Talyllyn Awdry weekend ‘busiest in five years’
Talyllyn Railway general manager Stuart Williams described the weekend of 14th-15th August, following the easing of Covid restrictions in Wales, as the 2ft 3in gauge line’s busiest in five years.
The weekend was billed as the ‘Awdry Extravaganza,’ based around a celebration of the books by Thomas the Tank Engine creator the Reverend Wilbert Awdry.
The Anglican priest joined the TR and served as a volunteer guard on the line in 1952, a year after it had become the first preserved railway, and he based his books featuring the narrow-gauge Skarloey Railway on his Talyllyn experiences.
The TR has since organised regular children’s events featuring the line’s locos as their Skarloey counterparts, while the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum at Tywyn Wharf station includes a reproduction of Awdry’s study with the original furniture and contents donated by his family.
The extravaganza weekend featured an exhibition of the Reverend’s work including some of the original artwork from the Railway Series. His model railway layouts, ‘Ffarquhar Branch’ and ‘Ulfstead Road’ were displayed together for the first time in more than 20 years along with some of Awdry’s own models of Thomas and other locomotives that he took around the country to illustrate talks that he gave.
The exhibition was opened on Saturday morning by the Bishop of Bangor, the Right Reverend Andrew John. Bishop Andy, as he prefers to be known, toured the exhibition and rode a train behind TR locos carrying the names of the Skarloey Railway.
The event was live-streamed over the TR’s Facebook page, TV presenter and railway historian Tim Dunn conducting interviews with staff and volunteers. On Saturday evening he presented a reading of the Reverend’s original History of Sodor to both a live and virtual audience.
The weekend also included a three-day beer, cider and gin festival that featured the products of several local Welsh breweries and distilleries. Trains were routinely filled to the capacity that social distancing and Covid precautions permitted.
TRPS chairman, Jonathan Mann commented that the Awdry connection is something the line is very proud of. “It takes us right back to our roots – indeed the Skarloey Railway stories feature a number of incidents that actually happened on the Talyllyn Railway,” he added.
Jonathan added; “After a very difficult period, it was really encouraging to see so many visitors enjoying themselves again in a more normal, but still careful, manner.”