Wales: Changes At Llanfairpwllgw . . .

The railway station on the Isle of Anglesey off the north coast of Wales is rundown and shabby, graced only by a small gift shop. Why then do thousands of tourists flock there each year? And why did James Pringle Ltd. of Scotland, parent company of Pringle Sweaters, just pay British Rail more than $210,000 for it? Well, because the station is called Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysili ogogogoch.

That is not the work of some typewriter gone wild. It is the name of the place. Of course, the locals are smart. They call it Llanfair P.G. for short. In Welsh it means "The Church...