Carnarvonshire Railway

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Carnarvonshire Railway

Principal stations Afon Wen Chwilog Llangybi Ynys Bryncir Pant Glas Talysarn (see Nantlle Railway) Penygroes Llanberis Groeslon Cwm-y-Glo Llanwnda Pontrhythallt Dinas Pont Rug Halt Caernarfon Griffiths Crossing Port Dinorwic Treborth Menai Bridge

The Carnarvonshire Railway was a railway connecting Bangor with Afon Wen. It was later operated by LNWR then LMS. At Afon Wen, a junction connected with the Cambrian Line (GWR). The line had two branches, one from Caernarfon to Llanberis and the other from Penygroes to Nantlle. The line was shut as part of the Beeching Axe as follows:

• Afon Wen to Caernafon - December 1964
• Llanberis to Caernarfon - December 1964
• Caernarfon to Menai Bridge - Autumn 1969.

A section of the line from Caernarfon to Dinas, was incorporated into the reopened narrow gauge Welsh Highland Railway as the first phase of the line, in 1997. Several miles of the trackbed southwards from Dinas have been used to improve the A487 road. Some original sections remain and have been used as part of National Cycle Route 8.

The cycle route (Lon Eifion) and narrow gauge railway share the old trackbed south of Caernarfon. This was possible in part because the branch to Llanberis ran alongside the main line to Afon Wen for some distance south of Caernarfon, before diverging to the east.