Valley

Without wishing to be too picky, Valley doesn’t really give the impression of sitting in a valley but more the edge of a coastal plain. The station is on the double-track Chester to Holyhead main line and is the last stop before the terminus, though by no means all trains call there. The solid and unyielding stone building on the up side was opened in 1849. A Beeching closure in 1966, it was reopened in 1982. The Grade II-listed signalbox is adjacent to the level crossing on the road that leads to the nearby village centre, which sits at a junction of the A5.

Nearby is the RSPB Valley Wetlands reserve, which would be a quiet haven were in not for the fact that its right next door to RAF Valley. The resident birds, including Cetti’s warbler, which we heard skulking in the reedbeds, are obviously very tolerant of the occasional loud noises from the fighter jets [we were told that they were Hawks], as well as the less imposing training aircraft that are also based here. The noise made by the jets on take-off is certainly impressively loud. The village of Valley also has an excellent bistro called Catch 22.

The station is managed by Transport for Wales. Trains linking Holyhead with a number of destinations, including Birmingham, Manchester and Cardiff, stop at Valley relatively infrequently. The west bound platform has modern shelters that have replaced the original stone buildings, which were removed during the period of closure. On the up platform, all the doors and windows in the original structure are sealed, leaving it all looking a bit desolate, but at least the station still functions.  

Holyhead

The station at Holyhead has an unusual configuration. I can’t think of another example where a station’s platforms are separated from each other by a dock. I would guess that much of the traffic coming into Holyhead, whether by road or rail, doesn’t give Holyhead itself more than a cursory glance in passing, heading straight for the ferry terminal that faces the buffer stops, prior to embarkation for Ireland.

Maybe that’s not a bad thing because Holyhead is not a particularly pretty place, overall, and the proportion of empty shop units in the centre of town is as high as I can remember seeing anywhere. I know that this is a modern blight on town centres generally and I’m aware of the reasons, but Holyhead has got it bad -and it was raining, which hardly helped. We did find the Grade I listed, medieval St Cybi’s church, centrally positioned and with some interesting features including a very ancient font, which could, we were told, be at least 1,500 years old. The volunteers on duty were certainly full of enthusiasm in describing their valuable heritage to visitors. The same was true at the excellent Holyhead Maritime Museum, a short walk away along the promenade and opposite an exceptionally long breakwater.

Back at the station, all three platforms were fully operational, complete with semaphore signals controlled by a sizeable signalbox at the station throat. Class 67 No. 67013 was parked up in a siding at the head of a Transport for Wales rake of coaches when the Avanti West Coast service from London Euston rolled in. Locomotive hauled trains can still be found on a few services to Manchester and Cardiff, but for the most part it is modern DMUs, notably Class 197, which provide regular departures for Bangor and along the North Wales coast towards Chester and beyond.

As we left the Maritime Museum, one of the guides told us that they were expecting a large cruise ship to visit Holyhead the next day, the deep-water harbour being [I would estimate] the only potential dropping off point for tourists available between Liverpool and Milford Haven. I tried to envisage hundreds of wealthy American and Japanese tourists wandering the central streets in Holyhead, perhaps with a sense of disbelief and even of embarrassment. Maybe they got straight onto a fleet of coaches and headed for Snowdonia, raising the blinds once they were out of town.

There is always something distinctly uncomfortable for me about excessive consumption coming face to face with genuine poverty and hardship. It is tempered to a degree by the gratitude and good fortune I feel at being able to waltz around the country like this, adding exhaust fumes to the atmosphere, whilst taking in the sights and offering some bland observations as I go. At the same time, I’m only too conscious of the widening gap between the haves and have nots in our society, evidenced by the dereliction and general disfigurement of the urban fabric, now more easily recognisable than ever before in many of our towns and cities. 

       

The Amlwch Branch

The Anglesey Central Railway was a 17.5-mile branch line connecting the port of Amlwch with the Holyhead main line at Gaerwen. It served Llangefni, the county town and still the island’s administrative centre, along the way. It opened fully in 1867 and although passenger services finished in 1964, freight continued to operate until 1993 on behalf of the Associated Octel concern at Amlwch. Various attempts have been made since then to reinvigorate the line as a local amenity and tourist attraction. Anglesey Central Railway Ltd has been set up to kick start its resurrection and they have obtained a 99-year lease from Network Rail to that end. The track is mostly still in place and efforts have been made to clear considerable sections of overgrown vegetation from a 7-mile stretch between Llangefni and Llannerch y Medd. Their progress is recorded on their website at Lein Amlwch (Anglesey Central Railway Ltd) - Hafan. Coming across random sections of the railway at Amlwch, Malltraeth Marsh and Dingle at Llangefni last week certainly gave us an impression of the major nature of the task they have taken on, but also provided a glimpse of what a wonderful addition it could eventually be to the railway heritage scene.

