Dduallt railway station
| Dduallt | |
|---|---|
Dduallt station.
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| Location | |
| Place | Ffestiniog |
| Area | Gwynedd |
| Coordinates | 52°57′37″N 3°58′07″W / 52.9602°N 3.9686°WCoordinates: 52°57′37″N 3°58′07″W / 52.9602°N 3.9686°W |
| Grid reference | SH678421 |
| Operations | |
| Original company | Festiniog Railway |
| Operated by | Ffestiniog Railway |
| Platforms | 2 |
| History | |
| c. 1880 | First mention as a station |
| 15 September 1939 | Closed |
| 6 April 1968 | Re-opened |
| 1989 | Passing loop facilities removed |
| Stations on heritage railways in the United Kingdom | |
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | |
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Dduallt railway station (English: Black hill) (pronounced [ðɨ.æɬt]) is a passenger station on the narrow gauge Ffestiniog Railway in northwest Wales, which was built in 1836 to carry dressed slate from Blaenau Ffestiniog to Porthmadog for export by sea.
Dduallt is at a height of 540 feet (160 m) and a distance of just over 9.5 miles (15.3 km) from Porthmadog.
When steam traction was introduced on the railway in 1863, a slate water tank (which still exists) was established near Dduallt farm about 0.5 miles (0.8 km) below the present station and all up trains stopped for water. Regular use of this facility probably ceased about 1872 with the opening of Tan-y-Bwlch station (although up goods trains are said to have been required to stop at Dduallt for examination prior to passing through Moelwyn tunnel). There has never been road access to Dduallt station, which can only be reached by train or public footpaths.
The quiet station at Dduallt was first mentioned as a passenger station in 1880. It was established as a signalling block post in 1884 on the closure of Tunnel South Signal Box. It then declined steadily becoming an unstaffed halt in the 1930s (when it was landscaped by Clough Williams-Ellis who 40 years later advised on further landscaping) until final closure to passengers on 15 September 1939. Dduallt reopened to passenger trains on 6 April 1968, although passengers could not alight at the station for another few weeks because of continuing building work. The original slate water tank was re-commissioned in May 1969 as an emergency supply and later a water supply was provided at the station, which was the upper terminus until 8 July 1977.
The present buildings at Dduallt are a water supply tank (now out of use), a stone built shelter constructed by volunteers in 1998, and Rhoslyn cottage, which latter was always privately owned until bought, derelict in 2005 by the Festiniog Railway Company.
The land in the centre of Dduallt spiral is the knoll of a small hill and it is set out with an orienteering table as a viewing point with extensive views over the upper vale of Ffestiniog. The knoll is a popular picnic spot in the summer.
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Wikipedia