| Bangor and Carnarvon Railway | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Locale | Wales |
| Continues as | Chester and Holyhead Railway |
| History | |
| Opened | 20 May 1851 |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 9 miles (14 km) (including Port Dinorwic Branch) |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
The Bangor and Carnarvon Railway was a railway company promoted to build a branch railway connecting Caernarfon with the main line at Bangor, in north-west Wales. It opened in 1852 as far as Port Dinorwic (now Y Felinheli) and was extended to Caernarfon later in the same year.
At first Carnarvon station was a terminus, but a through line from Afon Wen and a branch line to Llanberis were built by other companies. At first those lines were not connected but in 1870 the Carnarvon Town Line was opened, penetrating the town by a short tunnel and connecting the other lines.
The ordinary use of the line declined after 1945, but the Investiture of Prince Charles at Carnarvon in 1969 involved special use of the branch. However it closed in January 1970. In May of the same year, there was a catastrophic fire in the Britannia Bridge and the rail-borne container traffic was unable to connect Holyhead for the Irish ferry services. Caernarfon goods station was quickly brought back into use, in June 1970. When the Britannia Bridge was reopened, the Caernarfon line was finally closed on 5 January 1972.