Bwlch railway station
Tan-y-Bwlch station is the principal intermediate passenger station on the narrow gauge Ffestiniog Railway, which was built in 1836 to carry dressed slate from Blaenau Ffestiniog to Porthmadog for export by sea...
in 1958, a run round loop being squeezed into the site for the purpose. The loop at Penrhyn continued in use as a passing loop for timetabled trains until 1974.
Much of the station building is now occupied by the volunteers hostel which was officially opened in 1972. Complete renovation by volunteers was followed on 3 May 1992 by an official re-opening.
Rhiw Goch
From 1975 Penrhyn was replaced for normal timetable purposes by a new passing loop at Rhiw Goch 4.2 miles (6.8 km) from Porthmadog. Although trains regularly stop for passing purposes, Rhiw Goch is not a passenger station, there is no public access and passengers are not permitted to alight there. However, tourist trains do on occasion terminate and reverse at Rhiw Goch.External links
- The Ffestiniog Railway Company's website
- Ffestiniog Railway Timetables
- Multimap location
- Bing Maps location