page_title: Llandudno Junction railway station
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Llandudno Junction railway station / History
caption_attribution_description: Llandudno Junction signal box in 2013
context_page_description: Llandudno Junction railway station is on the Crewe to Holyhead North Wales Coast Line. The station is managed by Transport for Wales, although Avanti West Coast also serves it.
  As a junction for trains to Llandudno and the Conwy Valley Line, Llandudno Junction is the busiest station in North Wales, in terms of the frequency of services, and is also one of the busiest in terms of passenger numbers.
context_section_description: The original station (located to the west of the current station) was opened on 1 October 1858 and served the branch line to Llandudno.  Built by the St. George's Harbour and Railway Company in 1858, this branch line heads north through Deganwy before terminating in the town. Prior to the completion of the junction station, the branch line trains from Llandudno ran through to Conwy.
  This was followed by the opening of a second branch line in 1863 - the Conwy Valley Line - which headed south and was built by the Conway and Llanrwst Railway, and became part of the LNWR in 1867. It follows the valley of the River Conwy to Llanrwst (where it originally terminated) and Betws-y-Coed (a later terminus in 1869), then follows the Lledr Valley and a two mile long tunnel to terminate at Blaenau Ffestiniog, where passengers can join the Ffestiniog Railway.
  Initially the Conwy Valley line ran into a separate platform on the south side of the station, and a refreshment room was built in 1864.  However, the station needed to enlarge in order to cope with both mainline and branch-line traffic, and on 1 October 1897 the present station was opened on a much larger site, the two island platforms offering six through lines with two bays at each end (a total of four through platforms and four bay platforms).  The opening of the new station allowed for the demolition of the former station, but also entailed a diverting of the Conwy Valley branch, which now joined the mainline some half a mile further east.  The old formation was used to store locomotives.
  Three of the platforms on the southern side (both bays and the down loop) were taken out of use in 1968 when the easternmost of the two signal boxes was closed and the track layout altered.  In 1983 the branch junction was again moved slightly eastwards to allow for a new freight terminal (now disused) to be built to replace the original goods yard and another at nearby Colwyn Bay that had been closed down prior to the start of the A55 road widening scheme the previous year.
  The station was also remodelled once more and resignalled at this time and in 1985 a new power signal box was commissioned at the western end, which now controls the station area and junctions along with the main line between Colwyn Bay and Conwy and the northern end of the Conwy Valley branch (using the Electric Token system).  The token machine for the branch is located at the station rather than in the signal box for operational convenience, allowing drivers to collect or return their token (with the cooperation of the signaller) whilst station work is undertaken rather than having to make an additional stop at the box to make the exchange.
  The station was also formerly the site of a motive power depot (which closed in 1966). It was given the code 7A by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, which was altered to 6G by British Railways in March 1952. This had been located just south east of the station, and its site, together with the former adjoining goods yard, now have been redeveloped, but the new flyover road across the site bears the name 6G.
caption: The 1985-built Llandudno Junction signal box
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