Llanberis railway station (Snowdon Mountain Railway)

Llanberis (SMR)
Station on heritage railway
General information
Location	Llanberis, Gwynedd Wales
Coordinates	53°06′59″N4°07′10″W / 53.1163°N 4.1195°W / 53.1163; -4.1195
Grid reference	SH 582 597
Platforms	2 [1]
History
Original company	Snowdon Mountain Railway
Key dates
6 April 1896	Opened and closed following an accident
9 April 1897	Opened
Route map Legend Carnarvon & Llanberis Rly to Caernarfon Padarn Railway Llanberis Lake Railway to Penllyn Llanberis (LNWR) National Slate Museum Llanberis (LLR) Llanberis (SMR) Dinorwic quarry (closed) Snowdon Mountain Rly to Summit

Llanberis (SMR) railway station is the lower terminus of the Snowdon Mountain Railway, located in Llanberis, Gwynedd, Wales.

The station houses the headquarters of the tourist railway which climbs for 4.7 miles (7.6 km) from Llanberis to the summit of Snowdon, the highest peak in Wales. ^[2] The station stands in the valley bottom at an altitude of (353 ft (108 m)), the summit station stands at 3,493 feet (1,065 m), 68 feet (21 metres) below the summit of the mountain.

The station opened with the railway on 6 April 1896, but closed the same day following an accident. ^[3] It reopened on 9 April 1897, without mishap and has operated since, even throughout most of the Second World War, as there was military activity near the mountaintop. ^[4]

The station has two platforms. The first stretch of line is uphill at 1 in 50, steep for a main line but shallow compared with the 1 in 6 incline that begins shortly afterwards. The line's engine shed and workshop are visible from the platform ends. ^[5]

Preceding station	Heritage railways			Following station
Terminus		Snowdon Mountain Railway		Hebron towards Summit
Change for the Llanberis Lake Railway at Llanberis (LLR), on the other side of the A4086 road
Former service
Terminus		Snowdon Mountain Railway		Waterfall towards Summit

References

1. Mitchell & Smith 2010, Photos 115-8 & Maps XXXIV & XXXV.
2. Tourist Attractions in Snowdonia Wales - Visit Snowdon Mountain Railway!, archived from the original on 15 April 2003
3. Boyd 1990, Photos S/2 & S/3.
4. Mitchell & Smith 2010, Photo 116.
5. Griffiths & Smith 1999, p. 197.

Sources

• Boyd, James I.C. (1990) [1972]. Narrow Gauge Railways in North Caernarvonshire, Volume 1: The West. Headington: The Oakwood Press. ISBN   978-0-85361-273-5. OCLC   650247345.
• Griffiths, Roger; Smith, Paul (1999). The Directory of British Engine Sheds and Principal Locomotive Servicing Points: 1 Southern England, the Midlands, East Anglia and Wales. OPC Railprint. ISBN   978-0-86093-542-1. OCLC   59458015.
• Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2010). Bangor to Portmadoc: Including Three Llanberis Lines. Country Railway Routes. Midhurst: Middleton Press. ISBN   978-1-906008-72-7.

External links

• The station and line via Snowdon Mountain Railway
• Edwardian 6" map showing the station, overlain with modern satellite images and maps, via National Library of Scotland
• The station and line, via Rail Map Online
• Images of the station and line, via Yahoo