A generous slate donation saves the day at Talyllyn Railway

A North Wales slate company came to the rescue of a Talyllyn Railway event recently.

In the run-up to their ‘Quarryman Experience’ gala the railway found it nearly impossible to find suitable slate for their planned slate splitting demonstrations.

Enquiries were made across Wales until eventually Northern Welsh Quarries Ltd, which is based at Llechwedd Quarry, Blaenau Ffestiniog, stepped in. Not only was the company able to supply the slate from stock, but it was also were willing to donate it to the railway.

General manager Chris Price said: ‘It would have been really sad if one of the centrepieces of our Quarryman weekend would have had to be cancelled. Therefore, we are really grateful to the team at Northern Welsh Quarries Ltd for not only supplying the slate required, but making such a generous donation.

“The demonstrations were able to go ahead and proved very popular with those who came along to what was a very successful event.”

Northern Welsh Quarries Ltd is a new independent company that manufactures and supply finest quality Welsh slate and stone products. The company is run by two local men, Andy Carson and Dewi Jones, who have recently taken over the Llechwedd Slate Quarry, Blaenau Ffestiniog.

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Editor’s Notes

Talyllyn Railway is a narrow gauge railway opened for goods traffic in 1865 and shortly after for passenger services. These have operated every year since between Tywyn, on the west coast of Wales, and Nant Gwernol just over seven miles inland. In 1951 the line was taken over by the Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society and became the world’s first preserved railway.

Operation of the line is primarily by volunteers from all walks of life, with a small paid staff. It is now a major tourist attraction in the mid-Wales area, contributing significantly to the area’s economy.

2015 marks the 150th Anniversary of the opening of the line to goods traffic, and to mark the occasion a series of special celebrations are being planned. These will be on: July 3-5, The 150th Party; August 7-9, The 1865 – 2015 Gala; August 29-31, The Heart of Gold Weekend; September 25-27, The Heritage Weekend.