Come to Llandudno and Ride the T! (The Great Orme Tramway (Llandudno, Wales))

Member Name: SusanLesley

Product:	The Great Orme Tramway (Llandudno, Wales)
Date:	29/11/04 (1675 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fun, interesting, not expensive

Disadvantages: Can get busy in the height of season

So what is all this 'Ride the T' about then?

Well the 'T' as it is nicknamed is the Great Orme Tramway here in Llandudno. It travels from the town to the summit of the Great Orme. I won't go into detail about the Orme itself here as this review is purely about the Tramway, but I have written a comprehensive review about the Orme if you fancy learning more about the place.

Anyway back to the Tramway.....

What is so special about it?

Well it is unique in the United Kingdom for a start as it is our only funicular Tramway and it is one of only two in the whole of Europe! Incidentally the Cambridge Dictionary defines the word funicular as follows - 'a special type of railway which travels up and down steep slopes, with the carriages being pulled by a strong metal rope'.

It is the only cable hauled Tramway in Great Britain that crosses public roads, and still uses the original Victorian carriages.

Where is it?

As I said in the introduction is travels up and down the Great Orme in Llandudno, North Wales. The lower station, Victoria Station, is located on Church Walks a short but uphill walk from the roundabout by the pier. The upper station is located at the Summit Complex of the Orme where there is a restaurant, gift shops, amusement arcade, pub, children's play area, information centre and pay and display car park. The upper station for the cable car which also runs up and down the Orme is also here at the summit, the lower station being in Happy Valley at the base of the Orme near the pier.

There is also a halfway station where you have to change trams to get to the summit or you can get off here to visit the tea rooms or the Great Orme Copper Mines (yes, I have done a review about these too!) and resume your journey on a later tram although in the height of the season you may struggle to get a seat.

There is on road parking in the streets around Victoria Station but it does get pretty busy during the peak season.

There are toilets at both the Summit Station and Victoria Station.

How much does it cost?

Return fares are currently £3.95 for adults and £2.80 for children, with discounts for school parties, families and large groups. You can also purchase single tickets if you fancy walking one way or maybe combining the Tramway and the Cable Car by going up one way and coming down the other? There are also tickets available which combine the cost of the Tramway with admission to the Copper Mines.

How often does it run?

The trams run every 20 minutes from 10am until 6pm from the beginning of April to the end of October each year. Unlike the Cable Cars they are not usually affected by inclement weather although it can get draughty as the trams do not have any windows! Each tram can seat 48 passengers so, even in high season; you don't usually have to wait very long.

So what about the technical stuff then?

I left this bit until after I had explained the where, how much and how often so that those of you not interested in this bit could skip it and get off to 'Ride the T'!

The full technical name of type of tramway on the Great Orme is a double reversible funicular with passing loops. How's that for a mouthful? No wonder they call it the 'T'!

There is 800m of track to from the base to the halfway station and a further 750m from there to the summit. The track is single with a passing loop on each of the two sections, as the trams run two at a time - one going up as the other comes down.

The lower section operates by means of a winch drive with the haul ropes in a slot below street level. The two ropes each wind to pull one car up and the other one down, with the weight of the descending car helping to raise the ascending car.

The upper section is more complicated and has three ropes, one which links the two cars over a pulley at the Summit Station and the other two going from each car to the winding drums, with a system of weighted pulleys taking up any slack cable.

The cars are permanently attached to the cable and the speed is controlled by the engineers in the winding house.

Communication between the cars and the winding house is obviously essential as the cars need to meet at the passing place and a Swiss-designed inductive loop system was introduced in 2001 so that all the engine drivers know exactly where all the other cars are on the system.

The four trams (two on each section) are made from wood and are named after Saints. They are each 37 feet long and 7 feet 6 inches wide and seat 48 passengers in wooden seats in blocks of four - two facing two.

So what about the history?

As Llandudno increased in popularity in the 19th century local businessman decided to build the Tramway to make the ascent to the top of the Orme easier for the visitors and the first Trams ran on the lower section 31st July 1902 and on the upper section on 8th July 1903 - so it has recently celebrated its 100th birthday! These first two years saw the Tramway carry more than 70,000 passengers each year!

Victoria Station was built in 1903 and has changed little from that day to this.

Here has only ever been once serious accident on the Tramway in over 100 years and it happened on 23rd August 1932 when the steel drawbar broke on one of the cars and broke free from the cable. The car was descending the steepest section of the track at the time and, although the driver applied all the brakes, the tram hit the wall where the track curved killing the driver and a 12 year old girl. The trams did not run again that year.

A new brake device was installed in 1933 which now means that the cars will be brought to a halt automatically in the speed exceeds 6.5 mph - so don't expect a white knuckle ride then will you?

In 1956, with the trams carrying in excess of 250.000 passengers a year, the winding gear was converted from steam to electric drive.

The Great Orme Tramway has recently undergone a £1.3 million pound refit which included the relaying of the entire track during the winter - not a job for the faint hearted, it gets pretty cold up on the Orme in the winter weather!

So what else is of interest?

When you reach the Halfway Station to change trams for the remainder of your journey you walk through the station where you can see the winding gear and machinery and there is lots of information about the Tramway and its history with some great old photographs.

The visitor centre at the Summit Station has lots of information about the Orme itself and its flora and fauna and it also has the light that was used in the Great Orme Lighthouse now a Hotel.

So would I recommend it?

YES, YES, YES!!!

It really is worth a ride if you want to get the top of the Orme. It's a long steep walk and its 207 metres high so you'll need to be fit to attempt it.

The views from the Tram over Llandudno bay are amazing as are the views across the Orme itself often dotted with sheep and the pure breed Kashmir goats.

So the simple answer is try it for yourself - it is well worth the money!

Is it suitable for disabled people?

Well as I have already mentioned the walk up to the lower station is a steep one and there is only on road parking facilities at that end.

As I have also already mentioned there is a car park at the top so you could drive up and do the Tramway down and then back up.

As for wheelchair access I don't think that the Tram would be able to carry a wheelchair as it is, but they would be able to carry them folded as they do with pushchairs, if that's any help.

And finally ...

The website address is www.greatormetramway.com

The telephone number is 01492 575275

The address is

Great Orme Tramway
Victoria Station
Church Walks
Llandudno
LL30 1AZ

Summary: A great way to travel up the Orme