Red Wharf Bay branch line
Encyclopedia
The Red Wharf Bay branch line was a standard gauge
railway line in Anglesey
, Wales
, a branch off the Anglesey Central Railway
. It opened fully in 1909, but closed to passengers in September 1930. Freight operations continued until 3 April 1950, and the tracks were lifted during the summer of 1953.
in 1812. It was intended to bring coal and minerals from Pentre Berw
to Red Wharf Bay for export by sea. No evidence has been found that this railway was built.
was one of the main railways in Britain, and operated almost all services along the North Wales coast. The LNWR developed plans for two branch lines on Anglesey in 1897: one to Beaumaris (which was abandoned), and another to
serve the growing tourist trade of Benllech
. This line was to connect with the main line at Llanfairpwll
, but William Jones
MP
advocated a connection at Llangefni, on the Anglesey Central Railway (operated by then as a branch line of the LNWR). A compromise was reached with the line connecting at Holland Arms, near Pentre Berw, as authorised by Act of Parliament in 1899. The intended terminus was now to be in the nearby village of Red Wharf Bay, giving a slightly shorter route. This was changed by a further act of 1900 to a crossroads over half a mile (0.8 km) from Red wharf Bay and a mile (1.6 km) from Benllech, in an attempt to serve both villages. The terminus was called "Red Wharf Bay and Benllech", often abbreviated to "Red Wharf Bay".
The start of construction work was delayed significantly due to the LNWR having financial commitments elsewhere. In 1905 it was decided to build the branch as a Light Railway
instead, to save further money. Work started with a connection at Holland Arms in June 1907, the main contractor being J Strachan. Some archaeological remains were discovered in a cutting near Pentraeth, including two skeletons, some urns and a 'bronse spear or dagger head'. The portion from Holland Arms to Pentraeth
was completed and inspected in June 1908. Services started as far as Pentraeth on 1 July 1908, with the remainder opening on 24 May 1909.
Passenger services on this branch were operated by the LNWR's pioneer autotrain
(which the LNWR referred to as a railmotor). This consisted of a rake of two carriages that would be attached to an engine, with a driving compartment and controls built into the rear carriage. When connected to a locomotive adapted for push-pull
operation the train could then be operated in either direction without needing to run around. Two carriages were converted from restaurant cars in 1908 for the opening of the line to Pentraeth. Third class accommodation was provided for approximately 80 passengers, with electric lighting and a centre gangway. The autotrain was so successful that many more old carriages were converted for push-pull operation on other branch lines, a pair of which replaced the original railmotor set after opening to Red Wharf Bay. The daily freight service was operated by a regular locomotive.
The first passenger service of the morning started from Bangor
, and would return there in the evening. Seven return services to Red Wharf Bay were provided each day, from either Gaerwen (where the Anglesey Central Railway met the main line
) or Holland Arms. When not running to Red Wharf Bay the railmotor train was also used on the Anglesey Central Railway: it would operate between Llangefni and Gaerwen while the main branch train was on the round trip from Llangefni to Amlwch and back.
Shortages during the First World War resulted in service cuts. The railmotor set was reduced to one coach around 1914/1915. The seven return trips operated until the summer of 1916 became four in 1917. During the post-war grouping
the line became the property of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
, and services were gradually reinstated, returning to seven return services by the summer of 1929. In the winter of 1922/23, a great herring
shoal was found on the coast between Moelfre and Benllech. Twelve special trains took five hundred tons of herring from Red Wharf Bay to London, Liverpool, Manchester and other cities, all in the space of two weeks.
led to the removal of passenger services on 22 September 1930, leaving only the daily goods service. Crosville Motor Services
operated the replacement bus service between Benllech and Bangor. This hourly service was more frequent than the train had been, and also removed the need to change trains at Gaerwen (and sometimes Holland Arms too). Some special passenger trains continued to run on Saturdays in the summer months until 1939, as the light buses used could not cope with the density of traffic from Benllech. Once the Menai Suspension Bridge
was rebuilt, it could take heavier double-decker bus
es, and the need for train services disappeared again.
Freight services were reduced to three trains a week in 1944. Due to a lack of wartime maintenance, the post-nationalisation owner British Rail
considered closing the line in 1947, but decided to maintain the freight services with an overall speed restriction of 15 mph. In a meeting held on 4 July 1950 it was stated that closure of the branch would result in a saving of £4,307 per annum, compared with the cost of £31,000 to relay the track in order to fully reopen the branch. It was decided to close the branch for a six month experimental period, transferring the remaining traffic to other stations and to road transport. The branch closed on April 3, 1950, and did not reopen.
