Dovey Junction change

[6Gman]

The mentality has certainly stuck around. Out of curiosity, how long ago ?

Must be over 20 years, though it seems no time at all.

Great bunch of lads (and at least one girl).

 

[Lurcheroo]

When I rode the Cambrian Coast line in 1971 to Portmadoc/Porthmadog (to visit the Ffestiniog Railway) my ticket from London had specified changing at Wolverhampton and Dovey Junction. However the guard on the Aberyswyth train recommended I change at Machynlleth instead so that's what I did. When we passed Dovey Jct I saw what an isolated and lonely spot it was so that made sense.

Spoke to someone who used to work in Chester booking office, the usual bog standard advice was always go as far as you can and then change, that includes them saying change at Dovey Junction. They said once they actually travelled the line and saw it they always advised cHanging at Machynlleth.

Must be over 20 years, though it seems no time at all.

Great bunch of lads (and at least one girl).

Oh interesting ! You must know at least some of them still there.

 

[Bletchleyite]

When I rode the Cambrian Coast line in 1971 to Portmadoc/Porthmadog (to visit the Ffestiniog Railway) my ticket from London had specified changing at Wolverhampton and Dovey Junction. However the guard on the Aberyswyth train recommended I change at Machynlleth instead so that's what I did. When we passed Dovey Jct I saw what an isolated and lonely spot it was so that made sense.

Before the passing loop Dyfi might as well have been disused, Mach was always advised, sometimes very strongly. The loop changes that, some connections aren't possible at Mach any longer.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

I was advised some years ago , in summer , to excercise due care on that footpath as adders liked to bask on it.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

When I was a boy, our family took a trip (from Aberystwyth, though our campsite was in Borth) up the Cambrian Coast line. We changed at Dovey Junction both ways with the longest wait being around five minutes, so presumably those connections wouldn't have been possible at Machynlleth. This was early summer 1989.

 

[Lurcheroo]

Hi im just wondering is 5 minutes is nomal to change train from pwllheli line to aberystwyth line

Thanks

Did you by any chance make your trip / change today ???

 

[Evansthomos]

No I will be go on trip on 6 of June 2024 from tywyn to aberystwyth

Did you by any chance make your trip / change today ???

 

[plugwash]

Yes it would be interesting to know if there is a "maximum wait time" for the Aber train to be held, balancing the delay to on-train passengers, against the horror for any pax missing the connection having to wait up to 2 hours in a lonely, god-forsaken place with no egress

There is an egress to the south, though most maps don't seem to show it, it's visible on bing sattelite view.

and no human contact for miles!

From what I can tell seems to be a Cafe and Visitor center at the Cors Dyfi nature reserve.

Unfortunately, while it's close to the station as the crow flys, the walking route involves a long detour and walking along an A road with no pavement. Total walk seems to be about 1.72 miles.

So if you are a fast walker you would probablly have just about enough time to walk there, pick something up in the cafe and walk back in your two hour wait.

 

[topydre]

Like other stations along the Cambrian, Dyfi Junction has recently received a smart purple sign telling passengers where the rail replacement bus will call if the train is cancelled. I haven't had chance to look at it yet (only a quick glance from the train) but presumably it specifies the main road down the long path.

 

[DanBlanchflowe]

In Summer 1960 we rented a cottage by the railway at Derwen-las which is about half way between Dovey Junction and Machynlleth. I would wave to the driver and fireman as the train went passed on an embankment!!

I still have the 1" OS Map we bought for 5s/6d. The only path from the station this 1952 edition shows is a path going NE to A487 near Morben isaf.

 

[snowball]

On the SABRE website you can see OS maps at 1" and other scales from various dates. I hope this link to the 1956 edition works.

SABRE - Maps

Both the 1956 and 1960 editions seem to show the footpath running southwards from Dovey Junction station alongside the east side of the railway, but you have to look very closely to see it.

Edit: so does 1952, but 1947 doesn't.

