Talyllyn Railway turns back the clock to the 1970s

It was back to the 1970s for Talyllyn Railway during its ‘Road to Adventure’ gala over the May Day Bank Holiday weekend.

The Saturday and Sunday particularly focussed on the 40th anniversary of the opening of the extension between Abergynolwyn and Nant Gwernol in May, 1976.

To celebrate there was a ‘70s feel to the event with people in costume and a range of memorabilia on display, including a room full of 1970s children’s games, such as ‘Mousetrap’ and ‘Subbuteo’.

There was a display of Abba memorabilia at Abergynolwyn Station and Saturday evening saw a ‘70s disco for members and guests at Tywyn Wharf Station.

On the trains there was a special timetable on Saturday with trains running only between Tywyn Wharf and Abergynolwyn where passengers had to change trains for a special shuttle service from there to Nant Gwernol.

Then, on the Sunday, the railway ran the peak service timetable from the summer of 1976, the year the extension was first opened.

There were also several special events over the weekend. ‘The Big Bang’ commemorated the first blast to start work on the new extension that originally took place in October, 1970. This time the ‘blast’ was detonated by Tim Rolt, son of railway preservation pioneer Tom Rolt, who had set off the original charge.

Those who worked on the extension project, who became known as the ‘Gwerns’, rode on the first train through to Nant Gwernol. The train was fitted with the original opening headboard for the occasion. They paused for a brief ceremony at Abergynolwyn before the train headed through to its destination.

Bank Holiday Monday saw a double celebration with the 75th anniversary of the railway’s diesel locomotive No.5 ‘Midlander’ and the 25th anniversary of the railway newest steam locomotive, No.7 ‘Tom Rolt’. Tom’s sons, Richard and Tim, re-enacted the naming ceremony for the locomotive originally performed by their mother Sonia.

John Bate, for many years the railway’s chief engineer and the designer of No.7, also cut a special cake that had been made of the occasion. Among the other guests was Lawrie Ellis, who had been part of the gang that had found ‘Midlander’ at a quarry near Nuneaton and had brought it to the railway in 1957. Lawrie was also the first person to drive it on the Talyllyn.

“The weekend was a great success, passenger numbers were up on the same weekend last year and a lot of fun was had by many people,” said a  ralway spokesperson. “The weekend certainly stirred up memories for a good many.

“Now we move on to the final gala of our 150th anniversary celebrations, the appropriately named ‘Grand Finale’ between July 1-3, which promises to be an event not to be missed.”

Picture captions:

Ready to party ‘70s style at Tywyn Wharf Station

Some of those involved in the railway in the 1970s, including some of the original ‘Gwerns’, celebrate the 40th anniversary of the opening of the line to Nant Gwernol at Abergynolwyn Station.

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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, which have operated every year since between Tywyn on the west coast of Wales and Nant Gwernol just over seven miles inland. In 1951 operation of 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.

For further information about this press release please e-mail: pressoffice@talyllyn.co.uk or phone either 0113 281 8235