Getting there: Friday, 22nd April 2022
I took the customary 07:30 bus to Wolverhampton, discovering that the £2.60 single fare has risen to £2.80. The pedestrian approach to the station still entails an ever-changing obstacle course as work continues on the modest yet late-running extension of the West Midlands Metro tram service from the current terminus at St. Georges to the railway station.
Wolverhampton Station, showing continuing work on the Metro extension, with the railway in the background (Llandudno trip)
Entrance to Wolverhampton Station with yellow arch and name displayed (Llandudno trip)
I had a few minutes to wait before my train, giving me a chance to study the fire alarm map showing the odd-shaped, vaguely triangular site which the new, unloved building occupies. My train 9S44, a 'Pendolino' service from London Euston to Edinburgh via Birmingham arrived on time. Although this train is only allowed 29 minutes to Crewe, the friendly staff in the First Class section found time to provide a glass of orange juice with two rounds of toast and preserves so that I arrived at Crewe in good spirits. Checking Railcam UK on my 'phone (see post here), I discovered that the Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) in the north end bay platform 9 would form train 1D82 to Chester at 09:51, but the passenger information displays showed an earlier departure from platform 11 at 09:17. A quick check on Railcam UK showed train 1K33 already approaching platform 11 from Chester. A fair number of passengers got off and a reasonable number boarded but the refubished Class 153, operating as a 2-car train provided plenty of space. I noticed extensive tree-cutting as we made the usual speedy run to Chester, arriving in bay platform 1.
Then I was a little unsure of the best train forward. There seemed to be three departures in the next 30 minutes which would all take me to Llandudno Junction but that day arrangements seemed a little disarranged. When in doubt, I normally take the first available service, particularly remembering I needed a connecting service from Llandudno Junction to take me to Llandudno itself. I took the first departing DMU, from platform 3 which I think was 1D33 from Manchester to Holyhead, quite well turned out in TfW livery, well-patronised but not crowded. Chester Power Box controls the line up to the vicinity of the short (99 yards) Rockliffe Hall Tunnel beyond which there is a section of modernised signalling controlled from a Railway Operating Centre (ROC).
The Wales ROC, situated just west of Cardiff Central station opened in 2010 and in 2018 added the North Wales Desk with a single workstation for the Rhyl area, controlling the section from the Chester Power Box boundary in the east to the Llandudno Junction boundary in the west. The control code for signal numbers in the Rhyl workstation area is 'FH', which I assume stands for Fflint-Holyhead.
We made the usual progress, bursts of high speed running alternating with frequent station stops where a flurry of passengers boarded and alighted. During our stop at Fflint (a station I'd travelled from a few months earlier, described in the post Rail Travel in January 2022), I took a couple of pictures showing the well-proportioned station building on the Down side, presumably a relic of the Chester and Holyhead railway company.
Fflint Down Side Station Building (Llandudno trip)
Near Fflint, we passed an Avanti 'Voyager' on the Up line - the 08:55 Holyhead to Crewe, reporting number 1A23. We were under the control of Llandudno Junction's colour-light signals by the time we stopped at Bae Colwyn, which was still known as Colwyn Bay when I was growing up. At that time, like Rhyl, it was an important destination for holiday-makers using the railways, as testified by the broad steps of the footbridge
Colwyn Bay station footbridge, Down side (Llandudno trip)
At Llandudno Junction, we used platform 3 which is one face of the through platform island and, as I hoped, I found the connecting shuttle service to Llandudno waiting in plaform 2, the remaining terminal bay let-into the west end of through-platform island 1 and 3. In steam days, there were two adjacent bays let-into this island, with a similar island platform on the Down side now simplified to a flanking platform 4. As I waited for our departure, a Down train quietly rolled into platform 4, paused briefly and then noisily set off towards Conway. The train was Mark 4 Driving Van Trailer leading a train of Mark 4 coaches and being propelled by a Class 66 diesel electric. It was clearly one of the TfW Preium First services from Cardiff to Holyhead but it was a while before I realised it must have been the 06:45 from Cardiff, running late.