 

[Pinus contorta]

Yes it would be interesting to know if there is a "maximum wait time" for the Aber train to be held, balancing the delay to on-train passengers, against the horror for any pax missing the connection having to wait up to 2 hours in a lonely, god-forsaken place with no egress (or a twitcher's paradise, delete as applicable) and no human contact for miles!

As an after-thought, is there any mobile reception there?

Not quite connected to TFW but I have noticed that the Lancaster to Carlisle trains ( there aren't very many doing the whole route ) are often held for unspecified time at Lancaster to allow for pax off the London to Glasgow train.

 

[Gloster]

As a small correction to the video in #21: the station house is not that of Dovey Junction, but of Glandovey station, which was just over half a mile away (53 chains in 1904, but the platform was shorter then). It was closed in 1965.

 

[Gaelan]

Is the Aber platform at Dovey Junction the longest platform with very low usage? [Passengers per metre of platform or whatever]

I don’t suppose you’ll let me get away with counting the international platforms at Stratford?

 

[topydre]

Like other stations along the Cambrian, Dyfi Junction has recently received a smart purple sign telling passengers where the rail replacement bus will call if the train is cancelled. I haven't had chance to look at it yet (only a quick glance from the train) but presumably it specifies the main road down the long path.

Just had a chance to see the rail replacement sign close up. The rail replacement stop looks deceptively close to the station...
Full marks for improved customer information along the line though, user groups very pleased

 

[Lurcheroo]

The rail replacement stop looks deceptively close to the station...

I’m not sure it does personally.

There’s even a 500m scale at the bottom right which should give a good idea of how far it is.

 

[DelW]

I’m not sure it does personally.

There’s even a 500m scale at the bottom right which should give a good idea of how far it is.

While that's so, it's not especially obvious, so it might have been useful to add a note after "A483", saying something like "This walk takes approximately 15 minutes".

I hope that TfW do something similar along the Heart of Wales line, where RRBs often can't reach some of the small stations. Having a clearly defined pick up and drop off point at the nearest main road would make things much clearer.

 

[berneyarms]

While that's so, it's not especially obvious, so it might have been useful to add a note after "A483", saying something like "This walk takes approximately 15 minutes".

I hope that TfW do something similar along the Heart of Wales line, where RRBs often can't reach some of the small stations. Having a clearly defined pick up and drop off point at the nearest main road would make things much clearer.

Does it really matter at Dovey Junction?

Anyone who would require the rail replacement bus would already have walked along that path in the first place.

Trains never terminate there, but rather at Machynlleth in the event of disruption, so no one would be left there from a train.

 

[DelW]

Does it really matter at Dovey Junction?

Anyone who would require the rail replacement bus would already have walked along that path in the first place.

Trains never terminate there, but rather at Machynlleth in the event of disruption, so no one would be left there from a train.

Fair point, even if one branch were bus-substituted and the other open, Mach would be a much better change point. Which does rather imply that no-one would need the notice anyway.

 

[Belperpete]

Does it really matter at Dovey Junction?
Trains never terminate there, but rather at Machynlleth in the event of disruption, so no one would be left there from a train.

Never say never - I was on a train that terminated there about a month back! Due to severe delays, the train from Pwllheli terminated at Dovey Jcn, to form the return working. But we weren't left there, as we all transferred cross-platform onto the train from Aber.

 

[NorthStaffs]

I’m not sure it does personally.

There’s even a 500m scale at the bottom right which should give a good idea of how far it is.

 

[krus_aragon]

Just had a chance to see the rail replacement sign close up. The rail replacement stop looks deceptively close to the station...
Full marks for improved customer information along the line though, user groups very pleased

A shame about the lack of proofreading on the "Gorsaf Gorsaf" bit.

(It's the equivalent of calling it "Dovey Junction Station Station". It may be good, but there's no need to name it twice!)

 

[Taunton]

The footpath was certainly there in the 1970s.

There was a photo of the path in the Railway Magazine around 1970, when I think it was described as "new".