The launch of Talyllyn's 75 Appeal

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00:00 Bryn Egloi Slate Quarry lies isolated high in the hills above the Avonvathu Valley.

00:10 In 1864 a group of Manchester investors led by the McConnell family took it over.

00:17 They expanded the workforce and built houses for them in the nearby village of Abergnolwyn.

00:23 To transport their newly won slate to markets across the globe they built a railway.

00:29 One of the first steam operated narrow gauge railways in the world.

00:34 This railway was known as the Talyllyn.

00:37 It opened for slate traffic in 1865 and started carrying passengers the following year.

00:44 The railway originally had two steam locomotives, four passenger carriages and a brake van,

00:50 all of which are still in service today.

00:54 Unfortunately the investors' returns never matched expectations and in 1909 when the

01:00 leases on the quarry were due to expire there was a real threat that it and the railway

01:05 would close.

01:06 It was then that Henry Hayden Jones, a local businessman and prospective parliamentary

01:11 candidate promised to take over both enterprises if elected.

01:17 This would be a promise he kept and the railway became wholly Welsh owned and operated for

01:22 the next 40 years.

01:25 By this time the railway was very much a hand to mouth operation.

01:29 Slate traffic fluctuated rapidly, it was buoyed up by demand during both world wars but otherwise

01:35 was generally in decline.

01:37 Tourism however began to flourish and in the summer trains could be packed with passengers

01:43 with some even riding in wagons coupled behind.

01:47 By the end of the Second World War the writing was on the wall for both the quarry and railway

01:52 with the former closing following a collapse in 1946.

01:58 Sir Hayden, as he was by now, had vowed to keep the railway running as long as he was

02:02 alive but his death in July 1950 led to the prospect that the railway would be closed

02:08 and sold for scrap.

02:11 However a group of some 40 railway enthusiasts held a meeting in Birmingham on the 10th of

02:16 October 1950 and formed the Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society.

02:23 After much hard work and thanks to Lady Hayden generously gifting the railway to the society,

02:29 on the 14th of May 1951 the only working locomotive, number 2 Dolgor, hauled the first passenger

02:37 train out of Tywyn Wharf on what was now the world's first preserved railway run by volunteers.

02:45 Over the following years the railway was transformed from a near derelict state to the thriving

02:51 line we see today.

02:53 Track was renewed and new locomotives and carriages were brought in or built in-house.

02:58 As the fame of the railway spread, passenger numbers grew enormously.

03:03 Then in 1970 the society began its most ambitious project, working to extend passenger services

03:10 along the old mineral line from Abergynolwyn to Nant Gwernog which was achieved in May

03:17 1976.

03:18 Over the succeeding years facilities, particularly for passengers, have been improved with new

03:23 toilets, cafes and many other advancements.

03:27 The historic importance of the railway was recognised in 2021 when it became the southern

03:33 hub of the Slate Landscape of North West Wales UNESCO World Heritage Site.

03:39 While previously the society had been honoured with a Queen's Award for Voluntary Service

03:44 in 2013, the railway has survived many challenges in its time, no more so than the pandemic.

03:52 However, due to careful management, the railway came through unscathed, doubtless helped by

03:58 the fact it carries no debts or loans.

04:01 The railway has also sought to reduce its carbon footprint by installing solar panels,

04:07 purchasing electric vehicles and experimenting with different forms of fuel.

04:12 It has also taken measures to increase biodiversity wherever possible.

04:17 Today the railway carries around 50,000 passengers per year and has a turnover in excess of 1.2

04:24 million.

04:25 It is conservatively estimated to contribute over 4 million to the local economy.

04:31 It employs over 20 people as well as having over 450 volunteers, with some 4,500 members

04:39 of the Preservation Society to support it.

04:42 Our volunteers come from a wide variety of backgrounds.

04:46 We have a large number of young people, many of whom have come through our groups such

04:50 as track-siders and navvies and now volunteer in roles from guards to drivers.

04:57 Women play a full part in running the railway, from our general managers downwards.

05:02 We also have a large representation from the LGBTQ community, with many finding the railway

05:08 and its community a safe space.

05:11 However, as we approach our 75th anniversary as the world's first preserved railway, it

05:17 is time for an honest appraisal of the state of our current facilities, particularly for

05:23 our engineers and volunteers, and to look to the needs of the railway for future generations.

05:28 Therefore, we are launching a major redevelopment project, Preserving Our Past, Building Our

05:35 Future, which aims to equip the railway with the resources of people and plant that it

05:40 needs for the future.

05:43 The main objectives of the project involve providing new engineering workshops and building

05:49 new carriage maintenance facilities, as well as a paint shop that can be used year-round.

05:55 Another key element of the project is to increase our engagement with the local community and

06:00 further increase the diversity of people involved in the running of the railway.

06:06 Engaging with those who are neurodiverse and their families and aiming to become an autistic

06:11 positive venue is another aspect of the project.

06:15 We also recognise the need to have an increased range of volunteer accommodation.

06:20 A few years ago, the railway purchased Trefri, a house adjacent to Wharfe station, with the

06:26 intention of converting it into volunteer accommodation, including en-suite rooms and

06:31 an accessible suite, subject to planning consent.

06:35 We also need to improve our visitors' knowledge of the railway's heritage.

06:40 The intention is to provide an all-year-round facility at Tywyn Wharfe to tell the Talyllyn

06:45 story as well as the history of Welsh slate and the people and communities the railway

06:51 served.

06:52 Our cafe and shop have become well-used year-round and at peak times need additional capacity.

06:59 The tentative plan is to remodel the station building at Tywyn Wharfe to provide an accessible

07:04 entrance direct from the street and introduce an adaptable space which can be used for the

07:09 cafe during peak season but can also provide a larger meeting space for community use.

07:16 All this is planned to be accomplished in a phased programme over a period of 5-6 years,

07:22 at an estimated cost of around £4 million.

07:25 We are delighted that the National Lottery Heritage Fund has given us a grant of £110,000

07:31 to finance the development of the project, which is being match-funded from our own resources.

07:38 The current plan is to submit an application to the fund for around £1.5 million towards

07:44 the delivery of the project.

07:46 We are also applying for other grants as well as looking for sponsorships and other resources

07:51 or funding.

07:52 To aid the Preserving Our Past, Building Our Future project, we are also launching the

07:57 75 Appeal which aims to raise a minimum of £500,000 over the next five years.

08:04 To achieve this, we need people to make not only one-off donations but also to become

08:09 members of our 75 Club of Regular Donors.

08:14 We need businesses to sponsor the project and any offers of help will be appreciated.

08:20 To get involved, please visit our website.

08:23 This railway is a time capsule, a piece of Victorian Britain that has survived into the

08:28 21st century, bringing alive a way of lifelong past and keeping it for future generations.

08:37 Help us preserve our past and build our future.

08:40 [Music]

08:50 [Music]

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