With its importance as a junction on the Anglesey Central Railway gone, Holland Arms station was closed to all traffic on 4 August 1952. The track was sold to Messrs James N. Campbell Ltd. of Coatbridge for £19,000, and demolition started on 9 April 1953, with the junction at Holland Arms taken up on 16 October. The sleepers were sold to local people as firewood, but the timber buildings at Pentraeth and Red Wharf Bay remained for some years after.
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
railway line in Anglesey
Anglesey
Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, a branch off the Anglesey Central Railway
Anglesey Central Railway
The Anglesey Central Railway was a long standard-gauge railway in Anglesey, Wales, connecting the port of Amlwch and the county town of Llangefni with the North Wales Coast Line at Gaerwen. Built as an independent railway, the railway opened in portions from 1864 to 1867...
. It opened fully in 1909, but closed to passengers in September 1930. Freight operations continued until 3 April 1950, and the tracks were lifted during the summer of 1953.
An early venture
The first company authorised to operate a railway on Anglesey was the Anglesey Railway Company, established by Act of ParliamentAct of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
in 1812. It was intended to bring coal and minerals from Pentre Berw
Pentre Berw
Pentre Berw is a small village located on the island of Anglesey, in north Wales. It lies two and a half miles south of the county town of Llangefni....
to Red Wharf Bay for export by sea. No evidence has been found that this railway was built.
The modern railway
In the late 19th century, the London and North Western RailwayLondon and North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway...
was one of the main railways in Britain, and operated almost all services along the North Wales coast. The LNWR developed plans for two branch lines on Anglesey in 1897: one to Beaumaris (which was abandoned), and another to
serve the growing tourist trade of Benllech
Benllech
__FORCETOC__Benllech is a small town on the Isle of Anglesey in Wales. It is in the community of Llanfair-Mathafarn-Eithaf, which has a population of 3,408...
. This line was to connect with the main line at Llanfairpwll
Llanfairpwll railway station
Llanfairpwll railway station is a station on the North Wales Coast Line from London Euston station to Holyhead on Anglesey. It serves the village of Llanfairpwllgwyngyll....
, but William Jones
William Jones (Liberal politician)
William Jones was a British Liberal Party politician.-Early history:Jones was born in 1857 at Ceint Bach near Llangefni in Wales to Richard and Alice Jones...
MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
advocated a connection at Llangefni, on the Anglesey Central Railway (operated by then as a branch line of the LNWR). A compromise was reached with the line connecting at Holland Arms, near Pentre Berw, as authorised by Act of Parliament in 1899. The intended terminus was now to be in the nearby village of Red Wharf Bay, giving a slightly shorter route. This was changed by a further act of 1900 to a crossroads over half a mile (0.8 km) from Red wharf Bay and a mile (1.6 km) from Benllech, in an attempt to serve both villages. The terminus was called "Red Wharf Bay and Benllech", often abbreviated to "Red Wharf Bay".
The start of construction work was delayed significantly due to the LNWR having financial commitments elsewhere. In 1905 it was decided to build the branch as a Light Railway
Light railway
Light railway refers to a railway built at lower costs and to lower standards than typical "heavy rail". This usually means the railway uses lighter weight track, and is more steeply graded and tightly curved to avoid civil engineering costs...
instead, to save further money. Work started with a connection at Holland Arms in June 1907, the main contractor being J Strachan. Some archaeological remains were discovered in a cutting near Pentraeth, including two skeletons, some urns and a 'bronse spear or dagger head'. The portion from Holland Arms to Pentraeth
Pentraeth
Pentraeth is a village on the island of Anglesey , north Wales, at . The Royal Mail postcode begins LL75.Its Welsh name means at the end of a beach, and it is located near Traeth Coch . There is a small river, Afon Nodwydd which runs through it. The village's ancient name was Llanfair Betws Geraint...
was completed and inspected in June 1908. Services started as far as Pentraeth on 1 July 1908, with the remainder opening on 24 May 1909.
Passenger services on this branch were operated by the LNWR's pioneer autotrain
Autotrain
Autotrain may refer to:* Autotrain, a type of push-pull train incorporating a steam locomotive and specially fitted passenger coaches* Auto Train, a specific Amtrak passenger service* Auto-Train Corporation...
