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documentation has come to light regarding the Talyllyn

Discussion in 'Narrow Gauge Railways' started by Talyllyn07, Apr 1, 2012.

  1. Talyllyn07

    Talyllyn07 Member

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    Location:
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    Extension to Talyllyn Lake.



    Members may be interested to learn that papers have recently
    been found, in a solicitor’s office, detailing a proposal in respect of an
    extension of the Talyllyn Railway to Talyllyn Lake.



    The paperwork reveals that this was one of the driving
    reasons behind the enquiries made by Haydn Jones to acquire additional motive
    power for the Railway. As well as
    additional motive power it seems that he also made enquiries about provision of
    additional coaching stock from the suppliers of carriages 1 – 3, Brown
    Marshall, by then the Metropolitan
    Amalgamated Railway Carriage & Wagon Company, these were to be
    similar to the bogie coach built for the Plynlimon and Hafan by George F Milns
    & Company of Birkenhead.



    The extension provides a further mystery as it appears, from
    the very poor quality drawings, that it was intended to divert the railway well
    before it reached Abergynolwyn in order to take advantage of easier terrain on
    the way up the valley, also perhaps to ensure that the railway in its higher
    reaches was in sunshine for the majority of the day.



    The terminus at Talyllyn Lake was to be on the side of the
    lake, crossing the road in order to reach the lakeside. No details are given in respect of the style
    of building or the crossing. It would
    have been in a poor location at the foot of the steep road gradient away from
    the lake by the Pen Y Bont hotel.



    The proposal seems to have got no further than very outline
    planning with a few tentative enquiries being made in respect of locomotives
    and rolling stock.



    It was of course about this time that Haydn Jones was
    seeking election as an MP for the area, perhaps he was trying to prove how he
    as an MP could benefit the local area through the provision of an
    infrastructure scheme to provide short term jobs with the possibility of more
    permanent work later if the scheme was successful.



    One document does give thought to the cost of the scheme,
    but there are no details of what each element was to cost, nor any details of
    the total scheme costs, or the employment that would ensue.



    What, ones muses, would have been the impact on the Talyllyn
    if this scheme had come to fruition.
    Would Pendre have been developed into a much larger enterprise with
    additional running sheds and a much larger works being constructed? There would also have had to be additional
    carriage sheds constructed to store the new coaches that were proposed. The Talyllyn may of course become a commercial
    success and would not have been deemed unworthy of Nationalisation, thus
    forming part of the group of Railways taken into Public ownership like the
    Welshpool, Corris and Vale of Rheidol.
    It could of course have been seen as a worthy purchase for the Great
    Western Railway thus leading to the locomotives going to Swindon or Oswestry
    for overhaul and emerging with GWR details added. Perhaps Locos 3 & 4 would have made their way to the Talyllyn
    earlier than 1951 if additional motive power were needed at short notice.



    However all this was not to come to fruition and so the
    Talyllyn was handed to the TRPS in 1951 much as it was when it was first
    constructed way back in 1864/65.



    The Solicitors, who are based in Laniog, at 1 Flair Pool,
    were more than happy to hand over the documentation to the Talyllyn, their
    Managing Partner Mr Dinwiddy commented that “I trust this discovery will help
    the Talyllyn establish further details of the history of the Railway in the
    early part of the Century” The
    Solicitors had not acted for other Railways making them an unusual choice,
    perhaps commercial confidence was uppermost in Haydn Jones thoughts at the
    time.



    The papers will go into archive once they have been
    reviewed, conserved and catalogued.
     
  2. loco cleaner

    loco cleaner New Member

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    Flair Pool ?


    Good one.
     
  3. Meiriongwril

    Meiriongwril Member

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    I take we bear in mind today's date when we read this .... :)
     

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