Ruabon Barmouth Line
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The Ruabon to Barmouth Line was a standard-gauge branch line of the Great Western Railway in North Wales which connected Ruabon with Barmouth.
Contents |
[edit] Connections
- At Ruabon, the line connected with the Shrewsbury to Chester line (part of the GWR mainline from London Paddington to Birkenhead Woodside).
- At Corwen the line connected with the Denbigh, Ruthin and Corwen Railway line.
- At Bala Junction the line connected with the Blaenau Ffestiniog branch.
- At Barmouth Junction, the line connected with the Cambrian Railway.
[edit] History
The line opened in stages by various companies:
- Vale of Llangollen Railway - 1 December 1861 (goods); 2 June 1862 (passenger);[1]
- Llangollen and Corwen Railway - 1 May 1865[2]
- Corwen and Bala Railway - 16 July 1866 (Corwen to Llandrillo); 1 April 1868 (Llandrillo to Bala)[3]
- Bala and Dolgelly Railway - 4 August 1868[4]
- Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway - 10 October 1867[5]
The Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway was absorbed by the Cambrian Railway, which with the other companies was absorbed into the GWR.
[edit] Closure
The line was closed as part of the Beeching Axe. Goods services across the whole line ceased in 1964, with the exception of the Llangollen to Ruabon section which remained open until 1968. The whole line closed to passengers on 18 June 1965.
Lifting of the track was completed in 1969.
[edit] Current status
Two sections of the line have been reopened as preserved railways; the narrow gauge Bala Lake Railway in the early 1970s and the standard gauge Llangollen Railway which first opened to passengers in 1981.
A ten mile section between Barmouth Junction and Dolgellau is also used as the Llwybr Mawddach (or "Mawddach Trail"), a cycle route and bridleway. Conversion of the trackbed to a path was incidentally assisted in 1976 when heavy floods washed away most of the remaining ballast.
Several sections have been used for road improvement schemes, including a mile and a half section through Dolgellau and the station site and trackbed west of Drws-y-Nant. The trackbed has also been redeveloped immediately east of Llangollen.
[edit] References
[edit] Notes
[edit] Sources
- Awdry, Christopher (1990). Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies. Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0049-7. OCLC 19514063.
- Railway Walks: Exploring Disused Railways, by Gareth Lovett Jones. ISBN 0-7153-8543-7
- Jowett, Alan (1989). Jowett's railway atlas of Great Britain and Ireland : from pre-grouping to the present day, 1st, Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0086-1. OCLC 22311137.
- RAILSCOT on Vale of Llangollen Railway
- RAILSCOT on Llangollen and Corwen Railway
- RAILSCOT on Corwen and Bala Railway
- RAILSCOT on Bala and Dolgelly Railway
- RAILSCOT on Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway
- Llangollen Railway site, including a detailed history of the whole line
- Gwynedd Council - Recreational Routes - Mawddach Trail
