TALYLLYN THE ROOT OF RAIL PRESERVATION

IN THE Fathew Valley on May 14, 1951, history was made as a group of enthusiasts ran the first train in preservation. Crewed by volunteers, the notion seemed whimsical; volunteers running arailway, for the sake of running a railway.

The event was reported in passing in the railway press, and the brevity of the report belied how momentous the occasion was.

Seven decades later and the preservation movement has grown to encompass about 200 railways across the length and breadth of Britain – and more globally.

The story of the founding of the Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society (TRPS) and the saving of the railway has been told countless times, but in the 70 years since that first train in preservation, the Talyllyn has changed immeasurably in many ways. In others, the line remains a time capsule of its Victorian self.

So, what has 70 years of preservation looked like?

The locomotive fleet

After that initial jubilation of saving the line subsided, the volunteers set about the business of running a preserved railway. With TR locomotive No. 1Talyllyn out of action owing to an ominous bulge in the firebox and No. 2 Dolgoch on its last legs, the society had already acquired two locomotives from a nearby railway that shared the same unusual 2ft 3in gauge – the Corris Railway.

The Corris Railway had closed in 1948 and the two locomotives offered for the price of £85 each to the Talyllyn, which refused.

However, station master Campbell Thomas – perhaps seeing that they might be of use one day – kept the two locomotives covered with tarpaulins to protect them from the elements (and prying eyes, perhaps!), even going as far as enlisting the staff of Machynlleth Motive Power Depot to grease the moving parts.

Whether Campbell Thomas was a would-be preservationist or simply a man who didn’t want good machinery to go to waste is unknown, but his efforts meant that by the time the TRPS had been formed, both locomotives, although stored outside, were still usable. A price of £25 per engine was negotiated, which was later reduced to the bargain price of £30-12s-9d for both.

The two 0-4-2STs were transported to Tywyn (then Towyn) and 4 . Initially it was believed that No. 3, being in the better condition of the two locomotives, would run the bulk of the service. But the combination of No. 3’s narrow tyres and the track being over gauge meant that keeping the locomotive on the rails was undesirably difficult. Therefore No. 2 remained in service longer than originally intended until No. 4 could be overhauled and take over the running of the service, allowing No. 2 to rest and receive some much-needed attention.