News from The Talyllyn

Other news from Tywyn;

We are delighted to announce that in todays 'Heritage Railway Association Awards', the Talyllyn Control Centre won the 'Award for Internal Communications'.

For a small fee ( 5 pounds last year ) there's an extra webcam and 'live' tracking of train positions. Details on the website.
No7 is also simmering just outside the shed at Pendre.

 

https://www.shropshirestar.com/news...nt-for-three-new-carriages-for-steam-railway/
A project by the world’s first preserved railway in Mid Wales to buy three new train carriages has received a £300,000 boost from the Welsh Coastal Communities Fund.
The £450,000 project will allow Talyllyn Railway, which runs from the coastal resort of Tywyn, to take 155-year-old original carriages out of daily service to preserve as much of their historic fabric as possible.

New carriages will offer wheelchair accessible compartments, which will allow more passengers with mobility issues to travel in comfort.

Two of the carriages will also have upgraded first class accommodation.

 

Surprised that it has not been mentioned on here that today was the 70th anniversary of the first passenger train being run on a preserved railway.

 

Thats quite a notable milestone - thanks for reminding us about it. As I was six weeks old at the time I regard myself as a child of the preservation era.

Peter

 

Are these to be visually of a similar style to the original 4 wheelers they are replacing or just more bogie coaches?

 

Bogie coaches "similar in external appearance" to the existing standard bogies (it says in Talyllyn News). 2 × 1st/3rd Comps, 1 × 3rd. At least 1 wheelchair compartment in each.
Pat

 

Well, for the first time in several years I travelled on the Talyllyn. It was also the first time for my wife her friend and my two youngest sons.

After a very efficient and warm welcome at Wharf station we headed up the line behind No 4 Edward Thomas, we were lucky enough to have been able to book the saloon which gave us both space and an excellent view, a little 'sheep spotting' took place! Everyone was most impressed by the scenery, in particular the view from Dolgoch Viaduct.

After the stop at Abergynolwyn, where I noted the Tallylyn's penchant for having their toilet blocks officially opened by a VIP we headed back to the Wharf station for lunch. The food was good, there were a few problems with sorting the order out but staff were very good at sorting it out.

All in all a great day out.

 

Why this guy has not received a formal honour for what he has done for the Talyllyn let alone for the welsh narrow gauge movement as a whole I have no idea.


I hope I am that sharp when I am over 90

 

Someone to be inspired by, would Mr Bate be one of the last to have traveled and remembered the line as run by Edward Thomas and Sir Hayden Jones before the TRPS took over in 1951?

 

Sharp as a tack, still. If this was Japan he'd be a 'Living National Treasure'.
Pat

 

I learned a lot from John Bate and his ‘can do’ approach to everything. Building the tea van siding at Aber was my introduction to the T R, the more memorable because unfortunately I managed to locate the station water pipe with a pick-axe.

 

JLHB had the reputation of "not suffering fools gladly", but he was surrounded by them! I fondly remember sharing the Pendre platform bench with him at lunchtimes. He must have found the countless questions from an eager and impressionable young loco cleaner quite taxing, but it didn't show.
If any one man can be said to have saved the TR it was John. His work is everywhere you look. He is the kind of all-round practical engineer of the highest quality that this country no longer seems capable of producing.

 

The new carriages are to be build by the Ffestiniog Railway's works at Boston Lodge.

 

Anyone know what they will look like? I haven't seen any details in TR News

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Similar to the existing 'standard' bogies. More details in post 106.
Cheers,
Ray.

 

I travelled last week for the first time since 2019, when I became a member. I concur with your experience and had a great time. Breakfast at Wharf both days, one fine day a trip to Dolgoch behind Edward Thomas and one damper day to Abergynolwyn with Tom Rolt. In both cases we were back by lunchtime - that's a drawback - and booking seats at the booking office is a pain compared with online. I'd forgotten that members travel free, I'd thought it would be half or two-thirds price. I hope they can move back to intermediate stations as we were based at Rhydyronen.

Patrick

 

One-derful (groan!) update from Pendre [14'55"]:

 

Lovely albeit short trip on the evening train on Wednesday.
Abergynolwyn station of a quiet evening, with a train due, is as close to paradise as most of us get to experience!
Volunteers and staff were a credit to the railway.
And I finally got a trip behind no 4, after four decades!

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I had to chuckle at that. Family holidays in my childhood throughout the late 50s'/early 60's always involved a ride on the TR. On every trip (two or three each year) we had No 4. I can remember saying (with some exasperation) as we walked down the Wharf drive "Oh no, not Edward Thomas again!"
Little did I realise that No 4 was often the only loco available to run the service and that I would fire it myself in a few years. Lovely loco and nice photos.

 

That's excellent.
It's just one of those things, I'm an armchair member as I live the wrong side of the country (and was previously abroad) so I've never been able to come more than once a year or less, and by happenstance I've never had no 4 (or no 3) on my train... Just one of those things. I've been hauled by Corris no 7 (the no 4 twin) several times as my uncle is involved there and we used to stay in their house in Corris. But never no 4. Lots of 1, 2, 6 and 7, all of which I'm fond of in their own way.
No 4 is a lovely loco indeed, probably my favourite.

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