Aberffrwd railway station
Encyclopedia
Ceredigion
Ceredigion is a county and former kingdom in mid-west Wales. As Cardiganshire , it was created in 1282, and was reconstituted as a county under that name in 1996, reverting to Ceredigion a day later...
in Mid-Wales.
It is an intermediate stop on the preserved Vale of Rheidol Railway
Vale of Rheidol Railway
The Vale of Rheidol Railway is a narrow-gauge gauge heritage railway that runs for between Aberystwyth and Devil's Bridge in the county of Ceredigion, Wales...
, and is equipped with a passing loop
Passing loop
A passing loop is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at a station, where trains or trams in opposing directions can pass each other. Trains/trams in the same direction can also overtake, providing that the signalling arrangement allows it...
on the largely single-track route, as well as a water-tower for the steam locomotives which chiefly work the line. The passing loop was removed by British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
some years prior to the end of nationalised operations, as an economy measure. However, this severely restricted the timetable by preventing the simultaneous operation of two trains, and so the loop was reinstated upon privatisation of the line. It is now common for trains to pass each other at this point during the more intensive summer timetable.
For operational purposes the railway is divided into three block sections
Token (railway signalling)
In railway signalling, a token is a physical object which a locomotive driver is required to have or see before entering onto a particular section of single track. The token is clearly endorsed with the name of the section it belongs to...
. These are Aberystwyth to Capel Bangor, Capel Bangor to Aberffrwd, and Aberffrwd to Devil's Bridge. Each block station has a passing loop, and the other three (apart from Aberffrwd) also have additional sidings. The 'Stop Boards' displayed at these block stations (see photograph) are a reminder to the train driver that he must not proceed into the new block section until he is in possession of the proper authority for so doing.