Title: Llandudno Prestige Series 44
Author: Michael Yelton
Publisher: Venture Publications
ISBN: 978-1-90530-4950
Specification: 235mm x 165mm, 74pp, softback
Price: £12
Like its counterpart in neighbouring Colwyn Bay (Reviews, May), municipal buses were late in reaching Llandudno and were focused on summer leisure travel. Over 71 years, just 30 vehicles — often of unique designs — passed through its hands and it never had more than 17 at a time. Twelve of the 30 survive in preservation.
The fleet peaked between 1954 and 1956 before British seaside holidays tipped into slow decline, even if this north Wales resort weathered that storm more successfully than other towns. Two 25-seat Guy Otters delivered in 1954 were its last purchases for 14 years. The next were typical of vehicle choices that drew enthusiasts from afar — two bespoke 22-seaters based on Dennis Pax V dustcart chassis, the last Dennis buses produced before the marque’s revival nearly ten years later.
For its first 23 years, this was a seasonal operation, using small runabouts (mainly Guy and Dennis) on short tours. When it added an all-year bus service, its first with conductors and intermediate stops, it was far from ordinary, …
