Abererch railway station

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Abererch

Location

Place

Abererch

Local authority

Gwynedd

Coordinates

52°53′53″N 4°22′30″W / 52.898, -4.375Coordinates: 52°53′53″N 4°22′30″W / 52.898, -4.375

Operations

Station code

ABH

Managed by

Arriva Trains Wales

Platforms in use

Live departures and station information from National Rail

Annual Rail Passenger Usage

2004/05 *

1,038

2005/06 *

1,027

History

October 10, 1867

Station opens

May 1, 1956

Renamed Abererch Halt

May 6, 1968

Renamed Abererch

May 30, 1994

Station closes

Since 1994

Station reopens

National Rail - UK railway stations

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

* Annual passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Abererch from Office of Rail Regulation statistics.

UK Railways Portal

Abererch railway station is located at a level crossing on the minor road from the beach to the village of Abererch on the Lleyn Peninsula in Gwynedd, Wales. This railway station is an unstaffed halt on the Cambrian Coast Railway with passenger services every 2 hours (weekday daytimes) calling at all stations between Machynlleth and Pwllheli, including Tywyn, Barmouth, Harlech and Porthmadog. Passengers can connect at Machynlleth for trains to Aberystwyth or Shrewsbury, Wolverhampton and Birmingham New Street. Trains only stop at Abererch by request.

This was not always the case as there used to be a crossing-keeper's cottage on the northern side of the railway line. The crossing-keeper would open and close the level-crossing gates between each train; principally to let holiday makers to/from the sandy Abererch beach and the adjacent caravan/camping site. The single-storey cottage was externally slate-clad throughout and was situated on the left-hand (east) side when approaching the beach from the A497 Pwllheli - Porthmadog road.

In the 1960s there was a British Railways Camping coach located in the small siding on the northern side of the railway line; on the right hand (west) side of the level-crossing when approaching the beach. The single-carriage Camping Coach was usually only located here during the summer months and would be rented out to families for holidaying purposes. Timber access stairways were provided to the coach from the side away from the railway line as there was no permanent platform associated with this siding.

Aberech Halt as it was referred to did possess a timber constructed 'Waiting Room' up to the mid-1960s but this was destroyed by fire one evening when the felted roof ,allegedly, caught fire from the hot-ashes discharged by a passing steam-hauled train. Other incidents witnessed at the station include severe damage to the railway crossing gates by locomotives when the gates had been left 'open' to vehicular traffic; usually overnight.