Red Wharf Bay & Benllech Branch Line

HOLLAND ARMS STATION

This pretty little station at Holland Arms where passengers could either catch a train for the Amlwch branch line or the Red Wharf Bay and Benllech branch lines.

The track which once lay just slightly ahead of this station branched out with the Amlwch line branching off to the left whilst the Red Wharf Bay line carried straight on in a North Easterly direction.

The station is in very good condition and as you can see actually has some railway line in front of it, which certainly adds to the history and atmosphere. This station is the only brick built one on the Red Wharf Bay branch line, but is almost identical in design to the station at Llangwyllog station on the Amlwch branch line.

The running time according to the timetable from here at Holland Arms to the station at Red Wharf Bay, including stops was a mere 21 minutes.

CEINT HALT

This halt was the first of four potential stops along the Red Wharf Bay and Benllech line and was only about one mile and 1300 yards from the station at Holland Arms and would have taken about four minutes to get here.

After leaving Holland Arms the line would have gone through what is now Mathews Auto Salvage yard and through its second bridge.

Although it did have a platform, which was only just over 20 meters long, this was never a busy halt, in fact unless the driver knew in advance there would be passengers or freight the train would simply slow down just in case there were passengers there.

According to the book Anglesey Branch Lines by W.G. Rear there was a passenger hut which was 15ft by 7ft which was wood in construction, an almost identical one in size and appearance was at the next halt Rhyd Y Saint as well.

Unlike Rhyd Y Saint, when you look through the bridge next to where the halt was, it is a square shape, unlike the bridge at Rhyd Y Saint which is oval.

RHYD Y SAINT HALT

This halt was very similar to the halt at Ceint, the platform was just over 20 meters long and had the same LNWR wooden hut for passengers.

Access to the halt was gained by a flight of stairs from the minor road. Unlike the halt at Ceint this really was a rural stop, with very properties around locally and only about three minutes train ride from the previous halt at Ceint.

PENTRAETH STATION

Opened on the 1st July 1908, this was the first temporary terminus on the line until the station at Red Wharf Bay opened on 24th May 1909.

The station here was situated just slightly outside of the village on the hill and was only approximately 4 miles from the station at Holland Arms.

The station here at Pentraeth was the largest along this branch line, the platform was constructed out of wood entirely and was the longest of all the platforms at just over 36 meters long. The building on the station were all constructed of wood which included a booking office, waiting room and toilets, in 1911 a separate waiting room for the ladies was also added.

LLANBEDRGOCH HALT

This station opened in May 1909 and was situated about a mile from the village of Llanbedrgoch between the village of Pentraeth and Red Wharf Bay.

Similar to the halts at Ceint and Rhyd Y Saint this had a single platform, again fairly short with a length just under 20 meters.

The facilities at this halt were basic, with the same wooden passenger wooden hut as Ceint and Rhys Y Saint. The station had a name plate, oil lamp. Access was from the nearby road, through a gate an down a flight of stairs.

The station was closed when the passenger service ceased on 22nd September 1930.

RED WHARF BAY STATION

This station was the final terminus on the Red Wharf Bay branch line from Holland Arms and was situated in the middle of nowhere, neither in Red Wharf Bay or Benllech.

The station and facilities here at Red Wharf Bay were more extensive than the other stations on this branch line. It had the longest station platform on this branch line, just over 79 meters long in total, constructed out of wood similar to many of the others.

As you can see in the photograph, unlike the other stations, this was one long wooden building, similar in design to those at Old Colwyn and Llysfaen. Its facilities included the booking hall, general waiting room, booking office, ladies waiting room, toilets, porters room and urinals.

This was the last station to be built on this branch line, such a shame it never carried on for another mile into the seaside village of Benllech.

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