Great Orme Tramway/Railway

History
The 3ft 6in gauge, Great Orme Tramway, which was built and operated by the Great Orme Tramways Company Ltd, opened on the 31st July 1902.

Unusually for a British tramway, the line was cable hauled, an absolute necessity given the extreme gradients that it had to negotiate (a maximum of 1 in 10.3). The line ascended approximately 550ft in 1.11 miles, starting at a terminus in Old Rd, Llandudno (altered in 1904 and now now as Victoria Station) and travelling roughly northwestwards to Summit Station, which was situated close to the top of the Great Orme (679ft). Rather than a single continuous cable, the line was split into two sections — lower and upper — with the engine house situated in the middle at Half Way Station, where passengers changed cars.

The tramway was an instant success, carrying large numbers, even though the first services only went as far as Half Way Station, the take-up of shares having been insufficient to fund the whole line in one go; the upper section opened to passengers one year later on the 8th July 1903. Operation usually followed the tourist season, so the line always closed over winter.

The tramway never struggled for passengers, but seems to have been inefficiently managed in the early years, with some very short operating seasons (as little as six weeks one year). Things did however settle down, and the tramway seems to have generally made a profit — up until 1931 — paying its shareholders, on average, a dividend of 6%. The tramway even operated during the Great War, though only for 22 days in 1918, due to not being able to purchase a new cable (as a result of war-time restrictions rather than a lack of passengers). It is amazing to think that the line's success during the first 30 years of its life was achieved without operating on Sundays, Llandudno Urban District Council refusing to grant permission, doubtless due to the strongly held religious convictions of the time.

The company's largely uneventful existence was however to come to a shattering halt on the 23rd August 1932, when a drawbar broke and a car ran away, the driver and a small girl being killed, and several others being seriously injured. Whilst accidents happened on most tramways, the difference here was that the very effective automatic emergency brake had been deliberately disabled by staff. Whilst a life-saver in a real emergency, it was possible to activate the brake by poor control of the cable, and once triggered, it took 4 hours to disengage it, during which the tramway could not be used. Someone, at some point, had taken the decision that the tramway was better off without the device, the automatic brakes having in fact been disabled on all cars, probably for the best part of 25 years, and seemingly without the knowledge of the directors. To make matters worse, the subsequent Ministry of Transport inquiry uncovered several other serious breaches of regulations, so the tramway, which closed on the day of the accident, was to remain closed for a just over one-and-a half years.

Not unsurprisingly, the insurance company refused to pay out, and the company, being unable to meet the claims, had no choice but to seek a winding up order, which was granted on the 24th July 1933. A new emergency brake was eventually designed, tested and approved (with the buy-in of the creditors), and services recommenced on the 17th May 1934. Passengers returned, and in December of that year, the tramway was sold as a going concern to a local syndicate, pending the creation of a limited company. The new company — the Great Orme Railway Limited — taking over on the 25th March 1935.

The tramway returned to its uneventful but profitable existence, though after the Second World War, clouds were gathering on the GORL's horizon; Llandudno UDC, which had the right to purchase the line at seven-year intervals, was taking an interest in the tramway. The council duly served notice of its intent in 1947, taking ownership on the 1st January 1949. The track was renewed and in 1957, the expensive coal-fired steam winders were replaced with modern electric ones, something the company had considered, but had been reluctant to do given the spectre of municipalisation.

Other than local authority reorganisations (Aberconwy District Council on 1st April 1974, then Conwy County Borough Council on the 1st April 1996) and a change of name on the 31st July 1977 — back to the Great Orme Tramway — nothing of note has disturbed the operation of the tramway, and it continues to operate successfully to the present day.

Uniforms
Photos of the first 20 years or so of the Great Orme Tramway, which clearly show crew members are extremely rare, so very little can be said about this era with any degree of certainty. The early photo below would seem to suggest that drivers initially wore smart single-breasted jackets with lapels, along with a shirt and tie, and a soft-topped cap, the entire ensemble being devoid of insignia; however, the photo may in fact show a 'proving' run, an operation which would probably have preceded the issuing of uniforms. Photographs taken in the 1930s through to the 1950s clearly show that drivers and conductors wore double-breasted jackets with two rows of four buttons and lapels, apparently without any insignia. Headgear took the form of a soft-topped cap with a glossy peak and a large oval cap badge of unknown pattern, probably metallic (judging by the photos below which show a strong reflection). Given the sparsity of the photographic record, it may well be that these, or similar uniforms, were in fact worn during the preceding decades.

The vast majority of photos taken from the 1940s through to the 1960s show crews wearing long cotton dust coats (probably light brown), presumably over their uniform jackets, or in hot weather, instead of them; these coats appear to have been plain, i.e., without badges of any kind. By the 1960s however, an increasing proportion of photographs show crews without uniforms, or with just the light-coloured dust coats.

