The Talyllyn Railway was the first preserved Railway in the entire World, with volunteer operations starting on the 14th May 1951.
The Heritage Weekend event aims to celebrate the rich history of this line and the neighboring Corris Railway that has close ties. Out of the 200 years that make up the Railway 200 celebrations, 75 years of those have been the era of Railway Preservation and it all started here in Tywyn. The Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society spearheaded the Heritage Railway Movement and inspired many other groups across the UK and the World to do the same.
Alongside it’s preservation history, the 87 years of history pre-preservation will also be celebrated. The Talyllyn wasn’t only the first heritage railway in the world, but it was also the first narrow gauge railway in the world to be designed for steam traction and passenger traffic in mind – alongside having the first ever inter-rail transshipment wharf in the World.
One aim of the event is to educated how a lot of concepts we now take for granted in Year 200 of the Railways all started in this top left hand corner of Wales, with an unassuming little narrow gauge line.
The event will consist of a gala on the Railway with services running that represent the different eras of the Talyllyn’s history, using our original 1860s rolling stock and locomotives all the way up to those built in 2024. Re-creation slate trains will be run across the weekend as well as talks from experts on the history of the Railway, slate quarry and local area – tying in to our designation as a component part of the UNESCO Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales World Heritage Site.