North Wales Land Cruise..1954

In July 1954, I was on holiday with my family in North Wales. We had rented a cottage north of Talybont. By chance, schoolfriend John Tennent was on holiday at the same time with his family just up the road at Dyffryn Ardudwy. And since we were both keen railway enthusiasts, we had several days out together. One day we explored the Ffestiniog Railway, on another we went to Fairbourne, and on 29th July 1954, we travelled on the Pwllheli "North Wales Land Cruise", joining at Barmouth in the morning, and finishing at Afon Wen, catching a connecting service from there to Dyffryn in the evening.

In the summer of 1954, there were four Land cruises operating on the "circle", that took in the Rhyl, Llandudno Junction, Bangor, Caernarvon, Afon Wen, Barmouth, Bala Junction, Corwen, Denbigh, and Rhyl circuit. Three were from the North Wales resorts of Rhyl, Llandudno, and Colwyn Bay, and the fourth ran from Pwllheli.

A Collett 0-6-0, no 3202, was working the Pwllheli Land cruise on 29th July 1954. The load was 4 coaches, and we were away from Barmouth at 11.23am, 8 minutes late.

The run up beside the Mawddach estuary was a delight, then it was up the grades beyond Dolgelly to Garneddwen, down past Bala Junction, a stop for water and a crew change at Corwen, then on the now freight only line to Ruthin. Down the valley past Denbigh, a crossing stop at Trefnant, and on to Rhyl, arriving at 1.52pm.

We were booked a 1hr 40min stop at Rhyl, during which time we saw BR Std 5 4-6-0 no 73040 on the Up Welshman, Britannia 4-6-2 no 70048 on the up Irish Mail, Compound 4-4-0 no 41166 on a Llandudno to Derby, 45688 Polyphemus, and an assortment of Black 5's, 2MT 2-6-2T's, and several ex L & Y 0-6-0's.

We were away from Rhyl at 3.27pm and headed west along the coast past Colwyn Bay, Llandudno Junction, Conway, Bangor, then down the Menai straits to Caernarvon, where we stopped for water. This was my first journey on the North Wales coast lane, and in the late afternoon sunshine, it was a delight. Then on to single line again for the hard pull up the grades to Dinas, where we crossed a northbound train, then to Penygroes, where we crossed another. Then on past Brynkir and some fast running down the hill to Afon Wen. Due to crossing delays, we were 6 minutes late in. 3202 ran round it's train for the final few miles to Pwllheli, and we changed for the Barmouth line connection.

So at 5.39pm, we were heading down the coast with Dukedog no 9004 for our run to Dyffryn Ardudwy, a journey which should have taken 62 minutes, but in the event took 89 minutes, due to a spot of bother at Penrhyndeudraeth. But that is another story, to be told another time.

And so ended a superb day out.

Note: John Tennent is well known in the Railway enthusiast community. For many years he was Station Master at Hampton Loade, Severn Valley Railway. His interest is mainly in Narrow Gauge, and he runs "Tennents Trains", a model railway emporium based at Hasbury, close to Halesowen, in the West Midlands. We have been friends for over half a century.