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Penrhyn Crossing
From Festipedia, hosted by the FR Heritage Group
| Penrhyn Crossing | |
| Previous Station | Penrhyn Station |
| Status | Station Open |
| Next Location | Rhiw Goch |
| Next Location | Ty Fry Curve |
| Next Station | Tan y Bwlch |
| Wikipedia Entry | |
|---|---|
The only manually operated level crossing on the modern railway. Under the old Company there was another such level crossing, controlled by a signalman, at Glanypwll.
Penrhyn was scheduled for automation early on in the new company's life, but the concerns of local residents about the audible warnings required, the potential cost and questions of safety have combined to keep Penrhyn as a manual operation. While this is labour intensive it does have a certain charm which seems to appeal to both passengers and delayed motorists!
During the late fifties, Janet Davies was the crossing keeper, assisted during the holidays by her daughter Avril. On hot summer days they were often rewarded with ice creams, thrown from the buffet car door as the train sped through the crossing at 10 mph. Mr Ednyfed Davies (father of loco driver Evan Davies often assisted his wife Janet in handling the gates until he died in August 1968. Janet herself gave up the crossing in 1975 and Avril took over until her mothers death caused her to move away from the district.
Another picture of the crossing maybe found on the The Penrhyndeudraeth village web site with Linda on a down train in the 1960's.
