Notes: Treborth station was on the Menai Bridge – Afon Wen line which opened in stages between 1852 and 1871. The station was originally part of the Bangor & Carnarvon Railway (B&CR) which was incorporated on 20 May 1851 to build a line from the Chester and Holyhead Railway (C&HR) at Menai Bridge to Caernarfon (‘Carnarvon’ at that time). The single-track railway opened to Carnarvon for passenger services on 1 July 1852. Goods services followed on 10 August 1852.

By August 1862 there were seven weekday passenger trains running in each direction between Bangor and Carnarvon with three trains on Sundays. In 1867 the B&CR was absorbed into the C&HR.

From January 1871 passenger trains began to run south from Carnarvon to Afon Wen after the through route was completed. In the same year authorisation was given for the doubling of the original B&CR, and work was complete by 1872. Treborth was provided with another platform on the west side of the line. It became the ‘up’ (Bangor direction) platform whilst the

original became the ‘down’ (Afon Wen direction). The new platform was provided with a simple waiting shelter. 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 Treborth had four trains in each direction on weekdays. It had no Sunday service.

In July 1922 there were seven northbound departures but only four southbound on weekdays as shown in the table below. There was still no Sunday service.

On 1 January 1923 Treborth became part of the London Midland & Scottish Railway (LMS). The LMS summer timetable for 1932 showed only four northbound and three southbound Monday to Friday. There was an additional northbound service in the middle of the day on Saturdays. The timetable did show that a number of trains would stop at Treborth to set down only as long as notification was given to the guard.

On the 1 January 1948 Treborth became part of the British Railways (London Midland Region). The summer timetable for 1948 showed two services to Afon Wen, one to Caernarvon and two to Bangor on weekdays. A camping coach was located at Treborth in the 1950s in the goods siding. It was never well patronised and was removed after a couple of seasons.

The line remained open to passenger services (although after December 1964 only between Caernarvon and Bangor) until 4 January 1970, but it was singled in 1966. Although closed to goods on 4 August 1969 because of a fire on the Britannia Bridge on 23 May 1970 it reopened for diverted Holyhead freightliner services that ran to Caernarvon, on 15 June 1970. The last freightliner ran on 5 February 1972, and the line closed completely. It was lifted shortly after. The Treborth station building became a private dwelling and was still standing in 2012.

Tickets from Michael Stewart route map drawn by Alan Young

Sources:

• Bangor to Portmadoc including the Llanberis lines – V Mitchell & K Smith – Middlewood Press 2010
• Bradshaws Rail Times December 1895 - Middlewood Press 2011
• Bradshaws Rail Times July 1922 - Guild Publishing 1986
  
• British Railways (London Midland Region) Timetable 23rd May to 25th Sept 1949
• British Railways (London Midland Region) Timetable 17th of Sept 1956 to 16th of June 1957
• From Chester to Holyhead: The Branch Lines – B Rear - OPC 2003
• LMS Time Table July 18th to September 11th 1932
• Railway Passenger Stations in Great Britain a Chronology - M Quick - Railway and Canal Historical Society 2009

To see the other stations on the Menai Bridge - Afonwen line click on the station name: Menai Bridge, Port Dinorwic (1st), Port Dinorwic (2nd), Griffiths Crossing, Caernarvon, Carnarvon Pant, Dinas, Llanwnda, Groeslon, Penygroes, Pant Glass, Brynkir, Ynys, Llangybi, Chwilog & Afon Wen

See also

Vaynol Tunnel