Colwyn Bay Station in the 1940s - glass screen

[eMeS]

A week ago I passed through Colwyn Bay Station, and realised that the large vertical glass screen which had been a feature during the 1940s along the station boundary on the seaward side, was no longer there. Has a platform and associated track been removed?

I remember spending hours watching the movements in the goods yard between the station and the town centre. (That's now been removed to make way for the A55, I understand.) It must have been quite a load off my parents' minds, as being safer than walking out along the somewhat dodgy jetty, to try my hand at crab fishing...

 

[krus_aragon]

A week ago I passed through Colwyn Bay Station, and realised that the large vertical glass screen which had been a feature during the 1940s along the station boundary on the seaward side, was no longer there. Has a platform and associated track been removed?

I remember spending hours watching the movements in the goods yard between the station and the town centre. (That's now been removed to make way for the A55, I understand.)

When the A55 came rumbling through, two platform loops were removed. Only the two centre platforms remain. The station entrance and portions of the buildings were rebuilt at the time.

I'd never known there was a glass screen there, though! Thank you for that little nugget.

 

[merlodlliw]

I too recall this Glass screen protecting platform three, it was built to keep the passengers dry from the gales & poor weather in winter, It was still there in the early 70s.

Later platform three became a bar & eatery. Another feature of Colwyn Bay station are the cambered tracks,where trains arrive on a tilt into platform one,a diesel with overfull tanks lost over a hundred gallons, due to the tilt, which ended up on the beach.

Rhyl also had a similar glass screen protecting platform three, however at Rhyl it mealy shut off views of the large goods yard. now its a Morrisons.

Anyone recall seeing the Colwyn Bay funfair from the trains.titbit below

Colwyn Bay had the long-standing amusement park run by Pat Collins as part of the expansive Collins empire. This venue was seldom photographed or recorded, and references to rides in residence is not backed up with photographs. The location of the park was tight against the railway line and the old A55 road,



Bob

 

[eMeS]

Thanks for your comments.

I think the glass screen was supported by a steel framework and the glass didn't reach ground-level, stopping at around 4'-6' above. (Or is my memory playing tricks...)

One thing which did surprise me at Colwyn Bay was the (additional) Welsh spelling on the station name-board. Back in the 1940-50s I can't remember hearing any Welsh spoken either in Colwyn Bay or when we visited Llandudno, and remember being surprised in later life when I heard that North Wales was the main area for Welsh being spoken.

Another memory from that era was the aroma of coffee in the pier's cafeteria. Coming from a home where tea was the staple drink, the coffee aroma added a touch of glamour to our holidays! (I was 10 in 1948.)

 

[Toots]

There was indeed a wall made up mainly of glass windows,when they rationalised (ruined) the station a few years back I think it went then, and if I remember correctly there was a steam engine on the other side of it! hock:

 

[OuterDistant]

ISTR seeing a photo of Llandudno Junction from the 60s, with a glass screen there as well.

 

[merlodlliw]

Thanks for your comments.

I think the glass screen was supported by a steel framework and the glass didn't reach ground-level, stopping at around 4'-6' above. (Or is my memory playing tricks...)EmEs quote.
.............................................

Correct, same at Rhyl. the Former LMS & its predecessors' must have put up many of these screens. I am sure there was a glass screen at Chester on platform 7? where the electrics
run from,there was a freight yard behind & the L.M.S warehouses which recently burned down.
On another point, the line from Colwyn Bay to Llandudno Junc used to be four track, I have seen a LMS advertising film made I think in the 30s, showing all four tracks in use with various L.M.S locomotives travelling between Llandudno Junc (up) to Colwyn, the locos were filmed several feet behind each other giving a view of all four, I presume the filming was done on a Sunday morning. Now two of the tracks make up the "Expressway"

I saw this film when "Sunday Evening Rail films" were shown at the Mold Cinema a few years ago. Forget who the presenter was,but he was on stage taking about & asking about the local North Wales films, the evening ended with a feature, usually Will Hay,Arthur Askey etc.

Bob

 

[blue87]

found an old picture here http://www.6g.nwrail.org.uk/northwalesstations.htm

 

[eMeS]

What a fantastic website for nostalgia!

I must look through my parent's negatives from the period, and see if there's anything worth adding.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

found an old picture here http://www.6g.nwrail.org.uk/northwalesstations.htm

What an excellant selection of archive quality photographs. The pictures of the stations at Afon Wen, Amlwch and Caernarfon brought back memories of the late 1950's period when I travelled by rail.

There was a good picture of a member of the GWR "Dukedog" class, at Afon Wen, that did much sterling work on the Cambrian Railways, where their relatively light tonnage of engine and tender made them ideal for the route. They were re-built amalgamations of the "Duke" and Bulldog" class locomotives. The boiler and cabs were from the "Duke" class and the frames were from the "Bulldog" class.

 

[merlodlliw]

found an old picture here http://www.6g.nwrail.org.uk/northwalesstations.htm

Excellent find, the glass screens at Colwyn can be seen in the 1914 pic,I had forgotten the glass on the other side (down).I forget was this a bay,as I only recall three platforms.
Also the picture of Kinmel Bay Station. known to me as Voryd, was at the junction with the Denbigh line,about two miles out of Rhyl.
Bob