(which the LNWR referred to as a railmotor). This consisted of a rake of two carriages that would be attached to an engine, with a driving compartment and controls built into the rear carriage. When connected to a locomotive adapted for push-pull
Push-pull train
Push–pull is a mode of operation for locomotive-hauled trains allowing them to be driven from either end.A push–pull train has a locomotive at one end of the train, connected via some form of remote control, such as multiple-unit train control, to a vehicle equipped with a control cab at the other...
operation the train could then be operated in either direction without needing to run around. Two carriages were converted from restaurant cars in 1908 for the opening of the line to Pentraeth. Third class accommodation was provided for approximately 80 passengers, with electric lighting and a centre gangway. The autotrain was so successful that many more old carriages were converted for push-pull operation on other branch lines, a pair of which replaced the original railmotor set after opening to Red Wharf Bay. The daily freight service was operated by a regular locomotive.
The first passenger service of the morning started from Bangor
Bangor (Gwynedd) railway station
Bangor railway station in Bangor, Gwynedd is the last mainland station on the London Euston to Holyhead North Wales Coast line. The station is 40 km east of Holyhead....
, and would return there in the evening. Seven return services to Red Wharf Bay were provided each day, from either Gaerwen (where the Anglesey Central Railway met the main line
North Wales Coast Line
The North Wales Coast Line is the railway line from Crewe to Holyhead. Virgin Trains consider their services along it to be a spur of the West Coast Main Line. The first section from Crewe to Chester was built by the Chester and Crewe Railway and absorbed by the Grand Junction Railway shortly...
) or Holland Arms. When not running to Red Wharf Bay the railmotor train was also used on the Anglesey Central Railway: it would operate between Llangefni and Gaerwen while the main branch train was on the round trip from Llangefni to Amlwch and back.
Shortages during the First World War resulted in service cuts. The railmotor set was reduced to one coach around 1914/1915. The seven return trips operated until the summer of 1916 became four in 1917. During the post-war grouping
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
the line became the property of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
, and services were gradually reinstated, returning to seven return services by the summer of 1929. In the winter of 1922/23, a great herring
Herring
Herring is an oily fish of the genus Clupea, found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans, including the Baltic Sea. Three species of Clupea are recognized. The main taxa, the Atlantic herring and the Pacific herring may each be divided into subspecies...
shoal was found on the coast between Moelfre and Benllech. Twelve special trains took five hundred tons of herring from Red Wharf Bay to London, Liverpool, Manchester and other cities, all in the space of two weeks.
Decline and closure
The growth of road motor transport was particularly damaging for the branch: the remote terminus of the railway meant their passengers had a long walk to get to either Benllech or Red Wharf Bay, but buses could operate all the way to the villages. Falling passenger numbers in the 1920s, and the onset of the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
led to the removal of passenger services on 22 September 1930, leaving only the daily goods service. Crosville Motor Services
Crosville Motor Services
Crosville Motor Services was a bus operator running within the north west of England and north and mid Wales.-History:The company was formed as Crosville Motor Company Limited on 27 October 1906 in Chester, by George Crosland Taylor and his French business associate Georges de Ville, with the...
operated the replacement bus service between Benllech and Bangor. This hourly service was more frequent than the train had been, and also removed the need to change trains at Gaerwen (and sometimes Holland Arms too). Some special passenger trains continued to run on Saturdays in the summer months until 1939, as the light buses used could not cope with the density of traffic from Benllech. Once the Menai Suspension Bridge
Menai Suspension Bridge
The Menai Suspension Bridge is a suspension bridge between the island of Anglesey and the mainland of Wales. Designed by Thomas Telford and completed in 1826, it was the first modern suspension bridge in the world.-Construction:...
was rebuilt, it could take heavier double-decker bus
Double-decker bus
A double-decker bus is a bus that has two storeys or 'decks'. Global usage of this type of bus is more common in outer touring than in its intra-urban transportion role. Double-decker buses are also commonly found in certain parts of Europe, Asia, and former British colonies and protectorates...
es, and the need for train services disappeared again.
Freight services were reduced to three trains a week in 1944. Due to a lack of wartime maintenance, the post-nationalisation owner 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...
considered closing the line in 1947, but decided to maintain the freight services with an overall speed restriction of 15 mph. In a meeting held on 4 July 1950 it was stated that closure of the branch would result in a saving of £4,307 per annum, compared with the cost of £31,000 to relay the track in order to fully reopen the branch. It was decided to close the branch for a six month experimental period, transferring the remaining traffic to other stations and to road transport. The branch closed on April 3, 1950, and did not reopen.
With its importance as a junction on the Anglesey Central Railway gone, Holland Arms station was closed to all traffic on 4 August 1952. The track was sold to Messrs James N. Campbell Ltd. of Coatbridge for £19,000, and demolition started on 9 April 1953, with the junction at Holland Arms taken up on 16 October. The sleepers were sold to local people as firewood, but the timber buildings at Pentraeth and Red Wharf Bay remained for some years after.