South Llandudno

[Trojan]

A branch line ran from the south of Llandudno railway station, alongside Cwm Road. Trains used the line to bring wagons of coal which was burnt to provide steam to run the gas exhausters.

When was this branch line removed? I seem to remember we once had a map of Llandudno on the forum that showed the exact route of the line?

I'm not sure Dave. I'll make some inquiries. I seem to remember a map too - probably submitted by Alphaline?

[DaveR]

I did send an email to Alphaline, asking if he would like to join the new forum but I don't think he ever got round to it.

[DaveR]

On this crop of the aerial photo of the Railway Station I posted,  I think you can see the curve of the branch line?

[Trojan]

Yes, that looks like it.

The building in the lower right corner looks like the old laundry.

[DaveR]

Post on the old Forum(don't know who by, I'm afraid):

"If my memory serves me right the railway line ran from the main line, through the car park of the old Hi Hat building and then went on a curved route through a corridor of tin sheeted buildings (one of which was the old Electric Laundry). It emerged in Builder St West and proceeded on a curve, crossing what is now the corner of the Builders Merchants. On Cwm Road the line went straight and the track is below the grass verge which appears all along Cwm Road on the west side of the road. Where Cwm Road veers to the left, the train track veered to the right and proceeded for approximately 100 yards. I think there was a small turntable there for the engines to turn around. The curved fence to the north of the old Hi Hat building was by the side of the railway line leading to the old railway sidings which were alongside the Railway Station and are now somewhere below that tatty car park in Builder Street."

[Trojan]

That was by Alphaline I'm sure of it.  

The old Hi-Hat Ice Cream factory is the large building to the north of the branch curve. I had an Aunt who worked there. She would regularly bring home large tubs of ice cream which were 'freebies' from the company, well, at least that's what she told me. The only downside was that it was always vanilla flavour - she wouldn't eat anything else. Don't get me wrong, I like vanilla, but not every day.

The trademark for Hi-Hat was a black hat similar to that worn by females in traditional Welsh costume.

I seem to remember the factory closing in the early '70's and standing derelict for a number of years, before Bathers Bakery moved into the premises. 

[Merddin Emrys]

A branch line ran from the south of Llandudno railway station, alongside Cwm Road. Trains used the line to bring wagons of coal which was burnt to provide steam to run the gas exhausters.

When was this branch line removed? I seem to remember we once had a map of Llandudno on the forum that showed the exact route of the line?

This is from the 1925 OS map (with later revisions), shows the branch line well, right in the centre.

[Trojan]

 

[Merddin Emrys]

You can see where it went to, just north of the scrap yard

Llandudno, UK - Google Maps

[DaveR]

The grass verge on the West side of Cwm Road (marked red) is where the line used to run:

[Trojan]

The grass verge on the West side of Cwm Road (marked red) is where the line used to run:

Apparently however, it wasn't at street level, but approximately twelve feet below an embankment along that area.

One day in the early 1950's, some coal wagons became derailed close to where the present day Ysgol Morfa Rhianedd is. A crane was sent from Llandudno Junction to lift the wagons back onto the rails.
Unfortunately, whilst in the process of lifting a wagon, the crane toppled over and landed in the nearby field. Luckily, the crane driver, Dafydd Reed jumped out of his cab before the crane went crashing over.
Another crane had to be then sent from Chester to pick everything up.

[Trojan]

The Tre Creuddyn Estate started with Cwm Place in the 1930's. It stood in isolation until the houses on Maesdu Road were completed in 1945, with the rest of the estate soon following.

Opposite the street entrance to Cwm Place at the foot of the photo can be seen Maesdu Field, home of Llandudno Rugby Club. Forum member Hugo tells us that they were previously called Cwm Place Fields by the locals.

[Trojan]

Cwm Place, forum member Mike Cox's Celestial City on a cold winters evening.

[Trojan]

The Ffordd Penrhyn flats.

[Trojan]

The block of Ffordd Las shops with flats above.