A VIRTUAL TRAM ride from Llandudno to Colwyn Bay is now available, for a route that has not been used for over 60 years.
The electric tramway between Llandudno and Colwyn Bay closed long ago yet still fascinates people – and now anyone can use their smartphone to take a virtual ride along the route.
A tram ride between the resorts was a holiday highlight in the years before and after the Second World War, especially in fine weather when passengers enjoyed the scenery from the open top deck or from the “toast-rack” trams, which had no bodyshell but just rows of seats on a chassis.
For residents, the trams provided dependable transport, even when snow halted the competing buses.
The tramway closed in 1956, having run for almost 50 years.
Now a HistoryPoints project has teamed up with the Llandudno & Colwyn Bay Tramway Society (L&CBT) and Conwy Archives Service to present old photos of the trams at 18 locations along the route, where QR codes are displayed.
MORE: Nostalgia: The Llandudno and Colwyn Bay Electric Railway
Anyone can scan the codes with a smartphone to see how the narrow-gauge tramway appeared at that location and to read information about the trams.
The QR codes link to corresponding pages on the HistoryPoints.org website, with each page linked to the next tramway location in either direction, enabling readers to follow the route in person or when viewing the website at home.
One of the featured locations is Bodafon Fields, where thousands of enthusiasts will flock over the May bank holiday weekend for the Llandudno Transport Festival.
The QR codes at the entrance to Bodafon Fields show how the trams ran through the fields, including a rare aerial photo taken during the Second World War.
MORE: Nostalgia: The Great Orme Tramway celebrates 120 years
The Llandudno & Colwyn Bay Tramway Society has rescued a tram body and has built a full-size replica body, but will sadly not be able to visit the Transport Festival.
Instead, the society will have a display inside an old Crosville bus which will include a working model of the Rhos-on-Sea section of the tramway.
Clive Myers, chairman of the society, said: “Our current aim is to keep alive the memory of the tramway for people who rode it, for people who visit the area and for school pupils to understand this aspect of their area’s history.
“The QR codes are a good way to bring the story of this fascinating and much-missed tramway to a new audience.”
For older people, the photos and stories may rekindle memories.
Some of the web pages include recollections from residents, including a mother who used the double-deck trams because – unlike buses and the smaller trams – they had space for a pram.
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