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THE GREAT ORME TRAMWAY
The Great Orme Tramway is the longest cable tramway in the world and operates from Llandudno in North Wales to the summit of the rather large hill overlooking the town, some 700 feet up.
The tramway is divided into two separate halves each with two cable cars one going up as the other comes down with a meet halfway in between. Service is every twenty minutes. Fare £4.50 return.
A visit is highly recommended and there are literally hundreds of places to stay in Llandudno. The Great Little Trains of Wales are only around the corner so there is enough to keep any enthusiast busy for a week.
The following photographs were taken in April 2005 and give a flavour of the tramway which is unique.
The station at the bottom with a very pretty young lady adorning it.
The inside looking from the top with of course the webmaster as No. 4 driver!
Seats are timber and there are no windows, it being totally open. In bad weather it can be quite interesting and the motorman can freeze to death as he has no protection whatsoever. They do wear their winter woollies most of the year!
The control panel is operated remotely and the driver is mainly there for emergency stops. He has a two pin key tied to himself and if he moves back or for any other reason withraws the key, the system stops instantly. The pins for the key are visible on the front face to the left of the Frey AG plate.
The start is pretty steep up between two houses.
It gets even steeper and cars love to play chicken not that there is much risk as the tram proceeds at a rather sedate 5 m.p.h.
At the first meet Car No. 5 is on its way down.
The maintenance shed complete with pit. There is no through section between the top and bottom and each has its own maintenance section. You cannot run with one car so if one requires maintenance the system cannot operate.
At the halfway there is a fancy sign and here all passengers have to get off the bottom section tram and walk through the building to the top section tram, today No. 6.
No. 6 in all its glory.
Its a Bo-Bo tram.
The axle box is dated 1932.
But the Hurst Nelson plate is 2002 when the last major rebuilding occurred. Many of the local councillors wanted to close it entirely but common sense prevailed - it is absolutely unique - and it was completely modernised in 2002. .
The upper section trams Nos. 6 and 7 have external original wheel brakes.
No. 7 approaches.
The passing loops are quite complex. Each car has its own cable.
No. 7 is on its way down. Notice the motormans pretty well dressed for all weather.
We are on our way up after passing No. 7.
The ticket office at the summit.
The timetable window and as in all this area all signs are bi-lingual and Welsh is the spoken language.
The summit station.
A farmhouse on the way.
Not to mentiona mine.
On portions of the lower section both trams use the same centre rail.
Going down one can look to the right to Deganwy and Conway.
On the left is Llandudno almost a vertical drop and a very impressive view.
The final meet on the way down.
A good place to stay is the Grand hotel which is very reasonable.
The view at night from the hotel is magnificent.
