Rhyd Ddu

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Rhyd Ddu
Rhyd Ddu station Keith C. Bradbury
Previous Station	Waunfawr
Previous Location	Snowdon Ranger
Status	Station Open Southern Terminus WHR(C)
Next Location	Meillionen
Next Station	Pen-Y-Mount Station
Latitude	53:03:05.29N
Longitude	04:07:59.51W
Grid Reference	SH571525
Stations Locations	Harbour Station

OSGrid:SH571525 Latt / Long :53.05146 / -4.13329

Formerly known variously as South Snowdon or just Snowdon, this station was for many years the terminus of the North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways. Opened in 1881, this preceded the opening of the Snowdon Mountain Railway in 1896, and became a popular point for ascending Snowdon. The original station stood where the SNPA car park is now; there was a run round loop and a few sidings. An attempt by the Portmadoc, Beddgelert And South Snowdon Railway to link from here at Rhyd Ddu, with Porthmadog (via Beddgelert and Croesor Junction) came to nothing, and it was not until 1923 (with the opening of the completed Welsh Highland Railway) that this was achieved, and Rhyd Ddu consequently lost its status as a terminus.

However, Rhyd Ddu is the current terminus of the Welsh Highland Railway (Caernarfon)

Reconstruction of the line commenced in 1997 and, up to this point, was completed in 3 stages. The Third Stage commenced in the last quarter of 2000 and continued through to July 2003. The first train run all the way through from Waunfawr to Rhyd Ddu was for an HMRI inspection on July 18th, comprising Harold and a DZ wagon. On the 28th the first test steam train to get as far as Rhyd Ddu ran (Prince and Carriage 23, 24, and what was then 10), prior to a visit by Prince Charles for the official inauguration on the 30th.

Opening Day was August 18th 2003.

The present station was built into the hillside behind the old one. The layout consists of an island platform with a passing loop 200m long on either side. There are water tanks at both ends of the platform; they are of traditional Braithwaite railway type but are not universally considered as an improvement to the landscape. At the south (Up) end there is a set of sidings which were used for construction traffic in 2005-7, after which the construction traffic moved to Hafod y Llyn Isaf.

The fourth stage of the reconstruction, which will take the line through to Porthmadog, commenced in 2005, and is scheduled for completion by Easter 2009.

At approximately 12 route miles from Caernarfon, Rhyd Ddu is roughly half way between Caernarfon and Porthmadog.