My train was a Class 175 with just a handful of passengers, quite attractive inside, carrying Covid warning signs with pictograms advising mask-wearing, distance-keeping and regular hand washing. We left on time at 10:59 for the short journey through Deganwy, with views of Conwy castle and the estuary of the Conwy river, to Llandudno.
TfW 3-car Class 175 in platform 2 (bay) at Llandudno Junction
Conwy castle and the estuary of the Conwy river
On arrival at Llandudno station, I walked across the booking hall of the modernised station building, through the automatic glass doors and headed along Vaughan Steet to the sea front. The appearance of the sea front betrays its Victorian origins. A broad, pedestrian promenade around the curving bay is flanked by a road with attractive hotels on the landward side with the bulk of the Great Orme to the west and the Little Orme to the east. The weather was dry and reasonably warm but overcast, rendering the offshore wind farm virtually invisible.
Llandudno beach, showing the Pier and the Great Orme (Llandudno trip)
I took the promenade west past the bandstand and, once past the shingle, continued along the sandy beach for a time, returning to the promenade before choosing my next target, either the pier or the Great Orme Tramway. I decided to look at the tram so I crossed to Church Walks, the fairly steep approach to the lower terminus of the tramway, passing hotels and boarding houses on both sides along the way. I discovered that the tram was operating so I purchased a ticket to travel to the summit and back.
The Great Orme Tramway
The Great Orme Tramway ascends on a route about one mile long from Victoria Station to Summit Station at the top of the Great Orme headland in two, completely separate stages requiring passengers to change between lower and upper trams at the Halfway Station which includes the Engine House controlling the cables for both sections. Both sections follow the geography of the land, with changes in gradient and variable curvature. It is a type of cable railway called a Funicular where descending and ascending cars are linked by cable, reducing haulage power requirements.
As built, haulage was by winches operated by steam engines located in one Engine House at Halfway Station. On the lower section, each car was connected by cable to a winch at the Engine House with two cable drums so that as one car is hauled uphill, the other descends. The Upper section is similar but, because the powered winch is at the lower end of the section, a third cable links the upper end of the two cars via an Idler pulley at the Summit station. Electric winches finally replaced the steam engines in 1957. For more information, see Book Reference [1].
Around 2000, funding from the Lottery, the European Union and the Local Authority allowed comprehensive modernisation. There's more information on the Great Orme Tramway website here together with Book Reference [1] and Book Reference [2].
The lower terminus is called Victoria Station because it is built on the site of the former Victoria Hotel. It was some time before the incongruity of this single-track station sharing its name with the rather larger terminus in London (briefly described here) struck me.
Llandudno: Victoria Tram Station in 2014
There are normally three tram departures an hour (although additional services can be added in very busy periods). The tram station was bustling with people and I failed to board the first tram but the overcast was giving way to blue sky and bright sun so I was content to wait for the next service which took me to Halfway Station.
Tram No. 5 ready to leave Victoria Station with a full load.
The lower section shares the route with a public right-of-way for most of its length and uses 'inset' track to provide a level road surface. The haulage cable is below road level with a slot between the rails allowing each car to be connected to the cable. A passing loop is provided at the midpoint of the lower section with the line below the loop arranged as '2-rail' and that above the loop as '3-rail', as explained in the Wikipedia article here). Although the line from the lower section loop to Halfway Station is classed as '3-rail', there are actually 4 rails, with the middle two close together.
Great Orme Tramway: View of passing loop on the lower section from an ascending tram, showing the descending tram approaching the loop.
Great Orme Tramway: View of lower section tramshed at Halfway Station. Note two tracks, side-by-side ('3-rail') as far as the lower passing loop.
At Halfway Station, a brisk walk through the Engine House with the other passengers took us to the waiting upper section tram which departed once we had all boarded.
