DarloRich
Veteran Member
As part of a recent weekend trip to Wales My partner & I ( and the dog) enjoyed trip to the Talyllyn Railway or Rheilffordd Talyllyn.
We stayed in our new camper van, Bluebelle, at a site near Porthmadog and decided to use the big train to reach the little train. Being so early in the season only two little trains were running so we aimed for the 14:00 departure from Tywyn Wharf. This meant we needed to get the 12:01 Arriva Trains Wales train from Portmadog. The boss was very impressed with the quality of the ATW class 158 when compared with her usual Northern version but she seemed less impressed with the technical description of the ERTMS system in use on the line!
We found a table seat and settled in for the 31 mile journey of potentially 18 stops along the Cambrian Line. This line is routinely said to be one of the most picturesque in the country but as we trundled out of Porthmadog it was clear that the view would be reduced by the iron grey mist shrouding the entire area. Oh well – I will have to pop back for a better look!
At Tywyn we alighted and walked the 300 yards to Tywyn Wharf station which is the terminus of The Talyllyn Railway. This is a 7 ¼ mile long, 2 ft 3in narrow-gauge railway running from Tywyn on the Mid-Wales coast to Nant Gwernol near the village of Abergynolwyn. The line was opened in 1865 to carry slate from the quarries at Bryn Eglwys to Tywyn, and was the first narrow gauge railway in Britain authorised by Act of Parliament to carry passengers using steam haulage. It is also said to have become the first preserved railway in the world when, in 1951, it was rescued by the Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society after the quarries served by the line closed. Today the volunteer members of the Society together and a small band of full time workers do a sterling job in running the railway.
The stroll up to Wharf Station presented and unremarkable frontage to the station but the platform side was a pleasant Victorian country railway station and goods yard in miniature. Simmering away in the platform was a little green stream engine and 4 small, boxy, coaches which would form the 14:00 service to Nant Gwernol.
Tywyn Wharf by DarloRich2009, on Flickr
The locomotive in question, wearing the deep bronze green livery of the TR, was No.7 “Tom Rolt” which was built at the Talyllyn's own Pendre Works, incorporating components of a little-used 3ft gauge Andrew Barclay 0-4-0WT built in 1949 for Bord na Mona (the Irish turf board) in 1991. It is an 0-4-2T and is the line's newest, largest and most powerful steam locomotive. It is named after the author L.T.C. Rolt who inspired the Talyllyn's preservation and was its General Manager in 1951-52.
The carriages are split into 3 compartments with bench seats, drop windows and doors that only open on one side. The carriages offer few creature comforts but while spartan were not unpleasant. We chose an empty one and got ourselves comfortable as it wasn’t long after we arrived that a shrill blast on the whistle from the guard, answered by a long toot from the driver, indicated our journey was underway. Sadly this meant the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum and the King's Licensed Café had to be left behind without a visit.
Tywyn Wharf by DarloRich2009, on Flickr
Immediately after passing under a road bridge at the end of the platform the line begins to climb and No.7 set off slowly but surely up the steep gradient towards Pendre. There isn’t much to see at this point as we were travelling through a cutting but quite soon we were running into what is the operational and engineering heart of the railway. Here are the carriage sheds, motive power depot and workshops that keep the trains running. Despite being the original terminus of the line Pendre is now a request stop and on the day of our visit there were no passengers waiting for us so we rolled through slowly exchanging tokens as we went.
In steam outside the carriage shed was No. 2 'Dolgoch'. This is a Fletcher, Jennings & Co 0-4-0 tank engine dating from 1866 but might be more famous as the basis for one of the engines (Rheneas) of the fictional Skarloey Railway from the Thomas the Tank engine stories. That is because the imaginary narrow gauge railway on Sodor was created by the Rev. W. Awdry after we worked as a volunteer guard on the Talyllyn Railway in the 50’s and his adventures here formed the basis of many of the stories portrayed in his books. So popular, still, are the books that the railway regularly “borrows” locomotives from Sodor to help out with services on the TR, much to the delight of children. Wilbert Awdry died in 1997 and a rowan tree planted opposite Brynglas blockpost serves as a memorial to his contribution to the Talyllyn Railway.
