Morfa Mawddach railway station
Encyclopedia
Morfa Mawddach railway station, formerly Barmouth Junction, is in Gwynedd
, Wales
, on the Cambrian Coast Railway
between and at its junction with the Dolgelley (sic) branch of the Aberystwyth and Welsh Coast Railway
part of the Ruabon to Barmouth Line which closed in 1965.
.
Morfa Mawddach is mainly used by travellers to Barmouth
from south of the Mawddach Estuary: parking at the station and taking the train to Barmouth is often much quicker than the 20-mile road journey via Dolgellau. Originally a four-platform station, it is now a single platform unstaffed halt. Trains stop on request. Until the 1960s there was a summer service between London Paddington and Pwllheli, via Birmingham Snow Hill, Shrewsbury and Machynlleth.
Morfa Mawddach is often quoted as an example of a notable feature of the Great Western Railway in Wales, namely its inheritance of junctions in unlikely and inconvenient locations. Other examples are Moat Lane Junction
, Talyllyn Junction
, Afon Wen
and Dovey Junction.
The trackbed to Dolgellau now forms the Llwybr Mawddach (Mawddach Trail), which officially starts at the station car park.
Gwynedd
Gwynedd is a county in north-west Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. Although the second biggest in terms of geographical area, it is also one of the most sparsely populated...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, on the Cambrian Coast Railway
Cambrian Line
The Cambrian Line is a railway from Shrewsbury to Welshpool, Aberystwyth and Pwllheli. The railway runs first through the central part of Wales and then along the coast of Cardigan Bay....
between and at its junction with the Dolgelley (sic) branch of the Aberystwyth and Welsh Coast Railway
Aberystwyth and Welsh Coast Railway
The Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway was a standard gauge railway built in 1863 connecting major towns on the Welsh coast.- History :...
part of the Ruabon to Barmouth Line which closed in 1965.
Background
North of Morfa Mawddach the railway crosses the Afon Mawddach on the famous Barmouth BridgeBarmouth Bridge
The Barmouth Bridge is a single-track largely wooden railway viaduct that crosses the estuary of the Afon Mawddach river on the coast of Cardigan Bay between Morfa Mawddach and Barmouth in Gwynedd, Wales...
.
Morfa Mawddach is mainly used by travellers to Barmouth
Barmouth
Barmouth ; Y Bermo ) is a town in the county of Gwynedd, north-western Wales, lying on the estuary of the River Mawddach and Cardigan Bay.The town is served by Barmouth railway station.- History :...
from south of the Mawddach Estuary: parking at the station and taking the train to Barmouth is often much quicker than the 20-mile road journey via Dolgellau. Originally a four-platform station, it is now a single platform unstaffed halt. Trains stop on request. Until the 1960s there was a summer service between London Paddington and Pwllheli, via Birmingham Snow Hill, Shrewsbury and Machynlleth.
Morfa Mawddach is often quoted as an example of a notable feature of the Great Western Railway in Wales, namely its inheritance of junctions in unlikely and inconvenient locations. Other examples are Moat Lane Junction
Moat Lane Junction
Moat Lane Junction was a railway junction in Montgomeryshire near to the village of Caersws in mid-Wales. It was the junction where the Newtown and Machynlleth railway opened in 1863 diverged from the Llanidloes and Newtown Railway which opened four years earlier...
, Talyllyn Junction
Talyllyn Junction
Talyllyn Junction was a railway junction located 4 miles east of Brecon, Powys, opened in 1863. The junction was triangular, with north, east and west chords, station platforms being sited at the western junction and also, until 1878, at the eastern junction...
, Afon Wen
Afon Wen railway station
Afon Wen was a railway station located in Afon Wen, Gwynedd.The station formed a junction between the Aberystwyth and Welsh Coast Railway and the Carnarvonshire Railway.- History :...
and Dovey Junction.
The trackbed to Dolgellau now forms the Llwybr Mawddach (Mawddach Trail), which officially starts at the station car park.