The upper section passes through unfenced moorland using sleepered track with stone ballast. The haulage cable is above ground, supported on a variety of pulley wheels. A passing loop is provided at the midpoint of the upper section and the line both above and below the loop is arranged as '2-rail'.
Great Orme Tramway: View of the upper section from an ascending tram, with the passing loop visible on the left. Note the level crossing. On the upper section, exit from the loop to either 'uphill' or 'downhill' sections is via a 'trailable' set of points allowing a car leaving the loop to force the points to the correct position. A special Tumbler mechanism then holds the points in that position, so that the returning car is directed to the correct side of the loop. For more information about the 'trailable' points and the Tumbler mechanism, refer to the report on an accident which occured in 2009 here.
Great Orme Tramway: View of upper section passing loop from ascending tram nearing exit points. Note extra 'crossings' to accommodate the cable joining the trams via the Idler pulley at Summit Station
Llandudno: Great Orme Tramway: This small building at Summit Station houses the large Idler pulley on the third cable which connects both upper section trams. Winding for both the Upper and Lower sections is from Halfway Station.
Great Orme Tramway: View of Summit Station and Museum. Note the telecommunications tower
The Summit area was quite busy when we arrived and the car park was well-patronised. There's a large restaurant, various amusements and small museum next to the tram station which outlines the history of the Great Orme. The haze had largely cleared and it was pleasantly warm. I walked for a while taking in the sea views and re-visited the museum but, with limited time, I boarded the next descending tram.
Great Orme Tramway: View of 'top hat' cable pulleys from descending tram on upper section. Note cables clipped to sleeper ends
At Halfway Station, windows give a view of the winch gear as you walk through the engine house to board the tram for the remaining section.
Great Orme Tramway: View of upper tramway cable haulage motor (blue) and gearbox (white) with twin winch drums visible in the background at Halfway Station
Great Orme Tramway: View of lower tramway cable haulage motor (blue) and gearbox (white) with twin winch drums just visible in the background at Halfway Station
On the lower section, there's a road/tram crossing with conventional traffic lights for road vehicles and the usual row of white lights applying to the tram (horizontal row: stop, vertical row: proceed). I believe that a magnet under the tram should ensure that trams always receive a 'proceed' signal: if not, the tram attendant issues an 'emergency stop' and winching (of both cars) halts until the system is reset which I'm told involves a 'magnet on a stick'.
Great Orme Tramway: Road signal (red) and tram signal (proceed) viewed from descending tram on lower section
Llandudno Town
Rather than retrace my steps back to the promenade, I turned into Mostyn Street, the town's major traditional shopping area. Encouraged by the good weather, the street was quite busy. I called in a one shop selling discounted new books, but refrained from making a purchase. I remember trams running along Mostyn street because trams operated along an eight mile route to Colwyn Bay until 1956. There's a Wikipedia article here.
Already fairly tired by my adventures, I determined to have lunch before making the return journey home so I turned into Vaughan Street to reach the promenade and the Imperial Hotel where I enjoyed a leisurely lunch in the enclosed terrace restaurant with panoramic views of the sea.
Imperial Hotel, Llandudno, viewed from the promenade in 2011.
Suitably fortified, I spent a few more minutes on the promenade enjoying the sea air and the sun before walking back to the railway station to start my return journey.
The Return Journey
That's the point at which things started to go wrong. I'd intended to catch a shuttle to Llandudno Junction, connecting with an Avanti 'Voyager' to Crewe. Then, an Avanti London service would take me to Stafford where West Midlands Trains would complete the journey to Wolverhampton. At Llandudno, I walked confidently up to the automatic glass doors and was surprised that they failed to open. Undaunted, I moved to the adjacent manual glass doors and found them locked. Then I noticed a small paper notice secured to the glass giving station closing times. It appeared the station had closed ten minutes previously. Through the glass, I could see the train I intended to catch in the platform and I was temporarily bemused. A kindly pedestrian passing by had seen this little pantomime played out and called "When it's locked, you have to go round the side and through the little gate". Thanking him profusely, I hurried to the car park at the side of the building and found the gate giving access to the platforms, in time to see my train depart.
