Penychain railway station

Penychain
Penychain station in 2009
Location
Place	near Chwilog
Local authority	Gwynedd
Coordinates	52°54′11″N 4°20′20″W / 52.903°N 4.339°WCoordinates: 52°54′11″N 4°20′20″W / 52.903°N 4.339°W
Grid reference	SH428364
Operations
Station code	PNC
Managed by	Arriva Trains Wales
Number of platforms	1
DfT category	F2
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2004/05	2,996
2005/06	2,512
2006/07	2,719
2007/08	2,274
2008/09	2,252
2009/10	2,446
2010/11	2,394
2011/12	3,058
2012/13	3,252
2013/14	3,276
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Penychain from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

Penychain railway station, formerly known as (and still sometimes referred to as) Butlins Penychain railway station, is located by an over bridge at Pen Y Chain on the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd, Wales. This railway station is an unstaffed halt on the Cambrian Coast Railway with passenger services to Pwllheli, Porthmadog, Harlech, Barmouth, Machynlleth and Shrewsbury. For many years the station served the large Butlins Holiday Camp at Penychain.

History

The station was particularly busy in the 1950s and early 1960s when most holidaymakers arrived at the camp either by train or coach. Following the closure of the railway line from Caernarfon to Afonwen Junction (about two miles east of Penychain) and the growing popularity of the motor car, fewer campers arrived by train from the mid-1960s onwards. The station was almost universally referred to as 'penny-chain' by non-Welsh speaking holidaymakers. Meanwhile, Butlins had their own road-going 'Puffing Billy' train to ferry Campers to/from the main railway station on Saturdays. This was also used for trips around the camp on other days.

The Cambrian Coast railway split the holiday camp into two halves. A single-span over-bridge connected the South Camp to the West, Middle, and East Camp areas which were located to the north of the railway line. Penychain station also had its own signal box located just beyond the end of the platform - in the picture shown here.

Although much reduced in size, and now with only a single platform, it is still open and now serves the Haven Holiday Park and caravan park on the former Butlins site. Trains only call by request.

Facilities

An electronic departure board, with announcements of incoming trains, was installed in 2012.

External links

• Train times and station information for Penychain railway station from National Rail

Preceding station		National Rail		Following station
Criccieth		Arriva Trains Wales Cambrian Coast Line		Abererch