Cambrian Coast Express
Encyclopedia
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
(GWR), and later 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...
, running from London via Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury railway station
Shrewsbury railway station is the railway station serving Shrewsbury, county town of Shropshire, England. It is the only remaining railway station in the town; Shrewsbury Abbey, as well as other small stations around the town, having long closed. The station was built in 1848 and has been extended...
to Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth railway station
Aberystwyth railway station is a railway station serving the seaside and university town of Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Wales. It is served by passenger trains operated by Arriva Trains Wales, being situated at the terminus of the Cambrian Line and also by the narrow-gauge Vale of Rheidol Railway.-...
and Pwllheli
Pwllheli railway station
Pwllheli railway station is a railway station serving the small coastal town of Pwllheli on the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd, Wales. It is the terminus of the Cambrian Coast Railway.- History :...
over the Cambrian Line
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....
.
GWR era
Prior to amalgamation with the GWR in 1923, the line beyond Buttington Junction near WelshpoolWelshpool
Welshpool is a town in Powys, Wales, or ancient county Montgomeryshire, from the Wales-England border. The town is low-lying on the River Severn; the Welsh language name Y Trallwng literally meaning 'the marshy or sinking land'...
was owned and operated by the Cambrian Railways
Cambrian Railways
Cambrian Railways owned of track over a large area of mid-Wales. The system was an amalgamation of a number of railways that were incorporated in 1864, 1865 and 1904...
and passengers from England normally changed to a Cambrian Railways train at Shrewsbury. But in July and August 1921, the GWR ran a daily through express from Paddington to Aberystwyth and Pwllheli.
The first official use of the name Cambrian Coast Express was in 1927 when the train ran only on summer Fridays and Saturdays. By 1939 the through train was running only on summer Saturdays. It left London Paddington at 10:20 with calls at Leamington Spa
Leamington Spa railway station
Leamington Spa railway station serves the town of Leamington Spa, in Warwickshire, England. It is situated on Old Warwick Road towards the southern edge of the town centre.-History:...
, Birmingham Snow Hill
Birmingham Snow Hill station
Birmingham Snow Hill is a railway station and tram stop in the centre of Birmingham, England, on the site of an earlier, much larger station built by the former Great Western Railway . It is the second most important railway station in the city, after Birmingham New Street station...
, and Wolverhampton Low Level
Wolverhampton Low Level railway station
Wolverhampton Low Level was a railway station on Sun Street, in Springfield, Wolverhampton, England .It was built by the Great Western Railway, on their route from London to Birkenhead via Birmingham...
which was reached at 12:44. Here, owing to weight restrictions over the Cambrian line, the GWR Castle Class 4-6-0 locomotive was changed for two GWR Duke Class 4-4-0 engines or for a GWR Manor Class 4-6-0 for the non-stop run to Welshpool
Welshpool railway station
Welshpool railway station is a railway station on the Cambrian Line, in Powys, mid-Wales. It serves the town of Welshpool.The modern station is a single island platform between the two railway lines, reached by a large pedestrian bridge over the eastbound railway line and the A483 road. It has no...
using the Shrewsbury Abbey Foregate curve (to avoid a stop and reversal of direction at Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury railway station
Shrewsbury railway station is the railway station serving Shrewsbury, county town of Shropshire, England. It is the only remaining railway station in the town; Shrewsbury Abbey, as well as other small stations around the town, having long closed. The station was built in 1848 and has been extended...
). Beyond Welshpool, calls were made at Machynlleth
Machynlleth railway station
Machynlleth railway station is a railway station on the Cambrian Line in mid-Wales, serving the historic town of Machynlleth. It was built by the Newtown & Machynlleth Railway, and subsequently passed into the ownership of the Cambrian Railways, the Great Western Railway, British Railways and...
, Dovey Junction
Dovey Junction railway station
Dovey Junction railway station is a railway station on the Cambrian Line in Wales. It is the junction where the line splits into the line to Aberystwyth and the Cambrian Coast Line to Pwllheli...
and Borth
Borth railway station
Borth railway station is a railway station on the Cambrian Line in mid-Wales, serving the village of Borth near Aberystwyth.The station, which originally had two platforms, is now an unmanned halt. The original station building still remains and is in private / commercial use apart from one room...
to reach Aberystwyth at 15:55, a total of 5 hours 35 minutes for the 235 miles (378.2 km) journey from London. In the reverse direction the journey was 25 minutes longer, at six hours; departing Aberystwyth at 10:00 with an additional stop at Newtown
Newtown (Powys) railway station
Newtown railway station is a railway station serving Newtown in Powys, Wales.The station currently has two through platforms, which are used separately for trains in either direction. The station is usually used as one of the passing points for trains on the Cambrian Line as it is a single track...
, but with otherwise unchanged station calls, and locomotive change at Wolverhampton. The train became the 14:00 departure from Birmingham to arrive at Paddington at 16:00.
British Rail era
After World War II, the Cambrian Coast Express was re-introduced on Saturdays only and its seasonal operation continued under British RailBritish 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...
, usually with through coaches to both Aberystwyth and Pwllheli. By 1959 it was running every weekday, all year round.
The train last ran in 1991, by which time it had long since transferred its London terminus to Euston, operating as an extension to the regular-interval service over the West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
between London and Wolverhampton. In the winter 1989-1990 timetable, it left London at 15:40, arriving Aberystwyth 21:00; the return working left Aberystwyth at 07:13, arriving London Euston at 12:24. There were no longer any through coaches to the northern part of the Cambrian Line: passengers for stations to Pwllheli had to change at Machynlleth.
The Cambrian
The Cambrian Coast Express name was revived in summer 2006 by Arriva Trains WalesArriva Trains Wales
Arriva Trains Wales is a train operating company, owned by Arriva, that operates urban and inter urban passenger services in Wales and the Welsh Marches...
, as a tourist steam service which ran from Machynlleth to Porthmadog
Porthmadog
Porthmadog , known locally as "Port", and historically rendered into English as Portmadoc, is a small coastal town and community in the Eifionydd area of Gwynedd, in Wales. Prior to the Local Government Act 1972 it was in the administrative county of Caernarfonshire. The town lies east of...
or Pwllheli. In 2010, it was taken over by the West Coast Railway Company
West Coast Railway Company
West Coast Railways, also known as West Coast Railway Company, is a railway spot-hire company and charter train operator, based at Carnforth in Lancashire, on the site of the old Steamtown heritage depot...
and rebranded The Cambrian.
External links
- The Cambrian at the West Coast Railway CompanyWest Coast Railway CompanyWest Coast Railways, also known as West Coast Railway Company, is a railway spot-hire company and charter train operator, based at Carnforth in Lancashire, on the site of the old Steamtown heritage depot...