Harlech Military Railway | |
---|---|
Operation | |
Locale | Harlech, Merionethshire, Wales |
Open | 1941 |
Close | 1944 [1] or 1946. [2] |
Status | Demolished 1948 |
Owner(s) | Great Western Railway |
Infrastructure | |
Track gauge | Standard 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) |
Propulsion system(s) | Conventional steam |
Statistics | |
Route length | 1,320 yards (1,210 m) |
The Harlech Military Railway was a military branch line in Merioneth, Wales. It ran roughly west-northwest from a junction with the Cambrian Coast Line north of Harlech, and had another branch running north from a reverse junction at the line's western end. The railway was built solely for military traffic during World War II. Contemporary published sources are reticent about the railway due to its military purpose. [ citation needed ]
The line was a standard gauge branch which veered seawards (westwards) off the ex-Cambrian Railways Cambrian Coast Line approximately 430 yards (390 m) north of Harlech railway station. This junction and a substantial section of the line can be see in two aerial photographs of the period. [3] The line appears on a 1948 Ordnance Survey map of the area.
The line's location north of the village is corroborated by Rail Map Online; however, the producers acknowledge that they are not confident that their map adequately represents the line's seaward end. [4]
The line's primary purpose was to serve a gunnery range which was under the control of a camp at Bronaber, near Trawsfynydd. The line is not to be confused with the Harlech Tramway which was south of Harlech.
Snowdonia is a mountainous region in northwestern Wales and a national park of 823 square miles (2,130 km2) in area. It was the first to be designated of the three national parks in Wales, in 1951. It contains the highest peaks in the United Kingdom outside Scotland.
North Wales, also known as the North of Wales, is a geographic region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders Mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdonia National Park and the Clwydian Range, known for its mountains, waterfalls and trails, located wholly within the region. Its population is more concentrated in the north-east, and northern coastal areas of the region, whilst significant Welsh-speaking populations are situated in its western and rural areas. North Wales is imprecisely defined, lacking any defined defintion or administrative structure. For the public purposes of health, policing and emergency services, and for statistical, economic and cultural purposes, North Wales is commonly defined administratively as its six most northern principal areas, but other defintions of the geographic region exist, with Montgomeryshire historically considered to be part of the region.
The Cambrian Line is a railway that runs from Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth and Pwllheli, both on the west coast of Wales. The line from Dovey Junction to Pwllheli is sometimes called the Cambrian Coast Line.
Wivelsfield railway station is a railway station on the Brighton Main Line in West Sussex, England. Located in northern Burgess Hill, it primarily serves the town's neighbourhoods of World's End and Sheddingdean. The station is 40 miles 52 chains (65.4 km) down the line from London Bridge via Redhill. It is situated between Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill stations on the main line, and between Haywards Heath and Plumpton stations on the East Coastway line, which branches off just south of the station at Keymer Junction. The station is managed by Southern which is one of two companies serving Wivelsfield, the other one being Thameslink. Until May 2018, Gatwick Express also served the station with a single early-morning service towards London.
The Minsterley branch was a short railway line that ran from Cruckmeole Junction on the Cambrian Line just south of Shrewsbury to Minsterley in Shropshire. The six-and-a-half mile standard gauge line was the only section built of a plan to connect Shrewsbury with mid Wales. It was part of a joint venture between the Great Western Railway and London and North Western Railway companies.
The Cambridge line runs from Cambridge junction on the East Coast Main Line to Shepreth Branch Junction on the West Anglia Main Line and forms part of the route between London King's Cross and East Anglia. The line is part of the Network Rail Strategic Route 5, SRS 05.05 and is classified as a London and South East Commuter line.
Harlech railway station is located at a level crossing on the A496 in the centre of the town of Harlech in Gwynedd, North Wales. The waiting shelters were installed to cater for the high numbers of schoolchildren commuting to and from the adjacent secondary school, Ysgol Ardudwy.
Barmouth railway station serves the seaside town of Barmouth in Gwynedd, Wales. The station is on the Cambrian Coast Railway with passenger services to Harlech, Porthmadog, Porthmadog, Tywyn, Aberdovey, Machynlleth and Shrewsbury. Between Morfa Mawddach and Barmouth the railway crosses the Afon Mawddach on the Barmouth Bridge.
Afon Wen was a railway station in Afon Wen, Gwynedd, Wales.
The Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway was a standard gauge railway company, running a line along the west coast of Wales.
Pontrhythallt was a railway station in the village of Pont Rhythallt, Gwynedd, Wales. This station opened in 1869 and closed for regular passenger services in 1930, but trains continued to pass through until the last goods train of all on 3 September 1964, which delivered a panel of lap fencing.
Penygroes railway station was located in Penygroes, Gwynedd, Wales.
The Welsh Highland Heritage Railway is a short reconstructed heritage railway in Gwynedd, Wales. Its main station is in Porthmadog.
Shirebrook North railway station was a junction station on the Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway running from Chesterfield to Lincoln in the East Midlands Region. The station served the town of Shirebrook in Derbyshire, England. It was also on the former Shirebrook North to Nottingham Victoria Line and the Sheffield District Railway. The station has since been demolished and housing now occupies parts of the site with some stub rails nearby serving a train scrapper.
Bala railway station was on the Great Western Railway's Bala Ffestiniog Line in Wales. It replaced the first Bala station which was further away from the town, on the Ruabon–Barmouth line.
The A496 is a major coastal and mountainous road in southern Snowdonia.
The Llangurig branch was a part of a proposed scheme by the Manchester and Milford Railway (M&MR) to connect industrialised Northwest England with the West Wales deep water port of Milford Haven. After various financial and construction difficulties, the 1.5 miles (2.4 km) of the Llangurig branch is noted as being the shortest lived working branch line in the United Kingdom, receiving only one train.
The Clowne Branch is a disused railway line in north eastern Derbyshire, England. Which runs from Creswell to Staveley. Historically it ran to Chesterfield. It is now in use as a greenway.
Contemporary regional newspapers record that the horse drawn Harlech Tramway ran from near the Cambrian Railways' Harlech station 600 yards (550 m) west to the beach from approx 1878 to 1886.
Trawsfynydd Camp railway station, sometimes referred to as Trawsfynydd Military station served the Trawsfynydd Artillery range at Bronaber, south of Trawsfynydd in Gwynedd, Wales. The station never opened for civilian traffic.