News of forthcoming Services and Special Events for the Talyllyn and Fairbourne Railways
STEAM ON THE TALYLLYN RAILWAY FOR THE SPRING BANK HOLIDAY WEEK
There will be six daily steam trains leaving Tywyn Wharf Station on the Talyllyn Railway from Sunday 26th to Friday 31st May. Three trains will be running on 25th May and 1st & 2nd June.
Tuesday 28th May is a Children's Duncan Day - Duncan is the narrow gauge engine friend of Thomas the Tank Engine. The Talyllyn Railway has engines called Douglas, Edward Thomas, Dolgoch and Sir Haydn; there were written into the Rev W Awdry’s stories as Duncan, Peter Sam, Rheneas and Sir Handel. Duncan’s Special Train will run from Tywyn Wharf Station to Abergynolwyn for a series of fun events to be held during the day.
SPRING BANK HOLIDAY WEEK ON THE FAIRBOURNE RAILWAY
Eight daily trains are scheduled to run on the Fairbourne Railway on Saturday 25th May and from 28th May to Sunday 2nd June. From 31st May to 2nd June these will be a mix of steam and diesel; other dates all steam.
On Sunday 26th and Monday 27th, the Fairbourne Railway will be holding their ‘Little to Large’ event with a special timetable in operation. For the first time, a locomotive from the Railway’s previous 15 inch gauge incarnation will be visiting. ‘Katie’ and an original Fairbourne Railway carriage will be giving rides on a short length of specially laid track. There will also be rides on miniature railways and live steam models of all sorts and sizes.
TALYLLYN RAILWAY JUNE STEAM
Four daily trains will run on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursday in June on the Talyllyn Railway and three on all other days; the first train to leave Tywyn Wharf station each day will be at 10.30. See below for special events on Sunday 1st and Sunday 16th June and Victorian trains on Thursdays.
JUNE TRAINS ON THE FAIRBOURNE RAILWAY
The Fairbourne Railway will be open throughout June except on Mondays and Fridays; four trains daily with extra trains on Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd.
JULY ON THE TALYLLYN RAILWAY
The Talyllyn Railway will be open throughout July with three or four steam trains every day and with extra trains on the 29th, 30th & 31st; special Victorian trains run on Thursdays.
THE FAIRBOURNE MINIATURE RAILWAY - JULY TRAINS
The little trains will be running on most days in July on the Fairbourne Railway except for the first four Mondays and the first three Fridays; four daily trains until the 21st, eight from the 23rd.
2013 EVENTS ON THE TALYLLYN RAILWAY
In 1953 the Talyllyn Railway was the only preserved line running trains. Coronation Day on 2nd June that year was a public holiday and the Railway laid on a suitably decorated special train to give the local schoolchildren a free ride up the line. Sixty years later the Railway will re-create this event with a special train to run on Sunday 1st June.
The Victorian Train Experience runs on Thursdays in June, July and September when visitors can journey in Victorian carriages behind an original Talyllyn locomotive, with a conducted tour, stops for photographs and a museum tour.
Father’s Day specials run on Sunday 16 June and over the 6 & 7 July weekend the popular Llechfan Garden Railway at Wharf Station will be running all day with live steam and electric models.
Fish & Chip Specials run in the evening on Wednesdays and Fridays from 31 July to the end of August and there will be evening Themed Trains on Tuesdays 6, 13 & 20 August.
Thursday 8 August is a Craft Fair and Family Day and a Beer Festival will take place the following Friday and Saturday.
Evening trains departing from Tywyn at 7.30pm will run on Tuesday 6, 13 and 20 August with different entertainment each week with a 'Whodunit' Mystery Train on the 6th, a Floral Train on the 13th with music at Abergynolwyn and a Beer and BBQ Train on the 20th.
On Thursday 15 August children, their teddies and their families can take any of the first 3 trains to be at Abergynolwyn Station in time for a fun-filled teddy bears picnic! Runners take the challenge of Tywyn Rotary Clubs' Race the Train Event on Saturday 17 August.
A Children’s Duncan Day on the Talyllyn Railway will be held on Thursday 23 August; Duncan is the narrow gauge engine friend of Thomas the Tank Engine.
THE TALYLLYN RAILWAY
The narrow gauge Talyllyn Railway was built in 1865 to carry slate from the Bryn Eglwys quarries near Abergynolwyn. The line runs for 7¼ miles from Tywyn on the Cardigan Bay coast to Nant Gwernol, from where a series of horse-drawn tramways continued into the mountains.
In 1951, history was being made - a group of enthusiasts had saved the Talyllyn Railway from closure and the scrapman, and were operating it as volunteers. A Society was formed to take over then railway and ensure its future, and thus it became the first volunteer run preserved railway in the world.
Many people were attracted by the idea, including the Reverend Wilbert Awdry, who became a volunteer Guard, and who was inspired to base some of his railway stories on it. This year we are celebrating sixty years of success, and by coincidence, the Centenary of Rev Awdry's birth.
