Capel Bangor railway station is a

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

serving

Capel Bangor Capel Bangor ( cy, Penllwyn) is a small village in Ceredigion, Wales, approximately east of Aberystwyth. The A44 road and the seasonal Vale of Rheidol Railway pass through. In the 2011 census, the population was 256, with 63% born in Wales. ...

Ceredigion Ceredigion ( , , ) is a county in the west of Wales, corresponding to the historic county of Cardiganshire. During the second half of the first millennium Ceredigion was a minor kingdom. It has been administered as a county since 1282. Cere ...

Mid-Wales Mid Wales ( cy, Canolbarth Cymru or simply ''Y Canolbarth'', meaning "the midlands") or Central Wales refers to a region of Wales, encompassing its midlands, in-between North Wales and South Wales. The Mid Wales Regional Committee of the Senedd ...

. It is an intermediate station on the preserved

Vale of Rheidol Railway The Vale of Rheidol Railway ( cy, Rheilffordd Cwm Rheidol) is a narrow gauge heritage railway in Ceredigion, Wales, between Aberystwyth and Devil's Bridge; a journey of . It opened in 1902, and from the withdrawal of main line steam on Brit ...

. Facilities include a

passing loop A passing loop (UK usage) or passing siding (North America) (also called a crossing loop, crossing place, refuge loop or, colloquially, a hole) is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at or near a station, where trains or ...

(allowing two trains to pass in opposite directions) and sidings which also link the main running line with a storage shed. There is a station building, the current structure being completed in 2013.

History and Description

The village community at Capel Bangor was once much larger than it is today, and in the earliest days of the Vale of Rheidol Railway Capel Bangor was the third principal station along with the two termini. It had a resident Station Master, and was equipped with waiting shelters, booking office, passing loop, sidings, and a large carriage shed.Photographs of these facilities, including the Station Master, may be viewed on th
County Council website
. These facilities were all removed with the gradual decline of the village population, although in the 1980s

British Rail British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British rai ...

, then the operators of this line, rebuilt a stone waiting shelter, and provided a picnic area for passengers alighting from trains here. In 2001 the new operator embarked upon a process of restoration of operating facilities at Capel Bangor. The passing loop was restored, as was a single carriage siding, accessed 'out and back' via a lengthy

headshunt A headshunt (or escape track in the United States) is a short length of track provided to release locomotives at terminal platforms, or to allow shunting to take place clear of main lines. Terminal headshunt A 'terminal headshunt' is a short ...

. Subsequently, the 1980s waiting shelter was demolished, but the single carriage siding was joined by a second, parallel line (accessed via the same headshunt), and a large modern train shed was constructed. Capel Bangor Station view

European Union funding

In 2012 a substantial grant from the European Union for infrastructure development in rural communities led to the Vale of Rheidol Railway making substantial investment in its smaller stations. At Capel Bangor this funding allowed for the construction of two raised and surfaced platforms, permitting passengers to join or alight from trains on the level, and also the construction of a station building, based upon one of the station's original structures. Funding also permitted fencing work, and the development of a station garden. The new station building includes an open waiting shelter for passengers, and a station office. The facilities were completed in time for the 2013 operating season.

References

{{Vale of Rheidol Railway Heritage railway stations in Ceredigion Vale of Rheidol Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1902 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1939 Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1945