Pendre by DarloRich2009, on Flickr
After Pendre we rattled over a level crossing and chuffed out into the country side scattering ewes and lambs as we went. The line is still climbing here through the lush green countryside of the Afon Fathew valley. We trundled steadily through a number of tiny request halts for various farms ( Hendy, Fach Goch & Cynfal – said to have the smallest platform in the country) before approaching the first of the larger stations on the line, Rhydyronen. Here we stopped for a few moments to drop someone off. This was the first intermediate station to open in 1867 to serve a quarry, a manganese mine, and a nearby chalybeate spring promoted for tourists. Today it seems to exist to serve the nearby Tynllwyn caravan park which was home to a couple of campervans (location added to future site lists
). Today no one wanted to get on so were soon on our way.
Brynglas by DarloRich2009, on Flickr
Despite the wet conditions “Tom Rolt” was sure footed over the tight curve and sharp climb away from the station and even offered a cheery blast on the whistle to the campers waving at the train. We passed through the tiny halt at Tynllwynhen ( which seems to consist of a gate and a sign!) and is a reminder of a time when this little railway was the only way to transport your livestock & goods to market. The line here gives a lovely view up and down the valley. Soon after we reached Brynglas and another token exchange took place.
Dolgoch by DarloRich2009, on Flickr
From here the character of the line changes, the sheep fields are left behind and the line takes up a position on the wooded hillside which it retains for most of the rest of the journey. Shortly after the station we pass through a series of reverse curves known locally as the 'six bends', pass over an impressive three arch brick viaduct and enter Dolgoch station where the locomotive took on water after the long climb from Tywyn. Here some passengers alighted to look at the nearby falls and enjoy the local walking which is the reason the station was built.
Dolgoch by DarloRich2009, on Flickr
No.7 was thirsty after the climb so I had a few minutes to wander about the little station and get some air before the guard ushered the passengers aboard and we set off for the remainder of the journey. The water would come in useful as the2 ½ mile climb towards Abergynolwyn was the steepest of the journey and it is straight into the climb after the right away.
Abergynolwyn by DarloRich2009, on Flickr
Here the railway seems to cling to a ledge on the side of the hills and as we leave the valley pastures behind and climb into more rugged country the scenery becomes more alpine. Our little engine was working well despite the gradient and we were making steady progress as we passed Quarry Halt and entered a dark forest before calling at Abergynolwyn. Here we paused for nearly 30 minutes to allow passengers (and crew) to use the facilities and grab some refreshments from the very pleasant Quarryman's Cabin Tea Room. They do a decent tea and a slice of cake along with a welcome choice of ale and cider! There is a large signal box on the platform which seemed deserted as there was only one train in steam and the area was quiet and peaceful with the train gently hissing away in the platform. Until the doors started to slam shut and the loco crew return to their charge after a well-earned cuppa the sound of birds and running water was all that could be heard.
Abergynolwyn by DarloRich2009, on Flickr
For 110 years, Abergynolwyn Station was limit of passenger service on the railway with the route beyond here freight only. That changed in 1976 when the line towards Nant Gwernol was opened to passengers after many years work. The line beyond this point is tight and twisty and continues along the narrow ledge giving good views of Abergynolwyn village some way below. An old winding drum from a wagon incline down into the village can be seen on the left of the line and looks all that remains from a giant shipwreck. The line now turns into the beautiful Nant Gwernol ravine before “Tom Rolt”, staccato exhaust bouncing of the cliff face, attacked a final tight bend and a short, sharp climb before coasting into Nant Gwernol station.
Nant Gwernol by DarloRich2009, on Flickr
The station here is utterly isolated but starkly beautiful and, like something from a Tolkein novel, a massively steep inclined path climbs away from the buffer stops. This incline formerly carried slate wagons to a tramway leading to Bryn Eglwys quarry, further up in the hills where, hopefully, dwarfs toiled away under the mountain to win out the slate and gold contained therein.
Nant Gwernol by DarloRich2009, on Flickr
The footplate crew didn’t hang about and soon cut “Tom Rolt” off the train and pulled forward into the head shunt before running round the train on the tight run round loop which was right up against the cliff face. We paused for about 10 minutes before the guards whistle blew and with a peep from the locomotive to acknowledge the right away we were off back down the valley scattering the sheep as we went.
