Caernarvon railway station

For the modern station in the same town, see Caernarfon railway station.

Caernarvon railway station was a station on the former Bangor and Carnarvon Railway between Caernarfon, Gwynedd and Menai Suspension Bridge near Bangor. The station was closed to all traffic in January 1972. The station has since been demolished and the site redeveloped.

Caernarvon
The site of the station in 2013
General information
Location	Caernarfon Wales
Coordinates	53.14461°N 4.27145°W / 53.14461; -4.27145
Grid reference	SH 481 632
Platforms	5[1]
Other information
Status	Disused
History
Original company	Bangor and Carnarvon Railway
Pre-grouping	London and North Western Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
1 July 1852	Opened as Carnarvon[2][3]
27 March 1926	Renamed Caernarvon[2][4]
5 January 1970	Closed[4]
23 May 1970	Temporarily reopened for freight
30 January 1972	closed for freight

v t e Carnarvonshire Railway
Legend
Bangor and Carnarvon Railway to Bangor Caernarvon Carnarvon and Llanberis Railway Caernarfon (WHR) Quay sidings Caernarvon (Morfa) Carnarvon (Pant) Pont Rug Halt Pontrhythallt Bontnewydd (WHR) Cwm-y-Glo Llanberis Tunnel Glynrhonwy Quarries Padarn Halt Llanberis Dinas Junction Welsh Highland Railway Llanwnda Groeslon Penygroes Nantlle Branch Junction Nantlle summit Pant Glas Brynkir Ynys Llangybi Chwilog Aberystwith & Welsh Coast Rly to Pwllheli Afon Wen Aberystwith & Welsh Coast Rly to Porthmadog

History

The station, which opened on 1 July 1852, was named "Carnarvon".^[2] The town was originally the terminus of the branch line from Menai bridge, later becoming part of the Carnarvonshire Railway. In 1864 the Carnarvon and Llanberis Railway extended the branch line 8 miles (13 km) from Carnarvon station to Llanberis. A 300-yard (270 m) tunnel was constructed just south of the station to carry the new line. The tunnel was reopened in 1995 as a road tunnel.^{[citation needed]}

By 1871 all three original companies were absorbed into the London and North Western Railway. The station was renamed "Caernarvon" on 27 March 1926.^[2][4] In 1964 the lines to Afon Wen and Llanberis were closed under the Beeching Axe.^[5]

On 5 January 1970, Caernarvon was closed to all services.^[4] However following a fire that destroyed the Britannia Bridge over the Menai Straits on 23 May 1970, the branch and goods yard were temporarily reopened for freight traffic until 30 January 1972. The branch line to Caernarvon station was finally closed with the resumption of rail services to Anglesey and Holyhead in February 1972. The track was removed and the station completely demolished. A Morrisons store now occupies the site,^[6] having been built under Safeway in the late 80's and opened by the mayor of Caernarfon, and then absorbed into Morrisons after they acquired Safeway in 2004.

Present

The Welsh Highland Railway (WHR) now operates from Caernarfon railway station which uses the original trackbed of the Carnarvonshire Railway just south of the tunnel on St Helen's Road beneath the high retaining walls of Segontium Terrace.

Caernarfon Council have a longer-term plan to reinstate the rail transport link to Bangor. After speculation that the WHR would at some point in time be extended to Bangor, the owner of the WHR (the Ffestiniog Railway) wrote to the council in January 2014 to confirm that they would not themselves be supportive of such a scheme in narrow gauge, but supported the reconnection of the town to the national rail network using standard gauge.^[7]

Preceding station		Disused railways		Following station
Griffith's Crossing		London and North Western Railway Carnarvonshire Railway		Dinas Junction
		London and North Western Railway Carnarvon and Llanberis Railway		Pont Rug (Halt)

References

1. "Disused Stations: Caernarvon Station". www.disused-stations.org.uk. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
2. Butt (1995), page 54
3. Turner 2003, p. 4.
4. Butt (1995), page 51
5. Baughan (1988)
6. Shannon & Hillmer 1999, pp. 16–17.
7. "Ffestiniog Railway: No plans to extend link from Caernarfon to Bangor". Daily Post. 27 January 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2014.

Sources

• Baughan, Peter E. (1988). The North Wales Coast railway : the Chester - Holyhead line, and Llandudno - Blaenau Ffestiniog (1st ed.). Halifax, West Yorks: Martin Bairstow. ISBN 0-9510-3029-9. OCLC 21328302.
• Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
• 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.
• Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2010). Bangor to Portmadoc: Including Three Llanberis Lines (Country Railway Routes). Midhurst: Middleton Press. ISBN 978-1-906008-72-7.
• 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.
• Turner, Alun (2003). Gwynedd's Lost Railways. Catrine, Ayrshire: Stenlake Publishing. ISBN 9781840332599.

Further material

• Clemens, Jim (2003) [1959-67]. North Wales Steam Lines No. 6 (DVD). Uffington, Shropshire: B&R Video Productions. BRVP No 79.

External links

• The station site on a navigable OS Map, via National Library of Scotland
• The station and line, via Rail Map Online
• The line BCN with mileages, via Railway Codes
• Images of Caernarfon stations, via Yahoo
• The station and line, via LNWR Society Archived 19 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine
• Caernarfon station, via Disused Stations
• Caernarfon Town Line, via Disused Stations
• By DMU from Pwllheli to Amlwch, via Huntley Archives