1949 Guy Wolf JC 9735 © D.Castleman.

The least new of our trio of heroes is this 1949 Guy Wolf with its beautiful body by coachbuilders Barnard. Like many of its siblings, this vehicle had a long active life in the town, operating tours around the Marine Drive, Great Orme and surrounding countryside. It is believed that this vehicle was loaned to Colwyn Bay Council in 1969. It was eventually sold into private hands as recently as 1975, staying in Llandudno for several more years before moving south to the English Midlands. For the last 12 years the bus has been owned by David Castleman, who presents it in the livery of Thompson Tours of Stoke-on-Trent. We are now able to update our fleet listing, to include the present status of this wonderful bus. It is remarkable to observe that all three immediately post-war Guy/Barnard buses are still with us.

1956 Fordson E83W, NCA 129 © www.e83.co.uk

The light commercial vehicle is an unsung hero; the workhorse of every small business and craftsman is the van. Where would we be be today without our "white vans"? Mr. David Riley from Cheshire has entered a Fordson E83W with registration mark NCA 129. This vehicle will be returning to Llandudno after 20 years, many of which have been spent off the road. Once owned by Bruce Turner of the Windsor Garage, Court Street, we are hoping that the two might be re-united at some point over the weekend.

1963 Foden two-stroke tractor unit, EME 163B © F. Wade.

The youngest of our trio of heroes is a 1963 Foden that belonged to the Dolgarrog Aluminium works. This is a proud survivor from a small, but famous, fleet. EME 163B has one of Foden's legendary two-stroke engines, which are much less common than the Gardner unit that was often specified. Upon retirement the vehicle was donated to Bangor Technical College as a restoration project, but unfortunately vandals stepped in and broke windows, smashed lamps and wrecked the cab instruments. Ingress of moisture hastened the process of ageing, and the woodwork of the coach-built cab rotted. Eventually the remains passed to Frank and Vera Wade from Cheshire, who have completely rebuilt this fine vehicle - now known affectionately as "EME". Welcome home!