Station Name: PORT DINORWIC (2nd)

[Source: Les Fifoot & Paul Wright]


Date opened: 1874
Location: East of the Bangor Road in Port Dinorwic.
Company on opening: Bangor and Carnarvon Railway
Date closed to passengers: 12.9.1960
Date closed completely: 4.5.1964
Company on closing: British Railways (London Midland Region)
Present state: Extant
County: Caernarvonshire
OS Grid Ref: SH527676
Date of visit: 25.5.2012

Notes: Port Dinorwic 2nd station was on the Menai Bridge – Afon Wen line which opened in stages between 1852 and 1871. The section of line on which the station stood was opened by the Bangor & Carnarvon Railway (B&CR) which was incorporated on 20 May 1851 to build a line from the Chester & Holyhead Railway (C&HR) at Menai Bridge to Caernarfon. The single-track railway opened to Carnarvon – the spelling adopted by the railway company - for passenger services on 1 July 1852; goods services followed on 10 August 1852. In 1867 the B&CR was absorbed into the C&HR. In 1872 the section of line between Carnarvon and Menai Bridge was doubled.

On the down platform a brick waiting shelter, also in yellow brick, was provided. A subway towards the north end of the station connected the platforms.

At the south end of the up platform there was a Saxby & Farmer signal box which controlled both the line through the station and the goods yard, a little further south, to the west of the line.

At the time of opening train services were worked by the London & North Western Railway (LNWR) on behalf of the C&HR. By 1879 the C&HR had been formally absorbed into the LNWR although it had effectively been part of that company’s network for many years.

In December 1895 Port Dinorwic had eight northbound and seven southbound departures on weekdays as shown on the table below. On Sundays there were two trains to Bangor and one to Afon Wen.

Up Trains (Bangor direction) December 1895 Destination Down Trains (Afon wen direction) December 1895 Destination
7.33am Bangor 9.29am Afon Wen
8.39am Bangor 12.24pm Afon Wen
10.15am Manchester Exchange 2.37pm Afon Wen
12.43pm Bangor 4.28pm Afon Wen
3.13pm Bangor 5.19pm Carnarvon
3.58pm Bangor 7.37pm Afon Wen
6.43pm Bangor 9.18pm Carnarvon
8.24pm Bangor    


In July 1922 there were eleven northbound departures and nine southbound Monday to Friday with extra workings on Saturdays as shown in the table below; no Sunday service was shown.

Up Trains (Bangor direction) July 1922 Destination Down Trains (Afon wen direction) July 1922 Destination
6.52am Bangor

7.15am

Afon Wen

7.15am Saturdays Only

Bangor

8.55am

Afon Wen

8.14am

Bangor

11.31am

Afon Wen

10.20am

Bangor

12.27pm

Afon Wen

11.55am

Bangor

1.24pm

Carnarvon

12.35pm

Bangor

2.45pm

Afon Wen

2.30pm

Bangor

3.40pm

Nanttle

3.19pm

Liverpool Lime Street

5.49pm

Carnarvon

3.45pm

Bangor

10.52pm

Carnarvon

4.40pm

Bangor    

6.51pm

Bangor    

8.21pm

Bangor    

10.29pm SO

Bangor    

On 1 January 1923 Port Dinorwic became part of the London Midland & Scottish Railway (LMS). The LMS summer timetable for 1932 showed nine northbound and six southbound departures Monday to Friday with additional services on weekdays as seen in the table below. On Sundays there were no trains from Caernarvon to Afon Wen, and passengers were advised to use Crosville buses. There were no Sunday trains.

Up Trains (Bangor direction) Summer 1932 Destination Down Trains (Afon wen direction) Summer 1932 Destination

6.38am Saturdays Only

Bangor

6.56am

Afon Wen

6.53am Saturdays Excepted

Llandudno

9.12am

Afon Wen

8.08am

Bangor

9.26am

Afon Wen

8.54am

Liverpool Lime Street

1.30pm Saturdays Only

Caernarvon

10.18am

Bangor

2.10pm Saturdays Excepted

Caernarvon

12.16pm Saturdays Excepted

London Euston

6.07pm

Caernarvon

12.27pm Saturdays Only

Bangor

9.10pm Saturdays Excepted

Caernarvon

3.44pm

Bangor

9.45pm Saturdays Only

Nanttle

1.25pm

Bangor (To Manchester on Saturdays)

   

7.58pm

Rhyl

   

8.14pm

Bangor

   

On the 1 January 1948 Port Dinorwic became part of the British Railways (London Midland Region). The summer 1948 timetable showed ten northbound departures and seven southbound on Monday to Friday with an extra southbound Saturday working, as seen in the table below.

