Campbell's Platform railway station

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Campbell's Platform

Plas Dduallt

Campbell's Platform (grid reference SH673418) is an unstaffed halt on the Welsh narrow gauge Ffestiniog Railway, which was built in 1836 to carry dressed slate from Blaenau Ffestiniog to Porthmadog for export by sea. It is 9 miles and 7 chains from Porthmadog and is at 510 feet above sea level. The halt was established in 1968 to serve Plas Dduallt, a small Welsh Manor House (just below the railway) dating in part from the 15th century and where Oliver Cromwell is said to have stayed during his campaign against the Royalists of North Wales.

Colonel Andrew Campbell bought the house in 1962 and undertook a complete restoration. Road access to Plas Dduallt is recent and during the 1960's the Colonel kept his own locomotive on a siding by the halt. He ran his own train to and from Tan-y-Bwlch under running powers granted by the Ffestiniog Railway.

The Colonel allowed the use of his outhouses for hostel accommodation for volunteers. He was a licensed explosives handler and as a volunteer he did much of the rock blasting required on the spiral section of the deviation and beyond. A slate seat has been erected at Dduallt in his memory.

Campbell's Platform (named in his honour) is a private halt available for use only by residents and visitors staying at Plas Dduallt. Intending passengers must check with the Ffestiniog Railway Company before embarking on their journey.

Between Campbell's platform and Tan-y-Bwlch is Coed-y-Bleiddiau cottage, a private residence that was built c1860 for the Ffestiniog Railway's Inspector of the Line. The cottage is over half a mile by steep footpath from the nearest road, and in the 1930's it was used as a holiday home by several families, including that of Kim Philby the Russian spy. The cottage has its own private railway platform, which displays a name board. However, this is not available for public use, and although the location features on the map in the current Traveller's Guide, it is not named as a halt.

[edit] References

J.I.C.Boyd; The Festiniog Railway, 1959, revised edns 1965,1975.
Brian Hollingsworth: Ffestiniog Adventure - The Festiniog Railway's Deviation Project.
Ffestiniog Railway Company: Traveller's Guide.