I was anxious to be on my way but the next train to Llandudno Junction was not for an hour. Before the pandemic, taxis could frequently be found waiting outside but, with a reduced timetable in use post-Covid, the station was very quiet. Then I noticed a taxi office at the far end of the station building. The street door of the taxi office led to a waiting area and an internal door led to a counter behind which a base station radio operator was visible. I ordered a taxi to take me to Llandudno Junction which, to comply with the company's 'Covid Safe' rules, was done by shouting details from the waiting area. I waited in the street for about ten minutes for the taxi to arrive and the cheerful driver quickly drove me to Llandudno Junction station.
I hastened over the footbridge to platform 1 which was crowded with passengers supervised by two well-built security men as an already well-loaded DMU arrived. It took a little while to fit all the waiting passengers together with the security men onto the train and I settled for a cramped standing position next to a door. It appeared that there had been some prior dislocation to the services but I never discovered the details. Using Railcam UK on my mobile phone, I found out that I'd caught the 14:34 from Holyhead to Cardiff, reporting number 1V97, and that we were being closely followed by the 14:50 Holyhead to Crewe Avanti 'Voyager' service, reporting number1A53, so I came up with a plan to disembark at Rhyl and transfer to the 'Voyager'. The surge of passengers and bicycles getting off and on at Rhyl meant that I was trapped at the wrong side of the vestibule and, as the doors closed, I resigned myself to continuing to stand until Chester.
But I was disappointed when we were brought to a stand at Saltney Junction where the former Great Western Line from Wrexham trails in from the right. Railcam UK showed the line ahead clear to Chester but there was a Cardiff to Holyhead service, reporting number 1W94, approaching from Wrexham. "Surely", I thought to myself, "they won't cross this in front of us?". But they did, so we sat there, sardines in a tin, whilst I watched on screen as 1W94 made what seemed its agonisingly slow progress in front of us to Chester and 1A53 waited a block behind us. I can remember when there was quadruple track, paired by use, from Saltney Junction over the Roodee Viaduct and through the tunnels into Chester which allowed two trains to simultaneously approach the station. The arrangements were simplified by British Rail to a simple double-track junction with only two lines over the Roodee Viaduct and additional slow lines (this time paired by direction) commencing nearer Chester which was the arrangement inherited by Chester Power Signal Box in 1984.
Chester: West end of Roodee Viaduct in 2014. Note Guard Rails between Running Rails over the bridge.
My screen showed train 1W94 being crossed to bay platform 2 so, once he was clear, I was not surprised that we were routed into the adjacent through platform 3, leaving through platform 4 available to handle train 1A53 behind us. Once off the crowded train, I made my way over the footbridge to catch 1A53, the Avanti 'Voyager' to Crewe, which was 8 minutes 'down' on departure. There was plenty of space in First Class and I managed a welcome cup of tea on the journey before we arrived in bay platform 9 at Crewe, having lost a further minute on the short journey.
The late running destroyed my chance of connecting with Avanti 'Pendolino' service 9M84 from Blackpool to London via Birmingham which would have returned me to Wolverhampton in style. Instead, I disconsolately watched this train depart from platform 5 whilst I was still heading to the footbridge from platform 9.
Whilst I was trying to work out the next departure towards home, another 'Pendolino' arrived in platform 5 from the Manchester line and the public address announced that it was not in service so, intrigued, I sought more information from Railcam UK which revealed an Empty Stock working, reporting number 5T25 from Longsight Carriage Maintenance Depot to Widnes Transport Technology at Ditton Junction. Longsight is Alstom's centre for bogie maintenance and Widnes Transport Technology is the 13,000 square metre train modernisation and repainting facility opened by Alstom in 2017.
