Dovey Junction?

[enginedin]

Given the number of stations on the Cambrian Line that were closed by Beeching, was there any specific reason Dovey Junction was kept open? For anyone connecting between the Aberystwyth and Pwllheli branches, the timetable seems to suggest changing at Machynlleth (and trains from both branches that join together also do this at Machynlleth).

(Inspiration for this question came when I realised that AYW-BHI trains were still stopping at Dovey Junction for the 3 months the Pwllheli branch is shut, which puzzled me because I thought they only stopped to allow the interchange between the 2 branches until I realised this actually happens at Machynlleth...)

 

[hexagon789]

Given the number of stations on the Cambrian Line that were closed by Beeching, was there any specific reason Dovey Junction was kept open? For anyone connecting between the Aberystwyth and Pwllheli branches, the timetable seems to suggest changing at Machynlleth (and trains from both branches that join together also do this at Machynlleth).

(Inspiration for this question came when I realised that AYW-BHI trains were still stopping at Dovey Junction for the 3 months the Pwllheli branch is shut, which puzzled me because I thought they only stopped to allow the interchange between the 2 branches until I realised this actually happens at Machynlleth...)

Dovey Junction does provide for the nearby hamlet of Glandyfi, there is a public path from Dovey Jcn. to the former Glandyfi station; but also I think it remained operationally convenient at the time - typically through services ran to Aberystwyth with a DMU shuttle to Pwllheli. The buildings at Dovey Jcn. were rationalised twice in sunsequent years, so it didn't survive entirely unscathed.

 

[Farigiraf]

Dovey Junction does provide for the nearby hamlet of Glandyfi

It's a five hour walk away!

 

[enginedin]

typically through services ran to Aberystwyth with a DMU shuttle to Pwllheli

ah, so the Machynlleth - Pwllheli shuttle replaced this?

 

[Gloster]

I would think there was a strong element of operational convenience. Passengers from Aberystwyth for a Pwllheli service could just cross the platform, rather than going all the way to Machynlleth and crossing, a saving of twenty minutes or so. With out of course running a connection to Pwllheli could run to Dovey Junction and wait there for a late running train from Shrewsbury. (And v.v. in both cases.)

It's a five hour walk away!

The nearby Glandyfi, which used to have a station, is about a mile away and I think there is a footpath alongside the line nowadays. However, there isn’t much there, but there is another Glandyfi inland from Aberystwyth, although I would reckon that doing the walk in five hours would be very good going.

 

[HughT]

You would need access to earlier timetables to make total sense of this. But I certainly certainly remember Dovey Junction being used for connections. The current arrangement is a relatively new thing (well, it depends on one's age, I suppose...).

 

[hexagon789]

It's a five hour walk away!

I've got the wrong place then I think!

I see it is much closer to Aberdovey Station, so it must be a different hamlet.

ah, so the Machynlleth - Pwllheli shuttle replaced this?

I believe so, or rather splitting at Machynlleth into an Aberystwyth and a Pwllehi portion of a through service from Birmingham/Shrewsbury.

It's a five hour walk away!

I've rechecked, looks like about 0.9-1.0 mi, so around 20-25 min walk.

The place near Aberdovey Station appears to be Aberdyfi not Glandyfi?

 

[Farigiraf]

The nearby Glandyfi, which used to have a station, is about a mile away and I think there is a footpath alongside the line nowadays. However, there isn’t much there, but there is another Glandyfi inland from Aberystwyth, although I would reckon that doing the walk in five hours would be very good going.

I've rechecked, looks like about 0.9-1.0 mi, so around 20-25 min walk.

The place near Aberdovey Station appears to be Aberdyfi not Glandyfi?

Apologies, I thought you were talking about the Glandyfi near Aberystwyth, although there is a Glandyfi Castle near Dovey Junction which must have been the area you were thinking about.


5 hour walk suggested by Google from Glandyfi to D.J.

 

[hexagon789]

Apologies, I thought you were talking about the Glandyfi near Aberystwyth, although there is a Glandyfi Castle near Dovey Junction which must have been the area you were thinking about.

View attachment 143043
5 hour walk suggested by Google from Glandyfi to D.J.

There appear to be two Glandyfis, one is a village near Aberdovey, the other a hamlet on the A387.

 

[Farigiraf]

There appear to be two Glandyfis, one is a village near Aberdovey, the other a hamlet on the A387.

Maps shows no hamlet, only a castle with no reviews or photos, and a bus stop. There is a Wikipedia page which only talks about the castle and former station. Anyways, 40 minutes along the A487 is not much of an interchange.

