Over the August Bank Holiday Weekend (August 29-31), Talyllyn Railway will be steaming through the night as well as going back to the 1950s as part of Heart of Gold gala for the ongoing 150th anniversary celebrations.
This gala remembers the early years of the Preservation Society when Talyllyn became the world’s first preserved railway in 1951.
But first the railway looks forward when, on Saturday, August 29, it holds a Young Members’ Day, highlighting the work that they do. On the same day, the ever-popular Abergynolwyn Show is held and there will be an opportunity to take a trip on a London Routemaster bus from Abergynolwyn Station to Talyllyn Lake.
In addition, there will also be the opportunity to drive a steam locomotive for £10 at Tywyn Wharf Station.
That evening, instead of the train services ending in the late afternoon as they usually do, they are going to continue running right through Saturday night into Sunday. Trains will be departing from Tywyn Wharf at five minutes to the hour between 6.55 pm and 5.55 am in the morning.
During the evening and night trips some special surprises are planned, including passing through some fairy-lit woods and even some musical entertainment.
On the Sunday, the clocks turn back to the 1950s, with highlights including a re-enactment of the specially decorated Coronation train run by the railway in 1953.
There is also a series one Land Rover rally and the Routemaster bus will be connecting Tywyn to Fairbourne with a ride along the coast road. To add to the atmosphere anyone coming in 1950s costume will be allowed to travel free.
The ‘50s theme will continue on the Monday with further special trains which recall the days of the early preservation pioneers.
A railway spokesperson said: “Experiencing a ride behind a steam engine at night is something special and we love to run these night sessions during our celebration events. Usually we do this in June or July when the nights are shorter, so this time, when there will be more hours of darkness, it will be something different.
“We hope that this will encourage families to come and ride the trains with us during the evening, and experience some of the night-time magic for themselves. To give extra value for money, if you buy an all-day rover ticket for the Saturday, you can present it at the ticket office on the Sunday to receive a free day rover for that day as well.”
Picture caption:
Talyllyn Railway locomotive No.2 Dolgoch at Dolgoch station.
(Photo: D. Mitchell)
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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.
The two remaining celebrations will be on: August 29-31, The Heart of Gold Weekend; September 25-27, The Heritage Weekend.
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