history

In the 19th Century the Talyllyn Railway was built to serve the Bryneglws quarry as a means of transport slate to the Cambrian Coast line to be sent on to its recipients. This practice carried on into the 20th Century until 1947 when the quarry closed. This meant that the railway relied on the passenger train to run to prevent closure. By the end of the 1940s the railway was reduced to two iron lines side by side sticking out of the weeds, one locomotive in need of urgent repair and very few staff. The line by this point as you can tell was in a poor state.

In 1950 however things began to change considerably. A group of eager enthusiasts led by the late L.T.C Rolt, set about preserving the Talyllyn Railway. On the 14th May 1951 the worlds' first volunteer run train left Tywyn Wharf. Since that point onwards the state of the line has improved dramatically, there is now a fleet of ten locomotives and an endless amount of rolling stock. All of which are maintained by volunteers.