Nant Gwernol by DarloRich2009, on Flickr
We stayed in our new camper van, Bluebelle, at a site near Porthmadog and decided to use the big train to reach the little train. Being so early in the season only two little trains were running so we aimed for the 14:00 departure from Tywyn Wharf. This meant we needed to get the 12:01 Arriva Trains Wales train from Portmadog. The boss was very impressed with the quality of the ATW class 158 when compared with her usual Northern version but she seemed less impressed with the technical description of the ERTMS system in use on the line!
We found a table seat and settled in for the 31 mile journey of potentially 18 stops along the Cambrian Line. This line is routinely said to be one of the most picturesque in the country but as we trundled out of Porthmadog it was clear that the view would be reduced by the iron grey mist shrouding the entire area. Oh well – I will have to pop back for a better look!
At Tywyn we alighted and walked the 300 yards to Tywyn Wharf station which is the terminus of The Talyllyn Railway. This is a 7 ¼ mile long, 2 ft 3in narrow-gauge railway running from Tywyn on the Mid-Wales coast to Nant Gwernol near the village of Abergynolwyn. The line was opened in 1865 to carry slate from the quarries at Bryn Eglwys to Tywyn, and was the first narrow gauge railway in Britain authorised by Act of Parliament to carry passengers using steam haulage. It is also said to have become the first preserved railway in the world when, in 1951, it was rescued by the Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society after the quarries served by the line closed. Today the volunteer members of the Society together and a small band of full time workers do a sterling job in running the railway.
The stroll up to Wharf Station presented and unremarkable frontage to the station but the platform side was a pleasant Victorian country railway station and goods yard in miniature. Simmering away in the platform was a little green stream engine and 4 small, boxy, coaches which would form the 14:00 service to Nant Gwernol.
Tywyn Wharf by DarloRich2009, on FlickrThe locomotive in question, wearing the deep bronze green livery of the TR, was No.7 “Tom Rolt” which was built at the Talyllyn's own Pendre Works, incorporating components of a little-used 3ft gauge Andrew Barclay 0-4-0WT built in 1949 for Bord na Mona (the Irish turf board) in 1991. It is an 0-4-2T and is the line's newest, largest and most powerful steam locomotive. It is named after the author L.T.C. Rolt who inspired the Talyllyn's preservation and was its General Manager in 1951-52.
The carriages are split into 3 compartments with bench seats, drop windows and doors that only open on one side. The carriages offer few creature comforts but while spartan were not unpleasant. We chose an empty one and got ourselves comfortable as it wasn’t long after we arrived that a shrill blast on the whistle from the guard, answered by a long toot from the driver, indicated our journey was underway. Sadly this meant the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum and the King's Licensed Café had to be left behind without a visit.
Tywyn Wharf by DarloRich2009, on FlickrImmediately after passing under a road bridge at the end of the platform the line begins to climb and No.7 set off slowly but surely up the steep gradient towards Pendre. There isn’t much to see at this point as we were travelling through a cutting but quite soon we were running into what is the operational and engineering heart of the railway. Here are the carriage sheds, motive power depot and workshops that keep the trains running. Despite being the original terminus of the line Pendre is now a request stop and on the day of our visit there were no passengers waiting for us so we rolled through slowly exchanging tokens as we went.
In steam outside the carriage shed was No. 2 'Dolgoch'. This is a Fletcher, Jennings & Co 0-4-0 tank engine dating from 1866 but might be more famous as the basis for one of the engines (Rheneas) of the fictional Skarloey Railway from the Thomas the Tank engine stories. That is because the imaginary narrow gauge railway on Sodor was created by the Rev. W. Awdry after we worked as a volunteer guard on the Talyllyn Railway in the 50’s and his adventures here formed the basis of many of the stories portrayed in his books. So popular, still, are the books that the railway regularly “borrows” locomotives from Sodor to help out with services on the TR, much to the delight of children. Wilbert Awdry died in 1997 and a rowan tree planted opposite Brynglas blockpost serves as a memorial to his contribution to the Talyllyn Railway.
