Penmaenmawr Station

One of two small passenger stations between Llandudno Junction and Bangor, Penmaenmawr had a passenger trains roughly every hour. Additionally, the quarry siding despatched two or three trains of railway ballast daily.

25041 at Penmaenmawr 27/07/76 (s0629.jpg)

A glorious summer's day at Penmaenmawr (!), and as my Class 40 hauled train leaves, 25041 is seen at the exit to the quarry sidings along with a number of engineers vehicles. The lampposts on the platform (with their tiny nameboards) date from 1970 when they replaced gas lighting.

47446 at Penmaenmawr 06/01/77 (s0872.jpg)

47446 passes Penmaenmawr on a passenger working on the 6th January 1977. Of greater interest is the sight, between loco and signal box, of a ship at the quarry jetty. I was oblivious to this at the time, but a correspondent, Neil Burns, has identified this as vessel 'Raynestone', working between here and Liverpool. Interestingly, the excellent 'Penmaenmawr - Rails of Granite' by Mike Hitchens states that sea-borne traffic ended in the summer of 1976, but this shot contradicts this.

24047 at Penmaenmawr 14/04/77 (s0981.jpg)

Working Trip 30 from Mold Jcn to Holyhead and back to Llandudno Jcn, 24047 pauses in the sidings at Penmaenmawr. Although booked to 'stop to attach', the coal wagon and brake van would not have been picked up here, and the stop also allowed the 13:20 Holyhead - Euston to pass.

24057 at Penmaenmawr 15/07/77 (s1215.jpg)

24057 sits in the quarry sidings at Penmaenmawr on the 15th July 1977, 'working to DCE requirements'. It would finish its day in North Wales by working the 17:55 Bangor - Crewe parcels. Visible behind and to the left of the loco are the original loading wharves from when the quarry used a narrow gauge inclined plane to bring stone down to the sidings. In 1977, the quarry was still shipping stone out by sea, and the jetty is seen in the background.

40171 at Penmaenmawr 10/09/81 (s2538.jpg)

40171 passes Penmaenmawr on the morning trip freight from Amlwch. By this time, (10th September 1981) there had been a notable change, with Class 40s appearing on the trip freight workings that had once been solely worked by 24s and 25s. The lorry on the left is parked in front of the old goods shed, situated in a very cramped position. Behind the train, the quarry loading plant can be seen, soon to be replaced when the sidings were remodelled to make room for the A55 expressway.