A uniform policy appears to have been reintroduced once again in the 1970s/80s, possibly at the same time as the rebranding of 1977 — to the Great Orme Tramway from the Great Orme Railway — after which time photos show staff wearing light blue shirts and ties, along with single-breasted jackets with gold embellishment on the cuffs; caps seem not to have been issued. In recent decades (the late 1990s through to the present day), staff are frequently seen in waterproof and/or fleece jackets, with a large logo emblazoned on the bearer's left-hand breast; once again, headgear of any kind appears to have been eschewed.

As far as I am aware, other than the manager, the Great Orme Tramway never employed inspectors or senior uniformed staff of any kind. Additionally, although the GOT may have employed female staff during the Great War and the Second World War, there is currently no evidence whatsoever — either documentary or photographic — that would suggest they ever did so.

Further reading
For a more detailed history of the line, see: 'The Great Orme Railway' by R C Anderson (Light Railway Transport League; c1950s), later reprinted as 'Great Orme Tramway, The First 80 Years' (Light Rail Transit Association; 1982).

Images

Drivers and conductors
Great Orme Tramways 1900s
Tramcars No 4 and 5 at the lower section passing loop — photo undated, but probably early Edwardian. The tramcars carried curtains for the first two years, so the above photo was either taken after this, or more probably, judging by the pristine condition of the vehicles and track, this was a proving run in 1902. Photo courtesy of the Tramways and Light Railway Society, with thanks to David Voice.


Great Orme Tramway Edwardian driver
A blow-up of the above photo showing the driver, who appears to be wearing a smart jacket and soft-topped cap, without a cap badge. If this was indeed a proving run, the lack of uniform may merely mean that they had yet to be issued.


Great Orme Tramway No 5
Great Orme Tramway No 5 in Old Rd — photo undated, but judging by the livery and the fashions, probably taken in the 1930s. Photo courtesy of the Tramways and Light Railway Society, with thanks to David Voice.


Great Orme Tramways Tram No 5 and driver 1930s
A blow-up of the above photo showing the conductor, who is wearing a light-coloured dust coat and a cap with a metallic badge.


Great Orme Tram No 4
Virtually the identical location, but this time of Tramcar No 4 — photo undated, but probably taken in the 1950s. Photo courtesy of the Tramways and Light Railway Society, with thanks to David Voice.


Great Orme Tramways driver 1950s
A blow-up of the driver above, who is clearly wearing a double-breasted uniform jacket, along with a cap bearing a highly reflective — i.e., metallic — cap badge.


Great Orme Railway No 6 and No 7 1953
Tramcars No 6 and No 7 at the upper section passing loop on the 30th August 1953. Photo by R B Parr, courtesy of the National Tramway Museum.


Great Orme Railway Tramway driver 1953
A blow-up of the above photo showing the driver of Tram No 6. Whilst the cap would appear to be a formal issue (with oval cap badge), the overcoat is probably the driver's own, i.e., self-purchased.


Great Orme Railway Tram No 5 Victoria Station
Tramcar No 5 just entering the Victoria Station terminus — photo undated, but probably taken in the 1950s. Photo by F Wilson, courtesy of the National Tramway Museum.


Great Orme Tramway driver 1950s
A blow-up of the above photo showing the driver, who is wearing a light-coloured summer dust coat. The soft-topped cap bears a cap badge, the precise form of which remains unknown.


Great Orme Tramway No 7 in 1950s
The driver and conductor of Tram No 7 reversing the communication poles at the summit terminus — undated, but probably taken in the late 1940s or early 1950s. Photo by M J O'Connor, courtesy of the National Tramway Museum.


Great Orme Tramway Driver 1950
A blow-up of the above photo showing the driver who, apart from his cap, appears to be in informal attire.


Great Orme Tramway conductor
Another blow-up of the above photo, this time showing the conductor, a grade which appears to have largely evaded the attention of photographers, probably because most shots were of trams approaching the cameraman. He is clearly wearing a double-breasted uniform jacket.


Great Orme Tramway Tram No 4 and drover
The driver spares a glance for the cameraman as he eases Tramcar No 4 into Victoria Street station — photo undated, but probably taken in the early 1960s. Photo courtesy of the Tramways and Light Railway Society, with thanks to David Voice.


Great Orme Tramway driver 1960s 70s
Tramcar No 4 photographed on the 2nd June 1968. Photo courtesy of the Tramways and Light Railway Society, with thanks to David Voice.


Great Orme Tramways Tram No 4 and driver
The driver of Tramcar No 4 in short-sleeved shirt and tie — photo undated, but probably taken in the 1980s or 1990s. Photo courtesy of the Tramways and Light Railway Society, with thanks to David Voice.


Great Orme Tramway No 5 and driver
A driver or conductor aboard Tramcar No 5, in smart blue jacket with gold cuff embellishment at the Victoria St terminus — photo undated, but probably taken in the 1990s or early 2000s. Photo courtesy of the Tramways and Light Railway Society, with thanks to David Voice.


Great Orme Tramway No 5 and driver
The driver of Tramcar No 5 in what appears to be a formal fleece-style jacket with logo — photo undated, but probably taken in the first decade of the 21st Century. Photo courtesy of the Tramways and Light Railway Society, with thanks to David Voice.