Since the 1950s other historic locomotives and carriages have joined the original stock, new carriages have been built (heated in winter), a new locomotive has been constructed in the railway's Pendre Works, and the line has been extended to Nant Gwernol.
Passenger facilities have also developed; Wharf station now boasts King's Café and Bistro, a well stocked Gift Shop, and the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum. At Abergynolwyn light refreshments are available in the Quarryman's Tea Room, and there is the 'Railway Adventure' Playground for younger passengers.
We have a number of properties in the Tywyn and Bryncrug area:-
Cottage near Tywyn - A very pretty and welcoming single storey 'cottage' next to the owner's house just outside the village of Bryncrug; sleeps 3, pet welcome.
Farmhouse near Tywyn - Terrific views to the sea from this 4* stone farmhouse a mile from the village of Bryncrug; shared outdoor swimming pool, four bedrooms, pet by arrangement.
Cottage near Tywyn - A lovely little 4* cottage for two adjoining the above.
Cottage near Bryncrug - A charming character 4* cottage for 2/4 in a beautiful C16th courtyard setting next to the owners' home near Bryncrug in extensive gardens.
Cottage near Tywyn - This single storey, detached stone 4* cottage retains its original features with a wealth of beams; 2 miles NE Tywyn; sleeps four, pet by arrangement.
Bungalow at Tywyn - A 5* bungalow in its own grounds, with direct access to the promenade and beach at Tywyn; it has 3 bedrooms.
House near Tywyn - A large detached 4* house in the village of Llanegryn, in the beautiful Dysynni Valley, 2 miles from Bryncrug; three bedrooms sleeping 6/8 + cot.
Beach house at Tywyn - Right on the sea front at Tywyn, this semi-detached house enjoys footpath access to the beach; two double bedrooms and one with bunks.
Mill Cottage near Tywyn - This attractively converted 4* property is in a very quiet spot in the Snowdonia National Park near to Brynglas station on the Talyllyn; two double bedrooms and a small child's room, pet by arrangement.
THE NARROW GAUGE RAILWAY MUSEUM AT TYWYN
The Narrow Gauge Railway Museum collection began in the 1950s when the Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society was formed to take over and operate the Railway. Narrow gauge railways were at that time becoming redundant and their equipment was being scrapped. Immediately, items from other narrow gauge lines began to be offered to the Society and a committee was formed with the specific objective of acquiring examples of locomotives, rolling stock and other equipment to place them on public display.
In 1964 a charitable trust was formed to manage and develop the museum; this role was later taken on by the present Narrow Gauge Railway Museum Trust in 1994. The main activity of the Trust takes place at Wharf Station of the Talyllyn Railway with a display of static exhibits illustrating the diversity, individuality, technical ingenuity and charm of over seventy British narrow gauge railways.
A new station and museum complex was opened by the Prince of Wales on 13 July 2005 - a two storey building to house the museum, a refreshment room, and railway offices combined with a shop and booking office in an extended version of the original building.
Visitors can discover the role played in the development of the communities of Tywyn and the Fathew valley by the quarrying of slate and its transportation to market by the Talyllyn Railway. They can compare this with the experience of other narrow gauge railways in opening up remote areas of countryside and in supporting industries such as mining, manufacturing, forestry, agriculture and tourism as well as in the more industrialised parts of the country and in military establishments and in the support of armies in the field.
On the ground floor the story takes in the historical development of narrow gauge, permanent way, industrial, military and Welsh slate railways. Narrow gauge railways as "public carriers" in Great Britain and Ireland are featured on the first floor, along with a section on signalling. Many railways in England, Ireland and Wales are represented by a wide variety of relics.
THE FAIRBOURNE RAILWAY
The Fairbourne Railway is a 2 mile long miniature railway which has provided a service between the village and Penrhyn Point since its opening in 1895. Originally built to carry building materials, the railway has carried holidaymakers for over a hundred years.
It runs alongside the beach to the end of the peninsula and at Penrhyn Point there is a connection with a pedestrian ferry across the Mawddach estuary to Barmouth.
The ferry has been in operation from early times and one of its passengers was the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1188.Before Henry VIII it was operated by local monks and thereafter by fishermen. From George III’s time, it was owned by the Barmouth Harbour Trust and let to suitable tenants providing a lifeline for Barmouth with a constant flow of goods and livestock.
Cottage near Dolgellau - Very pleasing and comfortable, this cosy beamed 4* ‘cottage’ is a self-contained part of the owner’s home 4 miles from Fairbourne; sleeps 2.
Bungalow at Fairbourne - A detached, well-maintained and double-glazed bungalow at Fairbourne with three bedrooms plus cot; pet welcome.
Bungalow in Fairbourne - A short walk from the Fairbourne Railway, this semi-detached bungalow has an enclosed garden and three bedrooms (king-size, twin, single) plus cot; pet by arrangement.
