General information | |||||
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Location | near Chwilog, Gwynedd Wales | ||||
Coordinates | 52°54′11″N4°20′20″W / 52.903°N 4.339°W | ||||
Grid reference | SH428364 | ||||
Managed by | Transport for Wales | ||||
Platforms | 1 | ||||
Other information | |||||
Station code | PNC | ||||
Classification | DfT category F2 | ||||
Passengers | |||||
2019/20 | 3,298 | ||||
2020/21 | 640 | ||||
2021/22 | 2,894 | ||||
2022/23 | 4,314 | ||||
2023/24 | 4,818 | ||||
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Penychain railway station,commonly known by its former name,Butlins Penychain railway station,is located by an over bridge at Pen-ychain on the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd,Wales. This railway station is an unstaffed halt (request stop) on the Cambrian Coast Railway with passenger services to Pwllheli,Porthmadog,Harlech,Barmouth,Machynlleth and Shrewsbury. For many years the station served the large Butlins Holiday Camp at Penychain. [1]
The station opened on 31 July 1933 as a halt. Butlin's built the adjacent camp in 1940 at the request of the Admiralty to serve as HMS Glendower,a Royal Navy training base at Penychain was already used as a Rifle range during WWI. [2] [3] After the end of the war the camp opened in March 1947 as Butlin's Pwllheli holiday camp and the halt was upgraded to a station on 3 April 1947. [4] The station was particularly busy in the 1950s and early 1960s when most holidaymakers arrived at the camp either by train or coach. Following the closure of the railway line from Caernarfon to Afonwen Junction (about two miles east of Penychain) and the growing popularity of the motor car,fewer campers arrived by train from the mid-1960s onwards. The station was almost universally referred to as 'penny-chain' by non-Welsh speaking holidaymakers. Meanwhile,Butlins had their own road-going 'Puffing Billy' train to ferry Campers to/from the main railway station on Saturdays. This was also used for trips around the camp on other days.
The holiday camp was divided into two halves by the railway. A single-span over-bridge connected the South Camp to the West,Middle,and East Camp areas which were located to the north of the railway line. Penychain station also had its own signal box located just beyond the end of the platform - in the picture shown here.
Although much reduced in size,and now with only a single platform,it is still open and now serves the Haven Holiday Park and caravan park on the former Butlins site. The station was destaffed in 1960s and trains only call by request.
An electronic departure board,with announcements of incoming trains,was installed in 2012.
Trains call every two hours each way to Pwllheli and Machynlleth. A limited service of 5 trains each way operates on Sundays. [5]
Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
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Abererch | Transport for Wales Cambrian Coast Line | Criccieth |
The Cambrian Line,sometimes split into the Cambrian Main Line and Cambrian Coast Line for its branches,is a railway line that runs from Shrewsbury,England,westwards to Aberystwyth and Pwllheli in Wales. Passenger train services are operated by Transport for Wales Rail between the western terminals of Pwllheli,in Gwynedd,and Aberystwyth,in Ceredigion,and the eastern terminal at Shrewsbury,Shropshire,as part of the Wales &Borders franchise. The railway line is widely regarded as scenic,as it passes through the Cambrian Mountains in central Wales,and along the coast of Cardigan Bay in Snowdonia National Park.
Pwllheli railway station serves the small coastal town of Pwllheli,on the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd,Wales. It is the northern terminus of the Cambrian Coast Railway.
Machynlleth railway station is on the Cambrian Line in mid-Wales,serving the town of Machynlleth. It was built by the Newtown and Machynlleth Railway (N&MR) and subsequently passed into the ownership of the Cambrian Railways,the Great Western Railway,Western Region of British Railways and London Midland Region of British Railways. It is notable in that there are 22 miles (35 km) separating this station and Caersws,the longest distance between two intermediate stations in Wales.
Penrhyndeudraeth railway station is a railway station serving the small town of Penrhyndeudraeth on the Dwyryd Estuary in Gwynedd,Wales. It is a station on the Cambrian Coast Railway with services between Shrewsbury and Pwllheli via Machynlleth.
Talsarnau railway station serves the village of Talsarnau on the estuary of the Afon Dwyryd in Gwynedd,Wales.
Tygwyn railway station is located at a level crossing on the A496 between Harlech and Talsarnau near the estuary of the Afon Dwyryd in Gwynedd,Wales.
Porthmadog railway station serves the town of Porthmadog on the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd,Wales. The station is on the Cambrian Coast Railway with passenger services to Pwllheli,Harlech,Barmouth,Machynlleth,Shrewsbury and Birmingham.
Criccieth railway station serves the seaside town of Criccieth on the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd,Wales.
Abererch railway station is located at a level crossing on the minor road from the beach to the village of Abererch on the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd,Wales.
Llandanwg railway station is in the village of Llandanwg in Gwynedd,Wales. It is an unstaffed halt on the Cambrian Coast Railway with direct passenger services to Harlech,Porthmadog and Pwllheli to the north and west,and Barmouth,Machynlleth,Shrewsbury and Birmingham to the south and east.
Llanbedr railway station serves the village of Llanbedr in Gwynedd,Wales. The station is an unstaffed halt on the Cambrian Coast Railway with passenger services to Porthmadog,Pwllheli,Barmouth,Machynlleth and Shrewsbury. The station is a request stop and close to the popular camping resort of Shell Island.
Dyffryn Ardudwy railway station serves the villages of Dyffryn Ardudwy,Coed Ystumgwern and Llanenddwyn in Gwynedd,Wales.
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,Pwllheli,Tywyn,Aberdovey,Machynlleth and Shrewsbury. Between Morfa Mawddach and Barmouth the railway crosses the Afon Mawddach on the Barmouth Bridge.
Morfa Mawddach railway station is an unstaffed station located on the outskirts of the village of Arthog in Gwynedd,Wales,on the Cambrian Coast line between Machynlleth and Pwllheli. Built by the Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway in 1865,it was formerly the junction station for the Ruabon to Barmouth Line. Since the closure of the Ruabon to Barmouth line in 1965,it remains open,as a minor station on the Cambrian Line.
Tonfanau railway station is a railway stop that serves Tonfanau in Gwynedd,Wales. The station is located alongside the ruins of the army base it once served and only a couple of occupied buildings can be found within the surrounding area.
Aberdovey railway station serves the seaside resort of Aberdyfi in Gwynedd,Wales. The station is on the Cambrian Coast Railway with passenger services every two hours calling at all stations between Machynlleth and Pwllheli,including Tywyn,Barmouth,Harlech and Porthmadog. Passengers can connect at Machynlleth for trains to Aberystwyth or Shrewsbury,Wolverhampton,Birmingham New Street and Birmingham International.
Afon Wen was a railway station in Afon Wen,Gwynedd,Wales,four miles (6 km) west of Criccieth.
The Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway was a standard gauge railway company,running a line along the west coast of Wales.
Butlin's Ayr was a holiday camp located near Ayr in South Ayrshire,Scotland. When originally opened in 1946,it was named Butlin's Ayr,but in 1987 was renamed Wonderwest World. It closed in 1998 and re-opened in 1999 under the management of Haven Holidays who renamed it Craig Tara.
Butlin's Pwllheli was a holiday camp located near Pwllheli in Wales. The site is now used by Haven Holidays for a caravan park and has been renamed Hafan y Môr. When originally opened in 1947,it was named Butlins Pwllheli,but in 1990 was renamed Starcoast World.