Talyllyn’s Tracksiders celebrate their own jubilee
WHILE the nation celebrated The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, a group of Talyllyn Railway volunteers marked their own silver jubilee.
The Talyllyn Tracksiders allows family groups to work together on the line in mid-Wales, and since the first working party was held in in May 1997, more than 4200 individual shifts have been worked by under14s.
The 25th anniversary programme included lineside vegetation management, fence painting, footpath maintenance, and preparing the incline at Nant Gwernol for a forthcoming interpretive display.
Tracksiders also spent one day helping the sister 2ft 3in gauge Corris Railway and its works at Maespoeth, and there was the usual mix of social activities in the form of a picnic, a beach night, an annual putting competition, and a celebratory barbecue. The special barbecue train took water at the recently recreated water column at Ty Dwr before the group recreated the iconic ‘road to adventure’ picture that appeared as a frontispiece in Tom Rolt’s seminal book, Railway Adventure.
Tracksiders project leader Ian Evans said: “It has been a delight for 25 years to see our youngest volunteers flourish, learning new skills and building long term friendships. Many have progressed to operating duties on the Talyllyn and it was great that a Tracksiders alumnus was able to drive our barbecue special – one of three ex- Tracksiders now qualified to drive steam locomotives on the railway. We thank the railway, its staff, and fellow volunteers for the support they give and for the opportunities they provide.”
Talyllyn general manager Stuart Williams said: “The Tracksiders group has been the conduit to young people joining the railway for 25 years, and the success is demonstrated by the number of people who began their volunteering careers in the scheme.
“We have recently expanded our young person’s volunteer schemes, and have developed a training programme for the 14 to 15-years-old which provides a springboard for young people to become full-fledged volunteers when they reach the age of 16.”
Visit www.talyllyn.co.uk to find out more about the group.