Llandudno is one of my favourite seaside towns being tucked up at the side of the Great Orme and it is probably the Great Orme Tramway that most people think of when the subject of transport in the town crops up.
Built for the purpose of carrying passengers and goods up and down the Great Orme. Including coffins for burial in St. Tudno’s churchyard on the Orme. The authorising Act of Parliament was passed in 1898. Construction started in 1901 and the first fare paying passenger was carried in 1902 but only as far as the halfway station because at that time, the top half had not yet been completed. That came in July 1903.
Although much has changed, here we see car No.5 about to depart from the Victoria station at Church Walks in Llandudno.
While the Tramway goes up the Orme, there is a regular service around the Orme. Over the years it has been run by a variety of buses but on this day it was in the hands of,
WND 477
A Leyland Tiger Cub with Duple Britannia bodywork dating from 1958.
New to ‘Spencer’s of Manchester it joined its current operator ‘Alpine Travel’ of Llandudno in 2000.
If memory serves me right , I think ‘Spencer’s were a company that after mergers and take overs eventually became the ‘Shearings’ of today.
D244 FYM
A Leyland Olympian with Eastern Coach Works body again in the employ of ‘Alpine Travel’. This part open topper runs a regular tour that includes Llandudno, Llandudno Junction, Deganwy and across the River to Conwy.
In an earlier employment, fully roofed, it worked for ‘Arriva London’ as its L 244.
W472 WGH
A Volvo B7TL with Plaxton President bodywork.
Another open topper with ‘Alpine Travel’ which again has a London connection in that it worked for ‘Go-Ahead London’ as PVL 72 before coming to North Wales.
CX08 AOG
An Optare Solo of ‘Express Motors’ working the lengthy X1 service from Llandudno to Blaenau Ffestiniog where it either becomes or connects with that companies route 35 onwards to Dolgellau twice a day. A journey of 52 miles.
A couple of foreign registered coaches were parked up.
07-D-48953
A Scania with Irizar PB bodywork in the fleet of ‘Joe O’Brian’ from Wexford in the Irish Republic.
The registration shows the vehicle as being registered in Dublin in 2007.
BZ-ZN-66
A Mercedes- Benz Tourismo in the fleet of ‘boldermann.nl’ a Dutch operator based in Hoogeveen.
Other holiday coaches in the town are represented by
YN12 CZJ
A Scania K440 with Caetano Levante bodywork.
A coach who’s legal titling gives the operator as ‘Apollo’ from Tamworth in Staffordshire.
Previously it has been with ‘Bruce’s Coaches ‘of Shotts in Scotland on ‘National Express' duties and has had a spell with ‘Edinburgh Coach Lines’ on hire to ‘citylink/megabus.com’ and to ‘West Coast Motors’ of Campbeltown.
A widely travelled vehicle.
R222 GEN
A Neoplan N 516 SHD Starliner of 'Generation Travel' of Middlesborough.
From the exotic to the mundane but essential service buses that serve the area when all the exotic stuff has gone home.
‘Arriva Cymru’ Sapphire services have arrived in North Wales with suitably decorated Alexander Dennis Enviro 40D’s plying for trade between Llandudno and Rhyl.
CX14 BXF
CX14 BXS
A VDL SB200CS with Wright Pulsar 2 bodywork working on service 5 to Bangor which then works through to Caernarfon.
This route is branded as the ‘Coastliner’. The wording for which is low down on the panelling behind the rear wheel. It is a good service and well used. Why the ‘branding’ is where it is beats me. Surely it should be at the front where people can see it...!
W136 VGJ
A Dennis Dart SLF with Plaxton’s Mini Pointer Dart bodywork.
Further photos can be seen on my Flickr
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