Notes: Bangor station was originally part of the Chester & Holyhead Railway (CHR) which was authorised in 1844 and opened in stages between 1848 and 1850. Bangor station opened on 1 May 1848, and for a period it was the western terminus of the line from Chester. The final section of the route to open was that between Bangor and Gaerwen (which included the Britannia Bridge over the Menai Strait) which opened on 18 March 1850. From that date Bangor became a through station.

Bangor was an important town located to the north of the Snowdonian mountain range and on the south side of the Menai Strait that separates Wales from the Island of Anglesey. The town lies between two prominent hills, and the station is located in the space between them. To the east of the station the line passes into the 890yd Bangor Tunnel, and to the west into the

At the time of opening the station’s main facilities were on the up (Chester) direction platform. Access to the station was via a driveway that connected the main entrance to Station Road, on the southern edge of the town centre. The station building was the work of the distinguished railway architect Francis Thompson whose distinctive work graced the North Midland and Eastern Counties railways as well as the Chester & Holyhead. Although altered and extended since its construction in 1848 it carries Grade II listing. It is a commodious, two-storey structure under a hipped roof, with flat-headed ground floor window openings replacing original round-headed specimens, but matching the originals on the upper floor. There were originally pavilions on the building. Recent restoration has enhanced the attractive ‘CH’ monograms and the slate name panel. The down platform (Holyhead direction) originally had only basic facilities.

The station had goods facilities and an engine shed located to the south. On 1 January 1859 the CHR became part of London & North Western Railway (LNWR). In 1859 the LNWR replaced the original engine shed with a larger structure.

The line through Bangor became a busy trunk route, and with the opening of many branches in the area the facilities at the station quickly became inadequate. In 1884 the LNWR enlarged the station. The down platform was enlarged and became an island through the addition of a platform face on its north side. Waiting rooms and an extensive canopy were provided on the down platform. The alterations to the down platform required the demolition of the 1859 engine shed. A replacement in the form of a six-road straight shed was built just to the south of the station.

A footbridge was also provided towards the western end of the platforms. On the up platform a bay had been created at the western end giving Bangor four platform faces.

Between the up and down platform lines there were two fast lines giving four tracks between the platforms.

To the south of the locomotive shed a large goods shed was provided with areas of sidings and a traverser crane. A footbridge for staff linked the down island platform to the goods yard at the western end of the station. To control all of the traffic following the alterations, a

During the late Victorian and Edwardian period Bangor station was an extremely busy place and offered passengers a wide variety of train services. Fast express trains linked Bangor directly to London, the Midlands and Holyhead. Other express trains provided connections to Liverpool, Manchester and Yorkshire. There were frequent stopping services to Afon Wen, Amlwch, Bethesda, Chester, Holyhead and Llandudno.

On 1 January 1923 Bangor became part of the London Midland & Scottish Railway (LMS). Between 1923 and 1927 the LMS carried out major works at Bangor. The up platform was converted into an island when a northern face was created and two lines laid (one serving the platform and one as an avoiding line) along what had been part of the approach road. The original

On the up platform new facilities were built in the Art Deco style adjacent to the original building. At platform level it was clad in tiles so that it blended in with the newer structures. The new platform face on the up platform was numbered 1 and the original up platform was numbered

At this time Bangor was served by express trains that ran to many destinations throughout Great Britain. It was also served by many local services, including many that originated or terminated at the station.

Little changed at Bangor until the 1950s. On 3 December 1951 the Bethesda service was withdrawn leaving little use for the Bethesda bay. In the 1960s many other local services were axed. The locomotive depot closed on 14 June 1965. BR installed totem name signs at Bangor station in the late 1950s, but by mid 1973 these had given way to black-and-white Corporate Identity signage.

On 8 December 1968 Bangor No. 1 signal box was closed. It was demolished shortly after. Bangor No. 2 box took control of all lines and was renamed as simply Bangor. The northernmost platform face (platform 1 created between 1923 and 1927) had been taken out of use by

By 2013 Bangor station had only two platform faces having reverted almost to how it was in 1848. The locomotive depot building and goods shed were still standing but the area adjacent to them had been developed as a station car park. The station had services to Birmingham, Cardiff, Crewe, London, Manchester and Holyhead.

Tickets from Michael Stewart.

Sources:

• A pictorial record of LMS architecture - V R Anderson and G K Fox - Oxford Publishing Company 1981
• Britain’s historic railway buildings - G Biddle - Oxford University Press 2003
• From Chester to Holyhead: The Branch Lines – B Rear - OPC 2003
• Railway Passenger Stations in Great Britain a Chronology - M Quick - Railway and Canal Historical Society 2009
• Victorian stations - G Biddle - David & Charles 1973

To see the stations on the Bethesda branch click on the station name:
Felin Hen, Tregarth and Bethesda

See also:

Tregarth Tunnel and Bethesda Branch Features