Dinas Junction
| Dinas Junction | |
| Previous Station | Bontnewydd |
| Status | Station Open Operating Base for Line |
| Next Location | Cae Moel |
| Next Station | Tryfan Junction |
| Latitude | 53:06:14.45N |
| Longitude | 04:16:35.53W |
| Grid Reference | SH477587 |
NGR:SH477587 Lat / Long :53.10413 / -4.27634
| Customer Facilities | ||
Dinas lies in the parish of Llanwnda, at a height of 51.6m (169.25 ft), and a route distance of approximately 35.24km (21.9 miles) from Porthmadog.[route 1][wikipedia 1]
Contents |
[edit] Introduction
Dinas Junction was the original terminus of the North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways and later of the Welsh Highland Railway, and is now the main engineering and operational centre of Rheilffordd Eryri. The word "Junction" was dropped from the name of the station after the closure of the WHR, and the standard-gauge Afonwen branch which passed through here no longer exists. The RhE uses its trackbed into Caernarfon.
The village is also sometimes referred to as Dinas Llanwnda, as the single word Dinas appears in many places in Wales.
As there was another station called Llanwnda, half a mile south on the standard-gauge line, Dinas Junction was so named after the hill-fort some 400 yards north-west of the station. There is a house there called Plas Dinas, formerly owned by the Armstrong-Jones family (but now a hotel). A member of that family married a princess, who was thereafter locally known as Maggie Bont (newydd, understood).
Llanwnda parish church lies just to the west of the station bridge.
N.B. Not to be confused with Dinas, the original 1836 Dinas Branch terminal station of the Ffestiniog Railway, at Rhiwbryfdir near Blaenau Ffestiniog.
The Station building of c.1877 was carefully restored in 1997-2000 and won a prize. The original waiting room is still available for passengers and is useful on wet days. There are illustrations of the history of the line within.
The Goods Shed, probably of c.1880, used to have both standard and narrow gauge tracks into it. It is nowadays used for parties - the annual Cwrw ar y Cledrau (Beer on Rails) festival and for exhibitions such as Garratt 50 in 2009. In the winter, rolling stock can be repaired in here.
At the north end of the site is a large and recent Carriage Shed. There is no pit and it is an uncomfortable job to oil the axleboxes of the carriages.
Development of the facilities has proceeded slowly. In March 2009, 2 coal hoppers were installed for the coal fired engines on shed, in Dinas North Yard.
[edit] Car Park
There is a small tarmac car park within the grounds of the station. Capacity about 30 cars, but impeded by temporary buildings and (2010) locomotive No.133 parked on a low loader trailer (Removed 2012).
[edit] Company Access Statement
For general details see here
To access the station and trains, it is necessary to negotiate a kerb. Once negotiated, the rest of the area including access to both platforms is level.
[edit] References
[edit] See also
The Official construction site has 2 pages covering this location,
one for an area description >> or this,
and
one for the rebuilding in the area >> or this