Up Trains (Bangor direction) Summer 1948 Destination Down Trains (Afon wen direction) Summer 1948 Destination

6.52am

Llandudno

5.55am

Afon Wen

7.22am

Llandudno

9.12am

Afon Wen

7.41am

Bangor

11.37am

Caernarvon

9.10am Saturdays Excepted

Bangor

1.50pm

Caernarvon

9.19am Saturdays Only

Bangor

2.53pm Saturdays Excepted

Afon Wen

10.27am Saturdays Excepted

Llandudno

3.22pm Saturdays Only

Afon Wen

10.37am Saturdays Only

Llandudno Junction

4.16pm Saturdays Excepted

Afon Wen

11.47am Saturdays Only

Liverpool Lime Street

4.46pm Saturdays Only

Afon Wen

11.57am Saturdays Excepted

Bangor

5.40pm Saturdays Excepted

Afon Wen

1.02pm

Bangor

5.45pm Saturdays Only

Afon Wen

2.17pm

Bangor

8.15pm Saturdays Only

Afon Wen

4.58pm Saturdays Excepted

Bangor

   

5.08pm Saturdays Only

Bangor

   

6.24pm Saturdays Excepted

Bangor

   

6.31pm Saturdays Only

Bangor

   

By the mid-1950s the level of summer services on the line had increased - especially services to the Butlins camp - but must of these trains passed through Port Dinorwic without stopping. The winter timetable for September 1956 – June 1957 showed the station being served by only eight northbound and nine southbound Monday to Friday services with an extra southbound on Saturdays as shown in the table below.

Up Trains (Bangor direction) September 1956 - June 1957 Destination Down Trains (Afon wen direction)September 1956 - June 1957 Destination

6.57am

Llandudno

5.40am

Pwllheli

7.34am

Manchester Exchange

9.12am

Afon Wen

9.05am

Bangor

9.44am

Caernarvon

10.07am

Llandudno Junction

11.42am

Pwllheli

11.52am

Bangor

12.39pm

Pwllheli

3.12pm

Bangor

3.04pm

Pwllheli

4.54pm

Llandudno Junction

4.14pm

Afon Wen

6.31pm

Bangor

5.49pm

Pwllheli

9.40pm Llandudno Junction

7.19pm

Afon Wen

    9.12pm Saturdays Only Caernarvon

In 1957 DMUs were introduced onto some of the services on the line but steam still dominated. Although Port Dinorwic was a large village, and the station was conveniently placed to serve it, the A487 road between Bangor and Caernarfon ran through the village, parallel to the railway, and buses could effectively compete with trains. Owing to low usage British Railways closed Port Dinorwic on 12 September 1960. (The neighbouring Griffiths Crossing station, two miles south-west of Port Dinorwic, was equally close to the A487 and lost its passenger service as early as 1937.) The goods yard closed on 4 May 1964 followed by the original Saxby & Farmer signal box on 24 June 1965.

Passenger services continued to pass through the station site (after December 1964 only between Caernarvon and Bangor) until 4 January 1970. The line was singled in 1966, and goods services ceased on 4 August 1969.

On 23 May 1970 a fire on the Britannia Bridge isolated Holyhead from the railway network. At that time Holyhead was an important freightliner depot, and Caernarvon was pressed into use for freightliner services, receiving its first trains on 15 June 1970. From that date until 5 February 1972 freightliner trains passed through Port Dinorwic. The line then closed
completely and was lifted shortly afterwards.

For some time after closure the station building was occupied by a firm called Penningtons, but it was later developed as residential units.

Tickets from Michael Stewart route map drawn by Alan Young

Sources:

To see the other stations on the Menai Bridge - Afonwen line click on the station name: Menai Bridge, Treborth, Port Dinorwic (1st), Griffiths Crossing, Caernarvon, Carnarvon Pant, Dinas, Llanwnda, Groeslon, Penygroes, Pant Glass, Brynkir, Ynys, Llangybi, Chwilog & Afon Wen


A train for Bangor is seen arriving at Port Dinorwic in 1905. At that time the station building had a canopy that afforded passengers on the up platform protection from inclement weather.
Photo from John Mann collection



Port Dinorwic station shown on a 1890 map

Looking north-east at Port Dinorwic station from the down platform in 1949.
Photo from John Mann collection


Looking east at Port Dinorwic station from the main road in 1954.
P
hoto by R M Casserley


Looking south-west at Port Dinorwic station from the up platform in 1954.
Photo by H C Casserley


In 1958 a two car Cravens DMU calls at Port Dinorwic on an Afon Wen service.


Port Dinorwic station building and up platform seen from a passing train in 1964.
Photo by Dave Nicholas


Port Dinorwic station seen in the late 1960s after the line had been singled.
Photo from John Mann collection


Looking north-east in 1972 shortly after the line had been lifted.
Photo by John Mann


The station building at Port Dinorwic seen in 1981.

Photo by Alan Young

Looking north-east at Port Dinowic in May 2012.
P
hoto by Paul Wright

2009

2012

2012

2012


Click on thumbnail to enlarge

To see more images of Port Dinorwic click here

 

 

 

[Source:Les Fifoot & Paul Wright]



Last updated: Monday, 22-May-2017 11:47:34 CEST
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