Talyllyn Railway, Heritage railway in Tywyn, United Kingdom.
Talyllyn Railway is a narrow-gauge railway in Tywyn, United Kingdom, running about 12 kilometers (7 miles) through Welsh countryside to the terminus at Nant Gwernol. The track follows wooded slopes and passes through tight valleys with views of pastures and mountain ridges.
The Talyllyn Railway was authorised by an Act of Parliament on 5 July 1865 and opened in 1865 to carry slate from the Bryn Eglwys quarries to Tywyn, where it met the standard-gauge Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway. Engineer James Swinton Spooner laid out a steady climb to the quarry. After commercial slate traffic ended, volunteers took over in 1951 and have run the line since.
The name's origin is uncertain: it may come from the parish of Tal-y-llyn, which holds the eastern terminus, or from the Tal-y-llyn lake at the foot of Cadair Idris, 3 miles further east. The Rev. W. Awdry based the Skarloey Railway of his Railway Series books on this line, and its preservation inspired the Ealing comedy The Titfield Thunderbolt.
Trains run from Tywyn Wharf throughout the day, with schedules changing by season and special events. Seating is available in open or enclosed carriages, and the route offers several intermediate stops for boarding or alighting.
This railway was the first heritage line in the world to be run entirely by volunteers, starting in 1951. The model inspired many other preserved railways in Britain and beyond to follow a similar path.
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