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Llandudno, Promenade 1890
Llandudno, Promenade 1890 Ref: 23236
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 Llandudno, Tram Track c1935 (ref: L71230) |
Year: 1930s
''Tram Crash on Tabor Hill''
On Tuesday, August 23rd 1932 there occurred at almost exactly the same spot from which this photo was taken, the most serious runaway and crash that ever ocurred on the line. Car no. 4 broke away from the haulage cable at the spot that the tram is shown above. Rapidly gathering speed and toppling onto the wall to the left of the image, it uprooted a tramway standard (pole) flinging it up the lane by where the children are standing. The roof of the wildly canted tram crashed along the wall, this dislodged coping stones from the wall which fell into the tram causing passenger injuries. The driver, Edward Harris was thrown sideways from the front platform, into the wall and was sadly crushed to death. Apparently riding with the driver on the front platform, was a twelve year old girl named Margaret Worthington. She was badly injured and died at the local hospital within hours of the incident. Other passengers sitting near to the glazed bulkheads were thrown into the windows suffering severe cuts. Almost all of the others suffered severe shock and whiplash injuries. The conductor was Jim Coleburn who had jumped from the rear platform without injury. The driver had courageously scooped up the child and was thrown from the tram with her in his arms. Sadly they were thrown between the wall and the tramcar.... Normally, such an act of bravery would earn substantial recognition but - passengers were not supposed to be carried on the platforms while the tram was in motion. There were only three small motor ambulances available in the town that afternoon and they were soon overloaded. Some casualties were taken to the hospital by taxis impressed by a local Police sergeant. After treatment 20 passengers were released but 15 were either kept in hospital or had to receive ongoing attention. Of the passengers, the most notable was the Bishop of Killaloe. Rabbi Harris Levin of Cheetham, Manchester was also on board, accompanied by his wife Sarah, who fared rather badly. This gentleman subsequently sued the Great Orme Tramway for the [then] enormous sum of £4000 for shock and injuries - a subsequent settlement was agreed at a more modest £1000 however. But there were also other claims of over £10,000 by other unfortunate travellers. The tramway company whilst viable was hardly awash with funds and these claims compelled the winding up of the company. Subsequently it passed into the hands of The Great Orme Railway Co. - but that's another story.. But what caused this catastrophe ? All of the trams are connected to the haulage cables by means of a metal drawbar. This is in permanent grip with the haulage cable and is secured to the upper bogie between the wheels. It 'sticks down' through the slotted channels between the rails. New drawbars had been manufactured by a Manchester company and one had recently been fitted to car 4. The 'Vibrac' steel had an internal directional tension in only one direction, wheras the tram drawbars required an internal tension in two directions, ie from top to bottom AND SIDE TO SIDE. Without 'sideways strength' the product was flawed and unfit for purpose. The tramway had ordered components without properly specifying the required qualities of the materials that the drawbars were to be made of! Disaster was inevitable... Moreover, within a very short time of the tramway opening, it emerged that an emergency slot brake which had been initially fitted was removed from both lower section cars. So for almost thirty years the trams had gone up and down hill with only their wheel and slipper brakes operational! These facts became evident during the enquiry and subsequent report of February 1933. On a more confident note, the trams were subsequently fitted with new highly efficient wheel, slipper and emergency brakes which remain in use today. Just uphill of the children shown is a stone drinking fountain which is let into the wall. Sometimes called Idwal's Folly, it was fixed into the wall to provide refreshment [at one old penny for a cupful of sparkling cool water] for people walking up the hill. The crystal clear spring had appeared overnight and the nearest property owner, Idwal, cashed in ... A few months later the spring mysteriously dried up [shortly after another local house owner discovered a badly leaking water tap in the cellar of his home!!], leaving Idwal with a useless memorial to his folly and greed. Last edited: 20/10/2008 10:05 by John Owen |
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Year: 1990
Christ Church, Arvon Avenue
Does anyone have any memories or photgraphs of the church and or the church house next door? I know the Sheperd family lived in the house and that the Reverend Sheperd preached at the church, that's all I have (except that I know the church closed its doors as a place of worship a few years ago and nothing has happened to it since). Ken Edwards. Last edited: 29/09/2008 10:00 by Ken Edwards |
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 Llandudno, Upper Tramway c1905 (ref: 2197A) |
Passing Place on the Upper Section, Great Orme Tramway
This is a photograph of two tramcars, Nos 6 & 7, at the passing loop above the Great Orme Mines. They are painted in the Dark Ochre livery which was only used for a few years after the upper line's opening in 1903. The haulage cables are clearly visible, these being of seven eigths of an inch diameter. They roll above ground on 12 inch sheaves and are guided by 'top hat' profiled pulleys. Every pulley requires greased lubrication on a daily basis, this being a backbreakingly unpleasant job. Without this, the cables would wear out quickly and would literally scream in protest! One can also see the two trolley poles mounted on each roof, these being used singly for signalling purposes. It was at this spot that a 'washout' of the track ballast took place in the late 1990s. This caused the upper section to be temporarily closed and required reballasting and new pointwork equipment was installed. A safety camera was found to be necessary, there having been several attempts to tamper with safery equipment here. 100 feet from here the tramway passes through a low cutting in the hillside. It was here that one of the drivers - we'll call him Bill - was driving No 7 through morning mist in 1993 when a mountain goat jumped from the embankment onto the front platform of his tram! Bill was butted almost off the platform and only just kept his grip on the handrail. The goat wasn't very happy with his perch and jumped off. Now, all of this tripped the safety switch causing the two trams on the upper section to stop suddenly, throwing Bill off the platform alltogether. When he radioed to the winding house what had happened, this brought forth peals of unsympathetic laughter in response and, for several years after, his colleagues warned new aquaintances of Bill's fatal attraction to the hillside goats! Last edited: 22/08/2008 09:07 by John Owen |
