This book takes readers on a spectacular journey across North and
Mid-Wales in the thirty-year period from the mid-1950s onwards. In full
color, it features scenic railway main lines and branches; ports, canals
and shipping including the Liverpool & North Wales Steamship Company;
cable and electric tramways; all manner of connecting bus and coach
services in urban and rural settings; and a few surprises along the way.
Highlights include superb views of the trams owned by Llandudno & Colwyn
Bay Electric Railway; long-gone branch lines; much-loved locomotive
types; very rare color views of some Crosville bus types; and a
remarkable assembly of horse drawn, steam-powered and
electrically-operated narrow gauge railways which survived in industrial
locations barely changed in well over a century. These include the
imposing slate quarry settings of Dinorwic and Penrhyn, recorded by
intrepid photographers, who captured the arduous and dangerous working
conditions of the miners as well as the hustle and bustle of the
internal rail systems and their links to the coastal ports. The historic
nature of these sites has now been recognized globally, with the
awarding of UNESCO World Heritage status to the Slate Landscape of
Northwest Wales. With the authors drawing on their own early personal
memories, this book should evoke nostalgic memories for local residents
as well as for those who were fortunate enough to have holidays or
arrive as day-trippers. It will also hopefully encourage today's
travelers to seek out the spectacular coastlines, dramatic hills and
mountains, rolling countryside and farmland - not to mention the Great
Little Trains of Wales - for which the region is renowned.
