Corwen | |
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![]() Original station building (closed in 1964) in January 2010 | |
General information | |
Location | Corwen, Denbighshire Wales |
Platforms | 2 |
History | |
Original company | Llangollen & Corwen Railway |
Pre-grouping | Great Western Railway |
Post-grouping | Great Western Railway Western Region of British Railways |
Key dates | |
1 Sept 1865 | Opened |
2 Nov 1964 | Closed to goods [1] |
14 Dec 1964 | Closed to passengers |
2 Jun 2023 | Reopened on new site |
Corwen railway station refers to two stations, on different sites, which have existed in the town of Corwen in Denbighshire, Wales.
The first was on the Ruabon to Barmouth Line. It was opened in 1865 and closed in 1964. The second is located on the preserved Llangollen Railway and was opened in 2023.
The first station to open was a temporary station to the east of the town, when the line from Denbigh opened in October 1864. A permanent station was opened by the Great Western Railway in May 1865. The station had two platforms, a signal box, and was a passing place on the single track line.
Corwen was also the southern terminus of the Denbigh, Ruthin and Corwen Railway (DR&CR), which ran from Rhyl via Denbigh and Ruthin to Corwen, opening in 1864. According to the Official Handbook of Stations, the following classes of traffic were being handled at this station in 1956: G, P, F, L, H and C and there was a 1-ton 10 cwt crane. [2] The former DR&CR route officially closed in 1965.
Corwen station itself was scheduled to close under the Beeching Axe to passengers on Monday 18 January 1965 however it closed prematurely on Monday 14 December 1964 due to flood damage west of the station.
The main station building and site remains intact today, in private use since 1990 as a showroom for Ifor Williams Trailers; the trackbed was infilled, both main building wings and the toilets were demolished, and the central section was rebuilt to accommodate a showroom.
In 2011, the preserved Llangollen Railway began work to re-construct the 2+1⁄2-mile (4.0 km) section of the permanent way from its then terminus at Carrog, past the site of Bonwm Halt and on to Corwen. As the original Corwen station is now in private use, and the track bed in between also sub-divided, construction of a new station, east of the original, was included in the project.
The first stage of the project saw the extension of the line to a temporary station at Corwen East, which opened in October 2014. There was a formal opening ceremony on St David's Day, 1 March 2015, followed by the first full season of trains. As a final stage, in early 2019 the temporary structure at Corwen East was removed and the line was extended a further 200 metres to the new permanent station, constructed next to the town's main car park. The new station opened on 2 June 2023. It features an island platform with two platform edges (accessed via a pedestrian underpass), a headshunt, and a small siding on the same alignment as, and accessed from, the run-round loop. [3] [4]
Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Bonwm Halt | Great Western Railway Ruabon to Barmouth Line | Cynwyd | ||
Gwyddelwern | London and North Western Railway Denbigh, Ruthin and Corwen Railway | Terminus |
Preceding station | ![]() | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Terminus | Llangollen Railway | Carrog |
The Llangollen Railway is a volunteer-run heritage railway in Denbighshire, North Wales, which operates between Llangollen and Corwen. The standard gauge line, which is 10 miles (16 km) long, runs on part of the former Ruabon – Barmouth GWR route that closed in 1965. It operates daily services in the summer as well as weekends throughout the winter months, using a variety of mainly ex-GWR steam locomotives as well as several diesel engines and diesel multiple units. A 2+1⁄2 miles (4 km) extension of the railway has been built to complete the line to Corwen.
Ruabon railway station is a combined rail and bus interchange serving Ruabon, Wrexham County Borough, Wales. It is the second busiest station in Wrexham County Borough in terms of passenger journeys, after the mainline station, Wrexham General. It is on the Shrewsbury to Chester Line, which is part of the former Great Western Railway mainline route from London Paddington to Birkenhead Woodside which lasted until 1967.
The Ruabon–Barmouth line was a standard-gauge line owned by the Great Western Railway across the north of Wales which connected Ruabon, in the east, with Barmouth on the west coast.
Drws-y-Nant railway station in Gwynedd, Wales, was formerly a station on the Ruabon to Barmouth line.