 

Betws-y-Coed

The “prayer house in the wood” owes its prominence today to Thomas Telford, the road builder, who chose this valley for his stage coach route from Holyhead to London – now, of course, better known as the A5. It’s an unusual little place. The linear settlement is hemmed in by steep and wooded valley sides with little opportunities for expansion. Nevertheless, it has become a well-known honey-pot tourist site that is just bustling - in the summer months, at least. The attractions include Swallow Falls, Gwydyr Forest outdoor activities and some magnificent Snowdonian mountain scenery for walking and climbing, nearby. As we drove cautiously around each of the bends in the road [at no more than 20 m.p.h.] the procession of cafes and the guest houses with “no vacancies” signs suggested that the tourist side of things is doing OK.

The old station buildings are all occupied by retailers, including some big high street names, as well as a number of fast-food outlets. What a contrast that is with so many railway stations elsewhere on the network with boarded up office spaces that appear to be only one step away from dereliction. You can even get an ice cream burger here. The public car park opposite occupies one of the few obvious bits of flat land. The loos employ an attendant to justify the entry charge, but after an ice cream burger I suppose that you might just have to make use of it.  

The stone-built station on the Conwy valley line between Llandudno Junction and Blaenau Ffestiniog was opened in 1868. The fairly infrequent services are operated by Transport for Wales. The Conwy Valley Railway Museum with its miniature railway lies opposite the station and can be accessed by the station footbridge.

     

The Llangollen and Corwen Railway

What a fabulous line this is – and now extended to Corwen. The beautiful Dee Valley looked even better in the late afternoon sunshine. They have made a great job of the new station at Corwen, constructed by volunteers in convincingly authentic GWR style, with the second island platform road being used as the run-round loop for the locomotive. We were spoiled yesterday by the added attraction of a steam double-header on the last train of the day, as Class J94 0-6-0 tank No. 68067 was assisted by ex-GWR 0-6-0 panier tank No. 7754, which was running in after a recent overhaul. Added to that, a convivial lunch with the best of friends at the excellent and welcoming Grouse Inn at Carrog made for a most pleasant day out.  

 

The Signalman

The Rumpus Theatre Company began their autumn tour this week at the Theatre Royal in Nottingham. This adaptation of The Signalman by Charles Dickens, which was first published in 1866 as part of the Munby Junction collection of short stories, is by John Goodrum, who also took the leading role. The production was certainly well received at our matinee performance.

The well-known ghost story may have been prompted by an accident at Staplehurst in 1865. Dickens had been travelling on a train which crashed with significant loss of life. Though he survived the incident, he tended the injured, some of whom had died. His son later said that Dickens never fully recovered from the event, and he died five years later, to the day.

The Station Buffet Part Six

If SSP and others make careful deliberations before deciding to take over a refreshment room space on a station, it follows that where such opportunities still exist, they may be regarded as marginally viable. An independent small business may choose to step in, but must surely suspect that these sites are vacant because they are risky options. They might have to rely on being able to attract customers that would have walked past a corporate alternative and then hope that word of mouth recommendations will bring more people in.

Within our home county of Nottinghamshire, both former independent operators found the going tough recently. Carriages at Newark Castle closed during 2022, and in April 2023, the “To Let” signs over the windows at Worksop’s highly regarded station café had already been there for some months. That is two of the five Nottinghamshire stations cafes gone, the remaining ones being the chains, represented by Costa at Newark Northgate, Pumpkin at Nottingham and Gourmet Coffee Bar and Kitchen at East Midlands Parkway.

In the A to Z of British Railway stations, details are sparse about exactly how refreshment facilities at stations are organised where they are advertised as being present. There is no indication, for example, if coffee is available from a shop, kiosk, vending machine, or café. Waiting rooms may also have self-service machines within their walls or nearby. Basic information can be accessed via the National Rail website and directly from some of the Train Operating Companies, including South West Trains and Grand Central. Some TOCs run the refreshment services at stations on their routes, whereas open-access operators do not.

However, the buffet still offers a focal point for social activity on stations today. As well as sustenance, it provides a place for solitary reflection and to gather one’s thoughts, a leisurely chat to fellow travellers or an opportunity to check travel plans. Have I got this right? The right train from the right platform, at the right time, and does it stop at such-and-such and do I have to change there, or is it straight through? Though modern video display units and public address systems mean that immediate travel information is much better than it used to be, some people are no doubt outside of their comfort zone on a big station and not everyone is a seasoned rail user who knows the ropes. Then the railway can throw at you its own discrepancies - cancellations, late running and last-minute platform alterations - all matters to be discussed across the tables in the station buffet.

So, what do I look for in my own ideal station buffet? It is located on the main network as the heritage railways provide their own unique leisure experience for their visitors. It stands on the station itself rather than adjoining it, adjacent to it, or just nearby. Platform stalls and kiosks are not included. It is an indoor area with seating - though that may spill outside, al fresco style, where space permits. It serves a range of hot and cold food and drinks and may well be licensed to sell alcohol. Interior design and notable physical characteristics are significant features to look out for in my refreshment room. It is likely to occupy part of the original Victorian station building, so there is often plenty to take in, once I’ve settled into my seat. I’m particularly intrigued by surviving independent operators that provide alternatives to the corporate dominance found elsewhere. From my seat, I wonder what has become of the early railway companies’ original and strategically placed refreshment rooms. Does unbroken service continue there or did the lights go out many years ago? 

Station cafes at Newark Castle and Worksop, both closed since these visits.