Peat railways and climate change will come into sharp focus in new Tywyn exhibtion

THE Narrow Gauge Railway Museum in Tywyn – winner of the Heritage Railway Association’s 2021 Interpretation Award, sponsored by Mortons Ltd/ Heritage Railway magazine – is to stage a temporary exhibition throughout this year to mark the effective end of peat harvesting operations on the Bord na Mona network in Ireland.

What was the largest narrow gauge industrial railway ever to operate in the British Isles, along with the power stations that these lines served, are closing in response to the need to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, as highlighted at the recent COP26 conference.

The exhibition also tells the story of the three former Bord na Mona steam locomotives and, in particular, Barclay 0-4-2T No. LM43, which, in rebuilt form, now operates on the Talyllyn Railway as No.7 Tom Rolt, and features some of the narrow gauge peat railways that used to operate in England and Scotland.

A museum statement said: “In the wake of the COP26 conference in Glasgow in November 2021, the need to minimise global warming is widely understood.

“This exhibition acknowledges the dependence of the heritage railway industry on coal and other fossil fuels, and sets out some of the challenges currently being faced, together with the steps that are being taken to offset and reduce their environmental impact.”