Cwm Prysor Viaduct

Cwm Prysor Viaduct, which is occasionally referred to as Blaen-y-Cwm Viaduct, is a railway viaduct which crosses the Afon Prysor in thinly populated uplands east of Trawsfynydd, Gwynedd, Wales. It was built by the Bala and Festiniog Railway. It carried a single track on a line that ran between Bala Junction and Blaenau Ffestiniog. The line it was built for went out of service in 1961.[6][7]

Cwm Prysor Viaduct
Cwm Prysor Viaduct in 2014
Coordinates52.9323°N 3.8235°W / 52.9323; -3.8235
CarriesEx-Bala and Festiniog Railway
CrossesAfon Prysor
LocaleCwm Prysor, east of Trawsfynydd, Gwynedd, Wales
Official nameCwm Prysor Viaduct
Characteristics
Design9 36 feet (11 m) brick arches on stone piers[1][2]
Total length490 feet (150 m)
WidthSingle Standard Gauge Rail
Height105 feet (32 m)[3]
History
Opened1 November 1882[4]
Closed28 January 1961[5]
Statistics
Daily trafficFootpath
Location

History

The structure consists of nine stone arches carrying a single bi-directional track over which passenger trains ran from 1882 to 1960, with freight trains lasting until 1961. The viaduct was the most substantial single structure on the line. It is sharply curved, necessitating the provision of a check rail in its active railway days.[8][9]

In 1953 extensive repair work was undertaken in which the opportunity was taken to raise the parapet and add metal railings on top.[10][11]

A "Last Train" special crossed the viaduct a week before final closure.[12][13] The track was lifted in the 1960s.

The prospect of rail traffic returning over the viaduct is very remote, not least because part of the route has been flooded by the construction of a dam at Llyn Celyn.

The viaduct is the location of a spectacular suicide in episode 8 of the 2018 S4C drama Hidden (Craith).

Modern access

The structure is Grade II Listed.[14] In 2015 the public had a Permissive Right of Access to the viaduct, but no right of way.[15] It is included in widely publicised walks.[16][17][18]

  • The viaduct in modern times
    The viaduct in modern times
  • "Cwm Prysor Viaduct". flickr.
  • "Cwm Prysor Viaduct". flickr.
  • "Cwm Prysor Viaduct". Treasure Maps.
  • "Cwm Prysor Viaduct". Geograph.
  • "The viaduct on 22 January 1961". Harold Bowtell.
  • "The viaduct and line in BR days". RM Web.
  • "The viaduct and line in BR days". Forgotten Relics.
  • "The viaduct and line in BR days". Penmorfa.

References
  1. Baughan 1991, p. 131.
  2. Boyd 1959, p. 546.
  3. The viaduct, via Forgotten Relics
  4. Boyd 1988, p. 47.
  5. Southern 1995, p. 64.
  6. The viaduct on an Edwardian 6" OS map, via National Library of Scotland
  7. The viaduct, via Rail Map Online
  8. Green 1996, p. 38.
  9. Southern, Leadbetter & Weatherley 1987, pp. 62–3.
  10. Southern 1995, pp. 58–9.
  11. Mitchell & Smith 2010, Photo 19.
  12. "1961 last train at Bala, Arenig and Cwm Prysor Viaduct". NW Rail.
  13. Gammell 1983, Plate 12.
  14. "Viaduct over Nant y Lladron". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  15. The viaduct, via flickr
  16. A walk incorporating the viaduct, via Delgellau.com
  17. A walk incorporating the viaduct, via YouTube
  18. A walk incorporating the viaduct, via Keith O'Brien

Sources
  • Baughan, Peter E. (1991) [1980]. A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: North and Mid Wales v. 11. Nairn: David St John Thomas Publisher. ISBN 978-0-946537-59-4.
  • Boyd, James I.C. (October 1959). Mansell, K.G. (ed.). "Bala & Festiniog Section - W.R.". Railway World. London: Railway World Limited. 20 (233).
  • Boyd, James I.C. (1988) [1972]. Narrow Gauge Railways in South Caernarvonshire – Volume 1. Headington: The Oakwood Press. ISBN 978-0-85361-365-7. OCLC 20417464.
  • Gammell, Chris J. (1983). Around the Branch Lines. Poole: Oxford Publishing. ISBN 978-0-86093-213-0. No.2 Great Western.
  • Green, C.C. (1996) [1983]. North Wales Branch Line Album. Shepperton: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7110-1252-3.
  • Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2010). Bala to Llandudno: Featuring Blaenau Ffestiniog. Midhurst: Middleton Press (MD). ISBN 978-1-906008-87-1.
  • Southern, D. W. (1995). Bala Junction to Blaenau Ffestiniog. Scenes from the Past, Railways of North Wales. Stockport: Foxline Publishing. ISBN 978-1-870119-34-4. No. 25.
  • Southern, D. W.; Leadbetter, H.J.; Weatherley, S.A. (1987). Rails to Bala. Rhuddlan: Charter Publications. ISBN 978-0-907157-03-8.

Further material
  • Ferris, Tom (2004) [1961]. British Railways Volume 4 - Bewdley To Blaenau (DVD). demanddvd. DEMDVD084.
  • Turner, Alun (2003). Gwynedd's Lost Railways. Catrine: Stenlake Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84033-259-9.
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