Bont Newydd railway station in Gwynedd, Wales, was a station on the now-closed Ruabon to Barmouth line.
Llandderfel railway station in Gwynedd, Wales, was a station on the Ruabon to Barmouth line. It closed to passengers ahead of the scheduled closure date of Monday 18 January 1965 because of flooding by the River Dee which breached the line near Llandderfel on 14 December 1964. This section of the line was never re-opened. The station had a signal box and was a passing place on the single line. Today, no trace of the station buildings exist; however, the flight of steps that leads from the road overbridge down to where the platforms once were are still in situ, along with a small section of overgrown "up" platform a few yards up from the steps.
Llandrillo railway station (ɬandriːɬɔ) in Denbighshire, Wales, was a station on the Ruabon to Barmouth line. It was to have closed to passengers on Monday 18 January 1965 but closed prematurely on 14 December 1964 due to flood damage. The station had a signal box and was a passing place on the single line.
Llangollen railway station in the town of Llangollen, Denbighshire, Wales, is a preserved railway station on the former Ruabon to Barmouth Line, and now the eastern terminus of the preserved Llangollen Railway.
Glyndyfrdwy railway station is a former station on the Ruabon to Barmouth line near the village of Glyndyfrdwy in Denbighshire, Wales. It is now a preserved railway station on the Llangollen Railway, being reopened by the heritage railway in 1993.
Carrog railway station in Denbighshire, Wales, was formerly a station on the Ruabon to Barmouth line. A camping coach was positioned here by the Western Region from 1956 to 1962. It was to have closed to passengers on Monday 18 January 1965 but closed prematurely on 14 December 1964 due to flood damage. According to the Official Handbook of Stations the following classes of traffic were being handled at this station in 1956: G, P, F, L, H, C but there was no crane.
Cynwyd was a railway station in Cynwyd, Denbighshire, Wales on the Ruabon Barmouth Line. It was to have closed to passengers on Monday 18 January 1965 but closed prematurely on 14 December 1964 due to flood damage.
Garneddwen Halt in Merioneth, Wales, was formerly a station at the summit of the Great Western Railway Ruabon to Barmouth line. It closed to passengers on Monday 18 January 1965.
The Denbigh, Ruthin and Corwen Railway was a standard gauge railway line that connected Corwen with Denbigh via Ruthin in North Wales.
The Vale of Clwyd Railway (VoCR) was a standard-gauge line, which connected the settlements of Rhyl, St Asaph and Denbigh in North Wales. It opened in 1858, at first without a connection to the main line at Rhyl, but this was provided in 1862. At Denbigh, a connection could be made on to the Mold and Denbigh Junction Railway. Although the area became popular with holidaymakers from the 1920s, the line never realised its potential; it closed to passengers in 1955 and completely in 1968.
Bonwm Halt in Denbighshire, Wales, was a minor station on the Ruabon to Barmouth line.
Sun Bank Halt in Wrexham County Borough, Wales, was a minor station on the Ruabon to Barmouth line. It opened as Garth & Sun Bank Halt but was renamed on 1 July 1906. The line was double track and there was never a signal box nor freight facilities here.
Llys Halt in Gwynedd, Wales, was on the Ruabon to Barmouth line. There was no passing place or freight activity here.
Wnion Halt in Gwynedd, Wales, was on the Ruabon to Barmouth line. The station was situated in a narrow part of the Wnion Valley next to Pont Llanrhaiadr and squeezed against a road retaining wall on the north side of the line. There was a short timber-edged platform with a timber shelter and nameboard. There was no passing place or freight activity here. Today rusted platform supports remain and the entrance gate is part of a driveway to a private residence to the east of the halt.
Dolserau Halt in Gwynedd, Wales, was on the Ruabon to Barmouth line. The platform edge was made of timber and was situated on the north side of the line. It had a timber shelter and a name-board with the suffix "FOR THE TORRENT WALK". There was no passing place or freight activity here.
Corwen East railway station in the town of Corwen, Denbighshire, Wales, was a temporary station on the former Ruabon to Barmouth Line. It was the western terminus of the preserved Llangollen Railway from 2014 to 2018.