Dinas (FR) railway station
| Dinas (FR) | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Place | Blaenau Ffestiniog |
| Area | Gwynedd |
| Coordinates | 52°59′57″N 3°56′51″W / 52.9991°N 3.9476°WCoordinates: 52°59′57″N 3°56′51″W / 52.9991°N 3.9476°W |
| Grid reference | SH 693 434 |
| Operations | |
| Original company | Festiniog Railway |
| Platforms | 1[1] |
| History | |
| 6 January 1865 | Opened |
| August 1870 | Closed[2][3][4] |
| Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom | |
|
Closed railway stations in Britain A B C D–F G H–J K–L M–O P–R S T–V W–Z | |
 UK Railways portal | |
Dinas station was built by the Festiniog Railway (FR). It was the first passenger station in Blaenau Ffestiniog, then in Merionethshire, now in Gwynedd,Wales. This station is not to be confused with Dinas some miles distant on the Welsh Highland Railway; nor is it to be confused with the Festiniog and Blaenau Railway's northern terminus in the centre of Blaenau Ffestiniog which was sometimes referred to coloquially as "Dinas".[5]
Context
The complex and confusing evolution of Blaenau's passenger stations is expanded here.
Opening
The station opened on 6 January 1865, carrying passengers to Portmadoc and points between. This was the first steam-hauled passenger service in Britain to use tracks of less than Standard Gauge, with the line carrying a quarter of a million people in its first year of operation.[6]
Location
The station was built among existing slate workings which had been rail-served for some years.[7]
Closure
The following year the FR opened Dinas Junction,[8] from which its "Branch Line" (the original line to Dinas being the "Main Line") to the new Duffws (FR) station nearer to the centre of the town.[9] Trains from Portmadoc alternated between the two stations,[10] but Duffws was better sited for passenger traffic,[6] so Dinas closed in 1870. Slate traffic to the Dinas station area nevertheless continued well into the 20th Century.[11]
Modern times
The station was eventually covered by slate waste, under which it is now completely buried.[12]
| Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terminus | Festiniog Railway Narrow gauge |
Tanygrisiau Line closed, station open | ||
Gallery
- "Tunnel mouth, Blaenau Ffestiniog North & Stesion Fain". Britain from Above.
References
- ↑ Stretton & 1999 p22.
- ↑ Boyd 1988, p. 68.
- ↑ Butt 1995, p. 79.
- ↑ Quick 2009, p. 89.
- ↑ Boyd 1988, Photos following p.54.
- 1 2 Richards 2001, p. 63.
- ↑ Jones & Hatherill 1977, p. 3.
- ↑ Stretton 1999, p. 76.
- ↑ Boyd 1988, p. 66.
- ↑ "Triangular junction: bear left for Dinas (FR), swing right for Duffws". Google.
- ↑ Scott-Morgan 1978, p. 63.
- ↑ Mitchell & Smith 2010, Plate 69.
Sources
- Boyd, James I.C. (1988) [1972]. Narrow Gauge Railways in South Caernarvonshire - Volume 1. Headington, Oxford: The Oakwood Press. ISBN 978-0-85361-365-7. OCLC 20417464.
- Butt, R. V. J. (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 1-8526-0508-1. OCLC 60251199.
- Jones, Ivor Wynne; Hatherill, Gordon (1977). Llechwedd and other Ffestiniog Railways. Blaenau Ffestiniog: Quarry Tours Ltd. ISBN 0-9502895-9-0.
- Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2010). Bala to Llandudno: Featuring Blaenau Ffestiniog. Midhurst, West Sussex: Middleton Press (MD). ISBN 978 1 906008 87 1.
- 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.
- Richards, Alun John (2001). The Slate Railways of Wales. Llanrwst: Gwasg Carreg Gwalch. ISBN 0-86381-689-4.
- Scott-Morgan, John (1978). The Colonel Stephens Railways: A Pictorial Survey. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. ISBN 0 7153 7544 X.
- Stretton, M.J. (1999). Ffestiniog Railway in Camera: One Hundred Years 1871-1971. Penistone, South Yorkshire: Challenger Publications. ISBN 1 899624 40 6.
Other material
- Southern, D. W. (1995). Bala Junction to Blaenau Ffestiniog. Scenes from the Past, Railways of North Wales. Stockport: Foxline Publishing. ISBN 1 8701 19 34 7. No. 25).
External links
- "The station on navigable OS Maps". National Library of Scotland.
- "The station and line". Rail Map Online.
- "The station's history". Disused Stations.
- "The station's history". Festipedia.
- "The history of the line to the station". Festipedia.
- "Informed discussion about the station's hinterland". Signalbox.