Guto Bebb, Member of Parliament for Aberconwy, was pleased to be invited to the official opening of the West Shore Miniature Railway will take place on Saturday, 27th June 2015. He will be joined by the Mayor of Llandudno, Cllr Frank Bradfield, who will name a locomotive which has been purchased with the help of a grant from the Town Council, and Cllr Brian Cossey, Vice Chair of Conwy County Borough Council, who will officially open the railway. An inaugural train will then take the invited guests on a trip around the track. Train rides for visitors will then take place until the close of the event at 17:00. Also following the official opening there will be an opportunity for visitors to view a small exhibition of the Society member's models. The Railway will be open as usual, prior to the official proceedings, from midday to 13:30 for visitors to have a ride around the track.
The new railway was constructed after the North Wales Model Engineering Society relocated from their previous base in the grounds of Ysgol Gogarth several years ago. The Society was formed over 50 years ago as a result of 3 people meeting in a café in Llandudno. It has grown slowly to its present size with a membership in the region of 60 members. It aims to foster an interest in engineering through the construction of model engines of all kinds. Many members have had no previous training in engineering but with the help of other members have been able to gain such skills as necessary to produce working models.
Guto commented, “I am delighted to hear that this project is now well and truly off the ground. It is great to see a volunteer organisation getting together and creating a miniature tourist attraction on Llandudno’s West Shore that we can all be proud of.”