I decided to catch the West Midlands Trains 17:33 stopping train to Euston, reporting number 1U40, alighting at the first stop, Stafford. I made myself comfortable in the rear First Class section of the 8-car Siemens 'Desiro' Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) in bay platform 7, awaiting departure. We were 4 minutes late leaving, awaiting the arrival of a late-running Shrewsbury-Crewe DMU in adjacent bay platform 8 because bays 7 and 8 share a common 'throat' track.
As we passed the remodelled junctions at Norton Bridge (outlined in the post here), we passed a Class 66 hustling a container train north on the Down Slow. Railcam UK revealed this as the 09:32 from Felixstowe via the Northampton Loop due at the O'Connor Freightliner Terminal, Ditton at 19:41.
By now rather tired, I just managed to get off at Stafford platform 1 before the doors closed and the train left. There was a Wolverhampton service expected on platform 4, so I hurried across the passenger bridge, grateful for working lifts.
I was puzzled to see the signal at the end of platform 4 displaying a single, flashing yellow, since I'd never seen a flashing yellow displayed at that location before. Railcam UK clarified that the approaching train was not a passenger but a fast freight: the 15:49 from Garston Car Terminal to Dagenham Dock Reception Ground Frame, due there 23:10. This train, reporting number 6L48, is routed via the Crewe Independent Lines, thr Trent Valley, Northampton Loop, Camden. Stratford and Ripple Lane. This train is allowed to travel at 60 miles an hour and was certainly shifting as it swept through the platform with a Class 66 heading a long train of empty 'Carflats'.
The public address then announced a platform change for the expected passenger train to platform 1 so all the passengers trooped across to platform 1, either using the stairs or the lifts. By the time I was back on platform 1, I realised I no longer had my Canon camera with me.
At first thinking I'd left it on a seat on platform 4, I decided to miss the approaching Wolverhampton train and return to platform 4 to search but I found no camera. Then I became certain that, in my haste to leave the Euston train at Stafford, I'd in fact left the camera on the train seat which was speeding towards London.
I then took the next service to Wolverhampton (a Cross Country 'Voyager from Manchester, reporting number 1O68) and made a report to the West Midlands Train staff at Wolverhampton. The supervisor at Wolverhampton explained that West Midland Trains use a third party website called MissingX to deal with lost property enquiries, although he didn't display much confidence in the arrangements. So I finally caught a taxi home after a mixed day of good and not-so-good experiences.
Book References
[1] 'Great Orme Tramway: The First 80 Years' by R.C. Anderson (Light Rail Transit Association)
[2] 'The Great Orme Tramway: Over a century of service by Keith Turner (Gwasg Carreg Gwalch 2003) ISBN 0-86381-817-X
[3] ‘British Railways Layout Plans of the 1950’s - Volume 10: LNW Lines in North Wales, Chester and Wirral areas’ (Signalling Record Society) ISBN: 1-873228-12-0
[4] ‘A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: Volume 11 North and Mid Wales’ by Peter E Baughan, published by David & Charles (ISBN 0-7153-7850-3) [2].
Related articles on other websites
Great Orme Tramway
Collision on the Great Orme Tramway 15 September 2009
British Rail Class 153
British Rail Class 175
Funicular (Wikipedia)
Llandudno and Colwyn Bay Electric Railway
Related posts on this website
Llandudno by Train
Rail Travel in January 2022
A Trip to the Seaside (Part 2)
Trip to Holyhead (Part 1: Crewe to Llandudno)
Llandudno (2014)
Return to Llandudno
A Trip to the Seaside (Part 1)
Llandudno Railway Station
The Holyhead to Crewe Railway Line
Watching The Trains Go By
Return to Manchester (Norton Bridge remodelling)
My pictures
Llandudno trip (This trip)
North Wales Line (Crewe - Llandudno) All pictures
Crewe Area rail All pictures
Great Orme Tramway All pictures
Llandudno Earlier pictures
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