Dovey Junction is basically just a Smallbrook or Manulla situation with an exit into the middle of nowhere. If Machynlleth is now the changing point then the station is pointless and I'm surprised it hasn't been closed/mothballed

 

[6Gman]

I've got the wrong place then I think!

I see it is much closer to Aberdovey Station, so it must be a different hamlet.


I believe so, or rather splitting at Machynlleth into an Aberystwyth and a Pwllehi portion of a through service from Birmingham/Shrewsbury.


I've rechecked, looks like about 0.9-1.0 mi, so around 20-25 min walk.

The place near Aberdovey Station appears to be Aberdyfi not Glandyfi?

Surely Aberdyfi is one place. I believe the Aberdovey spelling was dropped years ago.

You would need access to earlier timetables to make total sense of this. But I certainly certainly remember Dovey Junction being used for connections. The current arrangement is a relatively new thing (well, it depends on one's age, I suppose...).

I've certainly changed trains at Dyfi Junction. Though going back years now! (But post-Beeching.)

 

[Gloster]

There appear to be two Glandyfis, one is a village near Aberdovey, the other a hamlet on the A387.

As far as I can see, the phrase ‘near Aberdovey’ is a bit stretched, as the nearest Glandyfi to Aberdyfi is on the other side of the Dyfi estuary. There is a second inland from Aberystwyth, but the A387 is in Cornwall.

 

[mangyiscute]

I changed there recently, but that was more of a train enthusiast wanting to stop at a weird station, and the guard did ask me "are you sure you want to get off here" - I just got on the train 5 mins behind rather than making the change at Machynlleth, which I could have easily done if Dovey Junction didn't exist

 

[Farigiraf]

Apparently the station is about 400 metres from the the tripoint of Powys, Gwynedd and Ceredigion. Someone could go and place a monument! Something for the Welsh tourism department, the border fanatics will come in herds!

 

[hexagon789]

but the A387 is in Cornwall.

Sorry A487

 

[stuu]

View attachment 143044Maps shows no hamlet, only a castle with no reviews or photos, and a bus stop. There is a Wikipedia page which only talks about the castle and former station. Anyways, 40 minutes along the A487 is not much of an interchange.

It's got signs and it's own speed limit. Hamlet is about right. It had it's own halt pre-Beeching

(photo is a screenshot of Google Street View showing the settlement signs)

 

[hexagon789]

It's got signs and it's own speed limit. Hamlet is about right. It had it's own halt pre-Beeching
View attachment 143047
(photo is a screenshot of Google Street View showing the settlement signs)

That's the Glandyfi I was alluding to, precisely because it had its own station.

 

[Farigiraf]

I'd bet 29 of the 30 people living there don't even know the station exists. Barlaston had a much higher population and look at its situation.

 

[Gloster]

That's the Glandyfi I was alluding to, precisely because it had its own station.

Outside the old station building for Glandyfi is a BR double-arrow station sign marked Dovey Junction. (Visible on Streetview.)

 

[avid2424]

About 6 years ago I did very usefully change trains at Dovey Junction. I was travelling back, having spent a day at Tywyn or north thereof, to Aberystwyth. The train from Tywyn was running late, and indeed would just miss the connection at Dovey Junction into the train to Aberystwyth. To add to this issue, the rail company were in some dispute, and the following trains from Machynlleth to Aberystwyth over the next two hours were cancelled. I spoke to the staff on the train from Tywyn to ask if they could put in a request for the Aberystwyth train to be held at Dovey Junction for 3 minutes to allow a connection to be made

It was a bit scary to leave the train at Dovey Junction, and see the Aberystwyth train and pray that it was still being held

I think at least 3 other people also made that connection

Just to explain the station platform at Dovey Junction. There is just one single edge platform, with a passing loop midway along the platform. So that trains in both directions can share the overall length of the platform. And it is a walk along the one platform, should you be changing trains, and a bit of a walk as you have to go past the points/pointwork mid platform that help create the passing loop

Split tickets work, if you are traveling between Machynlleth and Aberystywyth, provided the train calls at Dovey Junction, and provided you are using a rail card. As is often the case, railcard fares get to be rounded down by a few more pence. So the railcard reduced split tickets save 5 pence. (No saving on splits, if you do not have a railcard)

Sadly the forum charges 20%, and not the usual "no more than 15%" finders fee, if you use the forum's rail ticket facility. So only a four pence saving, once the forum has grabbed one penny

I assume that at 20%, this must be one of the forum's biggest earners, and that the forum will lead the campaign if there are any plans announced to close the station at Dovey Junction

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Just to explain the station platform at Dovey Junction. There is just one single edge platform, with a passing loop midway along the platform. So that trains in both directions can share the overall length of the platform. And it is a walk along the one platform, should you be changing trains, and a bit of a walk as you have to go past the points/pointwork mid platform that help create the passing loop

Aren't there still the two platform faces at Dovey Junction? For trains arriving from the Macynlleth direction, one platform edge will be for trains continuing towards Pwllheli and the other for trains to Aberystwyth?

