🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Travelling on the Great Orme Tramway in Llandudno

During a recent trip to North Wales, friends and I visited Llandudno and took a ride on the Great Orme Tramway or Tramffordd y Gogarth if you're a native Welsh speaker. Now operated by Conwy County Borough Council, this 120 year old system is the only cable-driven tramway system in Great Britain that continues to operate on public roads.
Our journey starts at Victoria Station in the centre of Llandudno where you can buy your tickets, either one way or return. I imagine during summer it is very busy but when we visited, our tram was full but there were no huge queues. We boarded tram number 4 and ascended the hill to Halfway Station; this is the lower section and opened in July 1902.
Upon alighting at Halfway Station, we walk through the motor house to the other side where a second tram waits to take us along the upper section to Summit Station; this section opened in 1903. For this journey, we had tram number 6 and as we enter the passing loop, the descending tram passes us.
The views from the top of the Great Orme are amazing with such clear weather.
00:00 Victoria Station
00:37 Lower section to Halfway Station
06:27 Halfway Station
07:32 Upper section to Summit Station
12:16 Summit station and the Great Orme
#greatorme #tramway #vintage #victorianstyle #100yearold #llandudno #northwales

[@Luigi-uj5ml]

Good evening, if the spring switches (points) of the crossing loop of the upper section are not activated before each tram undertakes the return run, I really don't understand how the two trams don't end up on the track that doesn't correspond to the one on which it runs the cable to which the trams are connected. As long as the points are not turned over

[@SirAdamUK]

I have to confess to not fully understanding how this system works. It does amaze me how the whole system operates and how they don't appear on the tracks.

[@Luigi-uj5ml]

@@SirAdamUK Thank you for your message!
Yes I am aware of this particularity of this passing loop.
Personally I think this system is too complicated:
- it has moving parts
- it needs too many human checks at each travel!
There were 2 major accidents in the past years at Llandudno Great Orma
Tramway in 2000 and 2009 at this passing loop:
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/547c8ffbe5274a428d000165/R132010_100816_Great_Orme.pdf
Abt passing loop do not have any moving part... and I don't know any
accident between two cars in such funiculars.
Funiculars with Abt passing loops can be automatized, without any human
presence.
Having wheels with different profiles depending on the sides of the cars
is not a disadvantage.
Above all, it is a guarantee of absolute security.