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 Llandudno, the Great Orme Railway c1960 (ref: L71693) |
Year: 1960
Great Orme Railway, Ty Gwyn Road Passing Loop
The Great Orme Tramway is split into an upper and lower section at Halfway station. This photo is taken on the lower section at the middle passing place, situated on Ty Gwyn Road just above Black Gate. At this point, car 4 takes the outer rails to pass car 5 which passes on the hillward side. The roadway here is 'pinched' [ie it suddenly narrows] and has on occasion been the scene of minor crashes with cars heading downhill whose drivers have not taken into account the outward swing of the front of the tram. Despite safety road markings, the tram driver sounding his warning horn etc., the writer was conducting number 4 on the occasion of a brand new car heading downhill venturing into the danger zone and having it's front and nearside panels brutally filleted by the front left step. The car driver waved his hands as if to indicate to the tram driver [who rejoiced in the nickname of "Bob Dog" ] to steer away!!! As if he could!!! The car was very severely damaged but the tram sustained only a minor scratch to its paintwork on the step. Our passengers were unharmed and seemed to think that the 'Brummie' car driver's antics and [understandable] hysteria were very entertaining. When the police attended, they even suggested that his bad driving was entirely to blame - cue for more hysteria and unsympathetic laughter from the passengers!!! After twenty minutes delay we were off again towards Halfway station. Up past Ty Gwyn curve and on to Killens Hill, the steepest part of the lower section. The steepest gradient is approximately 1 in 39; this is where the yearly safety tests are carried out before the season begins. The tram is overloaded with sandbags, the speed governor is bypassed to allow for a speed in slight excess of 5mph and when the brake is applied the tramcar stops in approx 10 feet. Fantastic to observe. The trams in the photo are in the dark blue livery which was changed to a brighter shade in the 1980s. [The original livery was 'Deep Ochre' but was replaced within a few years of the line opening by a very dark blue which, with the appliccation of several coats of varnish appeared almost black.] As opened, the tramway had two types of tramcar. Cars numbered 1, 2 and 3 were small, four wheeled trailers which were used to carry goods and coal fuel for the winding house boilers. Occasionally used to convey coffins to Halfway from whence funeral corteges would carry them to the nearby St. Tudno's Church for burial; these small tramcars ceased to be used in the early 1920s and lay, unused and unloved, at Halfway, becoming an increasing eyesore. By 1930 they had all been disposed of as store-huts at the local farms. [The last one was at Pink Farm until the 1950s, but by that time it's passengers were chickens and the occasional goat.] The remaning four passenger cars are numbers 4 & 5 which work on the lower section, with numbers 6 & 7 on the upper. They are 37 feet in length with transverse wooden seating for 48 passengers. They were constructed in 1902/3 before people considered their awkward access for disabled or youthful passengers, let alone modern day [supposedly] collapsable prams! There are no side windows in any of the trams, the only slight concession to comfort being glazing to the end bulkheads. This prevents winds blowing from one end of the car to the other, but is no protection from winds and rain blowing accross the cars. The nature of construction of the cars has to allow for considerable deflection to their structures, they 'twist'. Any attempt to fully glaze them would fail. The driving staff were for many years provided with 'ironmongers' brown dustcoats as a basic uniform. For some years in the 1950s these became dark grey. In the early 1990s the tramway's administrator and [effectively] manager Rosemary Sutton, designed new uniforms in mid blue with gold braiding. After looking rather downmarket for many years, the staff now looked like airline pilots. This heralded a continuing period of municipal pride in the tramway. The overhead wire to which the tram was connected by means of a trolley pole, was used to signal to the winding house which was situated at Halfway station. Small telephones were fitted above each tramcar's platforms, these being used to communicate to the winding house when the trams were ready to proceed or needed to stop. This cumbersome process lasted until 1990 when radios took over. Similarly, for many years the only warning of the approach of a tram would be the clanging of a gong, operated by a treadle on the floor of each car's platform. These were barely audible above the general clangour of the car so they were replaced at the same time as the telephones, with hand held, compressed air warning horns. The Great Orme Tramway is, in 2008, equipped with effective and modern safety and operating equipment. Recent track relaying and the creation of a modern Halfway depot which incorporates modern engineering, operating and passenger facilities, make a ride a great experience. One of only a few surviving street cable tramways [others at San Francisco and Lisbon], it's survival is an amazing example of Victorian engineering and a credit to it's owners and the men who keep it going. Last edited: 22/08/2008 09:10 by John Owen |
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 Conwy, Marine Walk c1955 (ref: C156251) |
Year: 1963
Holidays at Conwy A memory of Conwy, Gwynedd For several years in the early 60's our family spent our summer holidays at the caravan park just outside the town of Conwy. I have very happy memories of visiting the castle and the lovely town. Often in the late afternoon we would walk to town via the Harbour Walk and spend a lovely evening by the harbour quay where I recall there was a little pub where you could sit outside. My father would have a beer and my mother a shandy. Along the Harbour Walk there was an old sanitorium which had fallen into disuse. I wonder whether it's still there, it seemed a fairly substantial building. My brother and I were amazed by the "smallest house", there was really only enough room for 2 people inside and very short at that. We had marvellous times in Conwy, the beach was pristine and the water beautiful. We would swim and sunbathe all day. I still have photos of our holidays at Conwy, we are in our swimsuits by the beach and my mother is sunbathing. I recall lovely hot summers in Conwy and the ice-cream parlour at the caravan park which sold gorgeous ice-cream sundaes in a tall glass. It all seems like a dream. Last edited: 11/04/2007 09:13 by Joan Grey |
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