Llandudno and Colwyn Bay Electric Railway


The Llandudno and Colwyn Bay Electric Railway operated an electric tramway service between Llandudno and Rhos-on-Sea from 1907 and extended to Colwyn Bay in 1908. The service closed in 1956.

History

The Llandudno and Colwyn Bay Light Railway Order of 1898 authorised the construction of a tramway from Colwyn Bay to Deganwy. There were substantial delays in construction and only a short section of line had been built by 1904. The original company was taken over in July 1906 by the Llandudno and District Electric Construction Company.
Work restarted in 1907 and the line from Llandudno to Rhos-on-Sea was soon ready. On 26 September 1907 the company got permission for services to start, and it opened on 19 October 1907. The section of line to Colwyn Bay, top of Station Road was completed by 7 June 1908 and the final extension to Old Colwyn was opened in 1915. In 1913 the Gloddaeth Avenue to Dale Road was abandoned and the Colwyn Bay - Old Colwyn section was closed in September 1930, being cut back to Abergele Road/Greenfield Road corner on the.

Fleet

The company livery was red and cream until the late 1920s when it changed to green and cream.
The line suffered from substantial damage in storms in January 1952. Although repairs were carried out, storms the next year did as much damage again. In 1954 the company applied for a licence to convert the service to motor buses. Although the local councils objected, there was little that could be done and the line closed on 24 March 1956.
The Llandudno and Colwyn Bay Tramway Society has restored the body of ex-Bournemouth No126 which is similar to ten ex Bournemouth trams which did operate on this tramway.. origi