 

[hexagon789]

Aren't there still the two platform faces at Dovey Junction? For trains arriving from the Macynlleth direction, one platform edge will be for trains continuing towards Pwllheli and the other for trains to Aberystwyth?

That's certainly my understanding, but I believe the Aberystwyth line platform is divided into 2a and 2b - perhaps that's what avid2424 alludes to?

 

[30907]

There are, I believe, genuine users of the station (not to mention the Ospreys nearby and their wildlife staff/visitors).

However, there are several crossing movements in the normal timetable, and these will become hourly if and when the full service is introduced; these generally include a Coast train, so the connection to and from Aberystwyth is made there (eliminating the 50min wait at Machynlleth!)

Back in the days of manual signalling, the same was sometimes the case, with Aber-bound trains shunting between platform and loop to allow a coast connection. I don't think this happened on the coast side, though Mach-bound trains occasionally used the loop and you could have 4 trains there at once.

(Although it's not the example I remembered, the summer 82 timetable online shows a 4-train scenario around 1830 with three through and a coast train starting!)

I imagine it's less confusing to standardise the stop on all trains rather than have some stop and others not.

Aren't there still two platforms at Dovey Junction? For trains arriving from the Macynlleth direction, one platform will be for trains continuing towards Pwllheli and the other for trains to Aberystwyth?

Yes - I think the reference is to the recent platform extension on the Aber side.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Basking adders used to be found (in season) on the footpath......

 

[avid2424]

Foy my journey, both trains used just the same one extended platform. Train to Aberystwyth was waiting on the extended bit (that is the "west" end, nearer the sea). Train from Pwllheli travelling from west to east looped round it, using the track re the opposite platform (if that platform still exists), but used the points to continue to get back to the original easterly part of the now extended platform. So no footbridge to cross. Just a walk back in the direction of Aberystwyth (and the sea) and then board the waiting Aberystwyth bound train

The one extended platform is the one on the north side of the station layout. In days gone by, logically/possibly that would be the Pwllheli platform, if both Aberystwyth and Pwllheli through trains were on different platforms at the station

 

[stuu]

I'm puzzled by this. Have they moved the platforms east of the junction?

 

[The exile]

Foy my journey, both trains used just the same one extended platform. Train to Aberystwyth was waiting on the extended bit (that is the "west" end, nearer the sea). Train from Pwllheli travelling from west to east looped round it, using the track re the opposite platform (if that platform still exists), but used the points to continue to get back to the original easterly part of the now extended platform. So no footbridge to cross. Just a walk back in the direction of Aberystwyth (and the sea) and then board the waiting Aberystwyth bound train

The one extended platform is the one on the north side of the station layout. In days gone by, logically/possibly that would be the Pwllheli platform, if both Aberystwyth and Pwllheli through trains were on different platforms at the station

That’s impossible. The trains using the two ends of the long platform were to/from Aberystwyth as the station is in the “V” of the junction. Well used for interchange the only time I was there.

 

[Pub]

In my old 1974 timetable there was a 11.14 ex aberystwyth to Pwllheli which did not serve Mach. It would have reversed at Dovey using the old 2 platform layout.

 

[Gloster]

In my old 1974 timetable there was a 11.14 ex aberystwyth to Pwllheli which did not serve Mach. It would have reversed at Dovey using the old 2 platform layout.

The previous year’s WTT shows a 11.20 Aberystwyth to Dovey Junction (11.47) and a 11.54 Dovey Junction to Pwllheli; these met or crossed the 09.53 Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth (11.41-11.48 (and a half in each case)). So presumably they kicked the passengers out while they shunted from one side to the other.

 

[Lost property]

There are, I believe, genuine users of the station (not to mention the Ospreys nearby and their wildlife staff/visitors).

Not sure if it was Coastal Railways, or, Countryfile, but one shown recently did feature a regular user....a lady who was a local wildlife ranger and, as she correctly said, not a bad view from the office...also mentioned, hardly surprisingly, all the railway staff knew her.