Llangower was a minor station opened by the
GWR on the
Ruabon to Barmouth line
Ruabon ( cy, Rhiwabon ) is a village and Community (Wales), community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. The name comes from ''Rhiw Fabon'', ''rhiw'' being the Welsh word for "slope" or "hillside" and ''Fabon'' being a mutation from Mabyn, St M ...
in 1929
on the southern shore of
Bala Lake
Bala Lake ( cy, Llyn Tegid ) is a large freshwater glacial lake in Gwynedd, Wales. The River Dee, which has its source on the slopes of Dduallt in the mountains of Snowdonia, feeds the long by wide lake. It was the largest natural body o ...
serving the hamlet of
Llangower.
There was no signal box or freight facility, just a short platform and a waiting shelter on the south side of the line. Today, although not in its original location the station has been reopened 350m to the west (on the north side of the line) by the
Bala Lake Railway
The Bala Lake Railway ( Welsh: ''Rheilffordd Llyn Tegid'') is a narrow-gauge railway along the southern shore of Bala Lake in Gwynedd, North Wales. The line, which is long, is built on a section of the former standard-gauge Ruabon–Barmouth ...
and is the main intermediate point on the line and the only place where trains can pass each other. It is well sited to provide access to the lakeside for walks, picnics and bird watching.
The station has a single platform, with the
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 ...
located to the east of the platform. When two trains are in service, they must use the station in turn, with the second train remaining in the loop until called forward after the first train has departed. The points and signals at the station are operated from a
ground frame
Mechanical railway signalling installations rely on lever frames for their operation to interlock the signals, track locks and points to allow the safe operation of trains in the area the signals control. Usually located in the signal box, th ...
, housed in a ground frame shelter.
In the spring of 2017 and thanks to a significant donation collected in memory of “Pip, The Railway Dog” - faithful companion to a volunteer and supporter of the railway, the station received refurbishment with a new picket fence and running in board.
Llangower is a small hamlet, with a beautiful old church, 3 miles from Bala situated on the south-eastern side of Bala lake. It is on the (original) turnpike-road leading from Dinas-Mawddwy to Bala and Corwen.
Neighbouring stations
References
Further reading
*
External links
Llangower station on navigable 1946 O.S. map
Heritage railway stations in Gwynedd
Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1929
Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1965
Beeching closures in Wales
Llangywer
Former Great Western Railway stations
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