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Talyllyn Railway
Built on a gauge of 2 feet 3 inches, the Talyllyn Railway is one of a number of narrow-gauge lines in north and mid Wales built in the 19th century to carry slate, in the Talyllyn's case from the Bryn Eglwys quarries near Abergynolwyn. Opened in 1865, the line runs the seven and a quarter miles from Tywyn (on the Cardigan Bay coast) to Nant Gwernol, from where a series of horse-drawn tramways continued into the mountains. The slate traffic ceased in 1946 following a serious rock fall in the quarry. In 1950 the line's owner Sir Henry Haydn Jones died, and the future for the railway looked very bleak, as it had been losing money for some years. A group of enthusiasts, led by the engineer and author L.T.C. Rolt, sought to prevent the railway's closure and scrapping and, thanks to the generosity of Lady Haydn Jones, the Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society was allowed to take over the running of the line.
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From
Tywyn, a coal fired narrow gauge steam train takes you seven miles
into the Snowdonia National Park, on a two and a half hour round
trip, with the chance to stop for a forest walk or a picnic beside
a tumbling waterfall. The world's first volunteer run preserved
railway has served the valley since 1865 and the original locomotives
and carriages are still in regular use. Cafés, shops, museum,
disabled facilities, walks and waterfalls, picnic areas. Narrow
Gauge Museum at Tywyn Wharf.
