Red Wharf Bay branch line

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Red Wharf Bay Branch
Legend Red Wharf Bay Llanbedrgoch Pentraeth Rhyd-y-Saint Ceint Holland Arms Anglesey Central Railway

The Red Wharf Bay branch line was a standard gauge railway line in Anglesey, Wales and branched off the Anglesey Central Railway. It was the last standard gauge passenger line to open in North Wales,^[1] in 1908, but it closed to passengers in September 1930.^[2] Freight operations continued until 3rd April 1950, and the tracks were lifted during the summer of 1953.^[3]

[edit] An early venture

The first company authorised to operate a railway on Anglesey was the Anglesey Railway Company, established by Act of Parliament in 1812. It was intended to bring coal and minerals from Pentre Berw to Red Wharf Bay for export by sea. No evidence has been found that this railway was built.^[1]

[edit] The modern railway

In the late 19th century, the London and North Western Railway was one of the main railways in Britain, and operated almost all services along the North Wales coast. The LNWR submitted proposals for a branch to serve the growing tourist trade of Benllech in 1897. This line was to connect with the main line at Llanfairpwll, but William Jones MP advocated a connection at Llangefni, on the Anglesey Central Railway (operated as a branch line by the LNWR). A compromise was reached with the line connecting at Holland Arms, near Pentre Berw, as authorised by Act of Parliament in 1899. The intended terminus was now to be in the nearby village of Red Wharf Bay. This new route in parts resembled the old 1812 railway.^[4]

The route was amended in 1900 to shorten the branch, leaving the terminus 1/2 mile west of Red Wharf Bay, and 1 mile south of Benllech. This terminus was called "Red Wharf Bay and Benllech". The decision was made to build the branch as a light railway (which would be cheaper) in 1905. Construction eventually started in 1907,^[1][4] with J Strachan as the main contractor.^[5] The first section (to Pentraeth) opened on 1st July 1908, with the remainder opening on 24th May, 1909.^[6]

Passenger services on this branch were operated by the LNWR's pioneer railmotor train. This consisted of a rake of two carriages that would be attached to an engine, with a driving compartment built into the rear carriage. The train could then be operated in either direction without needing the engine to run around. (See also GWR Autocoach) The success of this railmotor was soon replicated on other lines, and a new set was used after the line opened to Red Wharf Bay.^[7] When not running to Red Wharf Bay the railmotor train was also used on the Anglesey Central Railway: it would operate between Llangefni and Gaerwen while the main branch train was on the round trip from Llangefni to Amlwch and back.^[8]

Shortages during the First World War resulted in service cuts: from seven return trips in the summer of 1916^[8] to only four in 1917^[7]. Services were gradually reinstated after the war, but the growth of road motor transport was particularly damaging for the branch: buses could operate direct to Benllech and Red Wharf Bay, whereas the remote terminus of the railway meant a long walk for passengers.

In the winter of 1922/23, a great herring shoal was found on the coast between Moelfre and Benllech. Twelve special trains took five hundred tons of herring from Red Wharf Bay to London, Liverpool, Manchester and other cities, all in the space of two weeks. ^[9]

Falling passenger numbers in the 1920s, and the Wall Street Crash of 1929 led to the removal of passenger services on 22nd September, 1930, leaving only a daily goods service. Crosville Motor Services operated the replacement bus service between Benllech and Bangor. This hourly service, operated by was more frequent than the train had been, and also removed the need to change trains at Gaerwen (and sometimes Holland Arms too). Some special passenger trains continued to run on Saturdays in the summer months until 1939, as the light buses used could not cope with the density of traffic from Benllech. Once the Menai Suspension Bridge was rebuilt, it could take heavier double-decker buses, and the need for train services disappeared again.^[1]

In 1944, freight services were reduced to three trains a week. Lack of maintenance meant that an overall speed restriction of 15 mph was introduced in the late 1947. In the early part of 1950, British Rail decided to close the branch for a six month experimental period, transferring the remaining traffic to other stations. The branch closed on April 3 1950, and did not reopen.^[1]

The line was sold to Messrs James N. Campbell Ltd. of Coatbridge, and demolition started on 9th April, 1953, with the junction at Holland Arms taken up on 16th October.^[1] The sleepers were sold to local people as firewood,^[4] but the timber buildings at Pentraeth and Red Wharf Bay remained for some years after.^[1]

[edit] References