AN HISTORIC £200,000 stone station building evoking the era of bygone railway times is set to open at Waunfawr.

The recreated stone structure is in stark contrast to the modern station building on the same line at Caernarfon Station being opened on the same day.

The Rt Hon Lord Dafydd Wigley is set to open the Waunfawr Station for the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways on Friday afternoon and Sir Peter Luff will open the Caernarfon Station, on Friday morning.

The station at Waunfawr originally opened in 1877 as a stop on the North Wales Narrow Gauge Railway between Dinas (formerly Dinas Junction) and Rhyd Ddu (formerly Snowdon Station). Passenger services ceased in September, 1936, due to the closure of the line, by then it was absorbed into the original Welsh Highland Railway.

Waunfawr Station re-opened in 2000, as the terminus of the then partially-restored Welsh Highland Railway, which now runs to Porthmadog. During reconstruction, the original station was dismantled to re-align the track to provide an island platform. The remains of the original building were labelled and stored for future use.

Thanks to a benefactor, construction work on the new building started in autumn of last year, and work progressed steadily over the winter. The building includes a waiting room area, toilets and space for signalling equipment.

Paul Lewin, Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways General Manager said: “Opening two station buildings on the same day is a huge achievement, and thanks must go to the many people involved in the design, planning and construction of both buildings.

“We are proud to be opening a wonderful new facility in Caernarfon but we must be mindful of our heritage, which is why the new building at Waunfawr is so important.”