May Bank Holiday weekend always brings throngs to Llandudno whatever the weather. It’s extravaganza weekend, the main shopping street in the town, Mostyn Avenue, hosts a funfair, exhibitions, traders, Tom, Dick and Harry. A mass of humanity crowds the town out, eating stupidly expensive take-away food, riding stupidly expensive and largely disappointing rides, being attacked by ever braver seagulls after the next fix of candy floss and generally getting in the way of those of us that actually have constructive things to do.
It’s also the Llandudno festival of transport, basically a big field full of camper vans and motor homes, with a collection of cars, trucks and buses of dubious vintage that you can pay a fiver to go take a look at. Those that manage to make it along the A55 without throwing the contents of their radiators and or oil sumps all over the place anyway…
So, you’re thinking, what has that all got to do with a fairly ordinary picture of a pair of Sheds topping and tailing a set of coaches into the town?
Well, in the past, there were always a couple of charters into the town to bring yet more people into the joyous melee. Heck, even Arriva Trains Wales got in on the act by doubling the Blaenau branch train up to two of their finest 150’s.
This year? Well, I know not what goes on as far as the branch goes. But there are no charters. None. Zip. Zilch. Not one. I have a vague recollection that Vintage Trains had plans to bring a couple of their Great Western kettles to town on a charter from Tyseley. But that got scuppered by the West Coast Railways farce. Don’t get me started on that one.
If a big do like that happening now can’t attract a charter or two, I’d suggest that someone needs to wheel out the life support machine for the charter train business. And fast. It’s barely breathing…
This is 3 May 2010, and 66108 and 66168 bringing a train from London Euston into Ludo Town.
And the irony bit? Well, look to the left of the train, you’ll see overgrown and unusable carriage sidings. They’re no longer overgrown, Network Rail has just spoinged many many thousands of pounds extensively and expensively re-laying those sidings. They look great. But they are yet to see a train…
