Junction Railway

The Junction Railway was the original cross-town railway which connected the Festiniog Railway with the completed Welsh Highland. Whilst in legal terms the "Junction Railways" comprised just 10 chains of railway, the term "Junction Railway" came to be synonymous with the whole line between Portmadoc Old and Portmadoc New (1923)

Prior to 1923, the Festiniog Railway lines ran past the Goods Shed at Harbour Station, over Britannia Bridge, and onto the slate wharves (called the 'Harbour Branch'). Similarly the Croesor Tramway ran down to the wharves, crossing the top end of Madoc Street, then the High Street. Until the construction of the exchange sidings at Minffordd in 1872, FR slate destined for standard gauge transfer had to be transported to the GWR at Beddgelert Sidings by 'reversing' back up the lower part of the Croesor Tramway. In fact, even after this date this route still saw some use, when Minffordd periodically got clogged up.

During the planning stage for the original WHR, Portmadoc Council, concerned about the road crossings involved, considered several routes across town (including the one to be used for the current CTRL). Henry Joseph Jack, Chairman of the FR/WHR, proposed that locomotives should carry a bell, but his engineers advised that this would be unnecessary - the trains would be running only at slow speeds. (Note the operating instructions below.)

The FR Order of 30th January, 1923 defined two new short railways, each only some 5 chains in length (i.e. 110 yards), and also made provision for the widening of Britannia Bridge.

Constructed by Sir Robert McAlpine, the first "railway" crossed from Harbour Station over the reconstructed Britannia Bridge on the south side, to replace the old route (which ran down the middle of the bridge). The second "railway" went "across High Street and along Madoc Street" to link with the WHR where it ran along the old route of the Croesor Tramway. Effectively this line formed the third (eastern) side of the triangle. Later the western curve (WHR to the wharves) was abandoned.

The following Operating Instructions were issued in 1923. [1]

WELSH HIGHLAND RAILWAY AND FESTINIOG RAILWAY.

Instructions for working over the Junction Railway between Portmadoc New Station and Portmadoc Old Station.

(1) Drivers of all trains on the Junction Railway must proceed with caution over the public roads, they must keep a good look-out for traffic in both directions and have their trains under control. They must be prepared to stop before crossing the roads.

(2) Speed across roads and where the line runs alongside roads must not exceed 5 miles per hour. Speed between Snowdon Street and Madoc Street must not exceed 10 miles per hour.

(3) The stationmaster or person in charge at Portmadoc must arrange for a man to be on duty at Portmadoc Old Station to exchange the staffs at that point when trains are expected and this man must use his discretion in passing trains on to the junction railway.

(4) Drivers must sound their whistles before crossing a road and when passing round curves where sight is restricted.

(5) All concerned must observe the "Ministry of Transport Special Regulations" and the Bye Laws of the Portmadoc Urban District Council (when made) relating to the junction railway.

(6) Drivers must not take their trains onto the junction railway without being in possession of the staff or ticket relating to that section.

(7) The staff is made of wood and the staff and tickets are coloured BLUE.

(8) The section between Portmadoc Old Station and Portmadoc New Station is worked under the ordinary regulations for Train Staff and Ticket working.

(9) All points on the main line are locked by the key attached to the staff. Trains desiring to work in the sidings must be in possession of the staff itself and not the ticket.

(10) If an engine is required to work on the wharf branch for some time and it is desired to pass a trin over the junction railway while it is so doing, the engine must be locked into the Wharf branch and the staff brought back to work the train over the junction railway. While this is being done, the driver of the engine on the branch must not bring his train within 50 yards of the junction railway until he has regained possession of the staff.

PORTMADOC. MAY 1923.

The opening of Portmadoc New (1923), together with the by-passing of Harbour Station, effectively made the Junction Railway part of the Festiniog running line. However, the later termination of non-through WHR trains north of the Cambrian Crossing at Portmadoc New (1929), and the re-use of Harbour Station, served to make this line something of a No Man's Land to regular passenger traffic until regular crossings were reinstated - all too late - in 1935.

The Junction Railway survived the The Dismantling of the Welsh Highland Railway in 1941-2 due to the fact that the crossing at the GWR line has been removed several years earlier (in 1938), but also due to a policy decision that the Croesor line should not be dismantled at that time in case of a subsequent resumption of quarrying in the Croesor valley. Furthermore the Junction Railways themselves were FR property, and there was still occasional traffic to the Flour Mill. Most of the Junction Railway line between Glaslyn Foundry and the Cambrian Crossing was subsequently removed in May 1949. Prince hauled the last train across Britannia Bridge on the 2nd September 1958, probably reclaiming any available material from the wharves on that side. The rails were then lifted shortly after. A further small length was removed from the junction with Madoc Street in mid March 1960

References

• Johnson, Peter. An Illustrated History of the Welsh Highland Railway. Hersham: Oxford Publishing Co. ISBN 0-860935-65-5. OCLC 59498388. 

• Mitchell, Vic; Keith Smith. Branch Lines Around Porthmadog 1923-46. Midhurst, Sussex, England: Middleton Press. ISBN 1-873793-13-8. OCLC 30306827. 

• Portrait of the Welsh Highland Railway, by Peter Johnson, 1999

See also

• CTRL