Cambrian coast line 1975

[caradoc]

Re Aberdyfi; I love the contrast between the Victorian station building, with multiple rooms, coal fires, canopy etc, and the BR bus shelter which replaced it. What a fall from grace !

[EddieK]

Only just found this post.

My first exposure to the Cambrian Coast was in the Summer of 1977. On the Saturday night that we arrived, my late Father and I had a rummage around Aberdyfi Station - still derelict at the time. We even saw a train, a three car Met Camm 101 on its way to Mach. Our camp that night was in the lay by opposite the cemetery just north of Aberdyfi, with a view of the dunes and the line. 

Then for a few days we camped on the "wasteland" dune area between Barmouth promenade and the railway, opposite the proper camp site that was on the other side of the line. One evening, we took advantage of a cheap "evening rover" ticket, as did seemingly a few hundred other people. The train from Barmouth to Pwllheli and back was a blue Met Camm 101 twin and a Derby 108 twin. The First Class on the 108 was at the very back of the train and we bagged the pair of seats behind the cab on the secondman's side. On arrival at Pwllheli we concluded there was little of interest so we guarded those seats until the return journey when we had an excellent view of the line! 

A great regret was that we didn't feel brave enough to make a cheeky request to have a rummage in the locked room on Barmouth Station that was full of a load of redundant brown enamel signage as the station had just gained the BR black on white signs. I made up for this more recently with a replica Barmouth totem.