Pendre by DarloRich2009, on FlickrAfter Pendre we rattled over a level crossing and chuffed out into the country side scattering ewes and lambs as we went. The line is still climbing here through the lush green countryside of the Afon Fathew valley. We trundled steadily through a number of tiny request halts for various farms ( Hendy, Fach Goch & Cynfal – said to have the smallest platform in the country) before approaching the first of the larger stations on the line, Rhydyronen. Here we stopped for a few moments to drop someone off. This was the first intermediate station to open in 1867 to serve a quarry, a manganese mine, and a nearby chalybeate spring promoted for tourists. Today it seems to exist to serve the nearby Tynllwyn caravan park which was home to a couple of campervans (location added to future site lists
). Today no one wanted to get on so were soon on our way.
Brynglas by DarloRich2009, on FlickrDespite the wet conditions “Tom Rolt” was sure footed over the tight curve and sharp climb away from the station and even offered a cheery blast on the whistle to the campers waving at the train. We passed through the tiny halt at Tynllwynhen ( which seems to consist of a gate and a sign!) and is a reminder of a time when this little railway was the only way to transport your livestock & goods to market. The line here gives a lovely view up and down the valley. Soon after we reached Brynglas and another token exchange took place.
Dolgoch by DarloRich2009, on FlickrFrom here the character of the line changes, the sheep fields are left behind and the line takes up a position on the wooded hillside which it retains for most of the rest of the journey. Shortly after the station we pass through a series of reverse curves known locally as the 'six bends', pass over an impressive three arch brick viaduct and enter Dolgoch station where the locomotive took on water after the long climb from Tywyn. Here some passengers alighted to look at the nearby falls and enjoy the local walking which is the reason the station was built.
Dolgoch by DarloRich2009, on FlickrNo.7 was thirsty after the climb so I had a few minutes to wander about the little station and get some air before the guard ushered the passengers aboard and we set off for the remainder of the journey. The water would come in useful as the2 ½ mile climb towards Abergynolwyn was the steepest of the journey and it is straight into the climb after the right away.
Abergynolwyn by DarloRich2009, on FlickrHere the railway seems to cling to a ledge on the side of the hills and as we leave the valley pastures behind and climb into more rugged country the scenery becomes more alpine. Our little engine was working well despite the gradient and we were making steady progress as we passed Quarry Halt and entered a dark forest before calling at Abergynolwyn. Here we paused for nearly 30 minutes to allow passengers (and crew) to use the facilities and grab some refreshments from the very pleasant Quarryman's Cabin Tea Room. They do a decent tea and a slice of cake along with a welcome choice of ale and cider! There is a large signal box on the platform which seemed deserted as there was only one train in steam and the area was quiet and peaceful with the train gently hissing away in the platform. Until the doors started to slam shut and the loco crew return to their charge after a well-earned cuppa the sound of birds and running water was all that could be heard.
Abergynolwyn by DarloRich2009, on FlickrFor 110 years, Abergynolwyn Station was limit of passenger service on the railway with the route beyond here freight only. That changed in 1976 when the line towards Nant Gwernol was opened to passengers after many years work. The line beyond this point is tight and twisty and continues along the narrow ledge giving good views of Abergynolwyn village some way below. An old winding drum from a wagon incline down into the village can be seen on the left of the line and looks all that remains from a giant shipwreck. The line now turns into the beautiful Nant Gwernol ravine before “Tom Rolt”, staccato exhaust bouncing of the cliff face, attacked a final tight bend and a short, sharp climb before coasting into Nant Gwernol station.
Nant Gwernol by DarloRich2009, on FlickrThe station here is utterly isolated but starkly beautiful and, like something from a Tolkein novel, a massively steep inclined path climbs away from the buffer stops. This incline formerly carried slate wagons to a tramway leading to Bryn Eglwys quarry, further up in the hills where, hopefully, dwarfs toiled away under the mountain to win out the slate and gold contained therein.
Nant Gwernol by DarloRich2009, on FlickrThe footplate crew didn’t hang about and soon cut “Tom Rolt” off the train and pulled forward into the head shunt before running round the train on the tight run round loop which was right up against the cliff face. We paused for about 10 minutes before the guards whistle blew and with a peep from the locomotive to acknowledge the right away we were off back down the valley scattering the sheep as we went.
Nant Gwernol by DarloRich2009, on Flickr
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