Summary
The Merionethshire Railway (MR) was a proposed 1 ft 11+3⁄4 in (603 mm) and 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) dual gauge railway in south Caernarfonshire (now part of Gwynedd) North Wales, United Kingdom. It was incorporated by an act of Parliament (34 & 35 Vict. c. lxxii) on 29 June 1871. Powers to build the line lapsed in 1885[2] and were abandoned on 12 July 1887. Work to build the line never started, though parliamentary extensions of time to do so were obtained in 1876 (39 & 40 Vict. c. lxxvii), 1879,[3] and 1882.[1]
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | London |
| Locale | Gwynedd, Wales |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | Mixed 1 ft 11+1⁄2 in (597 mm) and 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge[1] |
| Length | 8 miles 41 chains (13.7 km) |
| Merionethshire Railway Act 1871 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act for making a Railway from Festiniog in the county of Merioneth to the railway of the Cambrian Railways Company, in the parish of Llandecwyn in the same county; and for other purposes. |
| Citation | 34 & 35 Vict. c. lxxii |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 29 June 1871 |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Merionethshire Railway (Extension of Time) Act 1876 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
| |
| Long title | An Act to extend the time for the completion of the Merionethshire Railway. |
| Citation | 39 & 40 Vict. c. lxxvii |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 27 June 1876 |
| Merionethshire Railway (Extension of Time) Act 1879 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
| |
| Long title | An Act to further extend the time for the completion of the Merionethshire Railway. |
| Citation | 42 & 43 Vict. c. liii |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 3 July 1879 |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
Route edit
The line was to start at an end-on junction with the Festiniog and Blaenau Railway (F&BR) at Llan Ffestiniog and head southwest to make a triangular junction with the Cambrian Railways just north of Talsarnau,[4] though the clearest published map of the route shows a triangular junction at both ends of the line.[5]
Gauges edit
The junction with the F&BR meant the MR would use the same gauge, which was formally 1 ft 11+3⁄4 in (603 mm),[6] though the Act cited "2-foot gauge". While the bill was before Parliament, the 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Bala and Festiniog Railway (a proxy for the GWR) obtained an Act authorising it to build from Bala Junction to Blaenau Ffestiniog where it aimed to tap the town's prolific slate output. This proposed line was to meet the narrow gauge F&BR at Llan Ffestiniog, so the MR's Act was updated to allow mixed gauge by laying a third rail.
Purposes edit
By proposing the line its backers sought to threaten the Festiniog Railway into reducing charges and raising service levels.[7]
Actions edit
The Bala and Festiniog Railway (B&FR) reached Llan Ffestiniog in 1882 and converted the F&BR to standard gauge in 1883. This long, mountainous route of the B&FR posed little threat to the FR. Most of the slate traffic it did carry was taken to the FR at Blaenau Ffestiniog.
The northern end of the MR's planned route would have followed the course of the Bala and Festiniog line from Festiniog south to near Trawsfynydd Lake Halt. It then ran westerly, descending along the south side of the valley of the Afon Dwyryd running parallel to the course of the FR on the northern side of the valley. It would have ended at interchange facilities with the Cambrian near Talsarnau directly competing with the FR's facilities at Minffordd.
See also edit
References edit
Sources edit
- Boyd, James I.C. (1975) [1959]. The Festiniog Railway 1800 - 1974; Vol. 1 - History and Route. The British Narrow Gauge Railway. Blandford: The Oakwood Press. ISBN 978-0-85361-167-7. OCLC 2074549. B1A.
- Boyd, James I.C. (1988) [1972]. Narrow Gauge Railways in South Caernarvonshire – Volume 1. Headington: The Oakwood Press. ISBN 978-0-85361-365-7. OCLC 20417464.
- Southern, D. W. (1995). Bala Junction to Blaenau Ffestiniog. Railways of North Wales. Stockport: Foxline Publishing. ISBN 978-1-870119-34-4. Scenes from the Past No.25.
Further material edit
- Baughan, Peter E. (1991). A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: North and Mid Wales. Regional railway history series (2nd ed.). Nairn: David St John Thomas Publisher. ISBN 978-0-946537-59-4. OL 11571058M. Vol 11.
- Richards, Alun John (2001). The Slate Railways of Wales. Llanrwst: Gwasg Carreg Gwalch. ISBN 978-0-86381-689-5.
- Statute Law Repeals: Nineteenth Report, Draft Statute Law (Repeals) Bill. Great Britain Law Commission, The Stationery Office, 2012, p. 272.
External links edit
- The area the line would have crossed on Rail Map Online
- Merionethshire Railway on Festipedia