| Dinas | |
|---|---|
| Station on heritage railway | |
 Welsh Highland train to Waunfawr at Dinas 2003 | |
| General information | |
| Location | Dinas, Llanwnda, Gwynedd Wales |
| Coordinates | 53°06′13″N 4°16′37″W / 53.10366°N 4.27682°W / 53.10366; -4.27682 |
| Grid reference | SH476586 |
| Owned by | Festiniog Railway Company |
| Managed by | Welsh Highland Railway |
| Platforms | 2 (originally 2 standard and 1 narrow gauge) |
| History | |
| Original company | LNWR |
| Key dates | |
| 14 September 1877 | Opened as "Dinas Junction" |
| 26 September 1936 | Narrow gauge closed |
| 1938 | Renamed "Dinas (Caerns)" |
| 10 September 1951 | Standard gauge closed |
| 11 October 1997 | Re-opened (as narrow gauge, named "Dinas") |
| Carnarvonshire Railway |
|---|
| Legend |
Dinas is a station on the narrow gauge Welsh Highland Railway, which was built in 1877 as the North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways Moel Tryfan Undertaking to carry dressed slate for trans-shipment to the LNWR. Passenger services ceased on 26 September 1936 until which time Dinas had been a joint station, known as Dinas Junction with the LNWR and later the LMS. In 1951, British Railways closed their part of the station but the line through the station remained open until the line from Caernarvon to Afon Wen was closed in 1964. The trackbed was subsequently developed as the Lôn Eifion tourist cycle route.
When the station was reopened on 11 October 1997, it was as the southern temporary terminus of the extended and soon to be restored Welsh Highland Railway from Caernarfon. Following reconstruction of the trackbed, the line was reopened on its original trackbed, in stages; on 7 August 2000 to Waunfawr; in 2003 to Rhyd Ddu; through the Aberglaslyn Pass to Beddgelert and Hafod-y-lyn in 2009; 26 May 2010 for Pont Croesor and finally on 4 January 2011 to Porthmadog. The official opening for the completed line was 20 April 2011. The train services are operated by the Festiniog Railway Company by its Welsh Highland Railway subsidiary.
At Dinas, the new narrow gauge platforms are built on the site of the former standard gauge platforms. Two buildings survive from the North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways era, namely the former goods shed and the original station building which has been carefully restored. Dinas station yards house the Welsh Highland Railway offices, carriage sheds and locomotive depot as well as extensive civil engineering works and sidings.
| Preceding station |  Heritage railways
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bontnewydd | Welsh Highland Railway Porthmadog - Caernarfon |
Tryfan Junction | ||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Terminus | Welsh Highland Railway | Tryfan Junction | ||
| Carnarvon (Pant) Line partly open as narrow gauge; Station closed |
Carnarvonshire Railway 1867-71 |
Llanwnda Line and station closed | ||
| Caernarvon Line partly open as narrow gauge; Station closed |
Carnarvonshire Railway 1871 onwards |
Llanwnda Line and Station closed | ||
References
- Johnson 1995, p. 72.
- Rear 2012, pp. 56–59.
- Turner 2003, p. 7.
- Mitchell & Smith 2010, Photos 31-36 & Map XI.
- Quick 2009, p. 149.
- ^ Shannon & Hillmer 1999, p. 19.
- Butt 1995, p. 79.
- Dunn 1958, p. 593.
Sources
- Boyd, James I.C. (1988) . Narrow Gauge Railways in South Caernarvonshire – Volume 1. Headington: The Oakwood Press. ISBN 978-0-85361-365-7. OCLC 20417464.
- Boyd, James I.C. (1989) . Narrow Gauge Railways in South Caernarvonshire - Volume 2: The Welsh Highland Railway. Headington: The Oakwood Press. ISBN 978-0-85361-383-1. OCLC 145018679.
- 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.
- Dunn, J.M. (September 1958). Cooke, B.W.C. (ed.). "The Afonwen Line-1". The Railway Magazine. Vol. 104, no. 689. London: Tothill Press Limited. ISSN 0033-8923.
- Johnson, Peter (1995). North Wales (Celebration of Steam). Shepperton: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7110-2378-9.
- 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.
- Quick, Michael (2009) . Railway passenger stations in Great Britain: a chronology (4th ed.). Oxford: Railway & Canal Historical Society. ISBN 978-0-901461-57-5. OCLC 612226077.
- Rear, W.G. (2012). Caernarvon & the Lines from Afonwen & Llanberis: 28: Scenes from the Past Railways of North Wales. Nottingham: Book Law Publications. ISBN 978-1-907094-78-1.
- Shannon, Paul; Hillmer, John (1999). North Wales (British Railways Past & Present) Part 2. Kettering: Past & Present Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85895-163-8. No 36.
- Turner, Alun (2003). Gwynedd's Lost Railways. Catrine: Stenlake Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84033-259-9.
Further material
- Clemens, Jim (2003) . North Wales Steam Lines No. 6 (DVD). Uffington, Shropshire: B&R Video Productions. BRVP No 79.
- Smith, Martin, ed. (May 2011). "The Nantlle Tramway". Railway Bylines. Vol. 16, no. 6. Clophill: Irwell Press. pp. 306–313. ISSN 1360-2098.
External links
- The Welsh Highland Railway Project Official reconstruction site
- Welsh Highland Railway (Caernarfon) The railway itself
- Rebuilding The Welsh Highland Railway An independent site
- Welsh Highland Railway Timetables The railway itself
- By DMU from Pwllheli to Amlwch Huntley Archives
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