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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]
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