This is a list of past and present rolling stock used on the Talyllyn Railway (cy|Rheilffordd Talyllyn), a narrow gauge preserved railway line running for 7.25miles[1] from Tywyn on the Mid-Wales coast to Nant Gwernol near the village of Abergynolwyn. The line was opened in 1866 to carry slate from the quarries at Bryn Eglwys to Tywyn, and was the first narrow gauge railway in Britain authorised by Act of Parliament to carry passengers using steam haulage. Despite severe under-investment, the line remained open, and in 1951 it became the first railway in the world to be preserved as a heritage railway by volunteers.
When first opened, the railway owned two steam locomotives, Talyllyn and Dolgoch, and five carriages, including one brake van. There were no additions to the rolling stock until the line was taken over in 1951. Two ex-Corris Railway locomotives were then purchased from British Railways, and subsequent additions have brought the total up to six steam locomotives, four diesels and twenty-three carriages., Boston Lodge Works is constructing three bogie carriages, one composite with disabled access and two third class, numbered No. 24 to 26. The first of these, No. 24, was delivered to the railway in August 2023.
The railway has six steam locomotives for passenger trains and four diesel locomotives that usually haul only works trains. It is unusual for all steam locomotives to be operable at one time, as there is usually at least one locomotive undergoing an overhaul.[2] In the early days of preservation Rev. W Awdry, the author of the Railway Series books, visited the railway on a family holiday and became involved as a volunteer soon afterwards.[3] He, and later his son Christopher, wrote the Talyllyn Railway into the books as the Skarloey Railway, and most locomotives on the Talyllyn have a fictional counterpart in that series. These are listed in the right hand column.
| Number | Name | Image | Wheel Arrangement | Builder | Works number | Date built | Current status | Railway Series equivalent[4] Returned to service in 2020 following a ten-yearly overhaul. |
|---|
| Number | Name | Image | Type | Builder | Date built | Power (hp) | Wheel diameter | Railway Series equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Midlander | Ruston & Hornsby | 1941[5] | 48 | 1inchesft6inchesin (ftin) | Rusty | ||
| This locomotive was purchased in 1957 from Jee's quarries at Hartshill, and contains parts that were cannibalised off an identical locomotive. It was named after the Midlands area group of the preservation society that donated the locomotive. | ||||||||
| 9 | Alf | Hunslet Engine Co. | 1950 | 75 | 2feet | Fred | ||
| This is an ex-National Coal Board locomotive, from Huncoat Colliery in Lancashire. It was named after Alf Robens, chairman of the National Coal Board. | ||||||||
| 11 | Trecwn | Baguley | 1983–84 | 99 | 2feet | |||
| One of three Baguley diesels that were purchased from RNAD Trecwn in South Wales in 2008. The third diesel is used for spares. These were originally bought by a consortium of volunteers, but have since been purchased from this group by the railway. They were re-gauged from to the Talyllyn's gauge. This loco was originally numbered T 0006 00 NZ 32 (BD 3764)[6] and entered service on the Talyllyn in 2014. | ||||||||
| 12 | St. Cadfan | Baguley | 1983–84 | 99 | 2feet | |||
| The second of the three Baguley diesels that were purchased from RNAD Trecwn in South Wales in 2008. This loco was originally numbered BD 3779 and named after St Cadfan's Church in Tywyn. | ||||||||
| Name | Image | Type | Builder | Date built |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toby | Permanent Way Trolley | John Bate[7] | 1954 | |
| Small trolley used by engineers for transportation to worksites. Built from a second hand Austin 7 engine and gearbox, mounted on a custom-made chassis. It was damaged in a shunting accident in 2008 and taken out of service, but returned to use in 2019. | ||||
| – | Flail Mower | Talyllyn Railway | 1998 | |
| Rail mounted self-propelled vehicle used to clear lineside vegetation. Designed by John Bate (Chief Engineer 1963–1994) and built from chassis components from two Ruston & Hornsby locomotives, the framing and motor components of a Smalley excavator, the flail mechanism and cab from a McConnel flail mower and a new Perkins diesel power unit. | ||||
| Idris | Track Tamper | Matisa | 2021 | |
| Rail mounted track tamper bought by the railway in 2021, but suffered issues with the loading gauge that needed to be rectified before re-entering service. A seat and toolbox were also added during the overhaul.[8] | ||||
| Number | Name[9] | Image | Type | Builder | Date built | Power (hp) | Year with- drawn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | "The Lawnmower" | David Curwen | 1952 | 20 | 1953 | ||
| This lightweight locomotive was built by member David Curwen using a Ford Model T engine and transmission from L.T.C Rolt's narrowboat and the wheels from a Talyllyn Railway slate wagon. It worked the Fridays-only winter passenger service until 1953,[10] when it was taken out of use with a failed gearbox. It was dismantled in 1954, and converted to flat wagon No. 19 (see below). It is proposed to rebuild it as a memorial to David Curwen, using a replacement engine and bodywork. | |||||||
| 7 | "Charlie's Ant" | Talyllyn Railway | 1954 | c.1958 | |||
| A Mercury tractor that had been adapted to push standard gauge rolling stock by the addition of a buffer beam. It was further adapted in 1954 for use on the Talyllyn, and later converted to run on paraffin instead of petrol. It was little used after 1958 and later scrapped. It was nicknamed after Charles Uren, the railway's chief engineer. | |||||||
| 8 | Merseysider | Ruston & Hornsby | 1964 | 50 | 2016 | ||
| This was originally built using parts from three gauge locomotives from Park Gate steelworks in Rotherham, acquired in 1969. The superstructure was replaced c. 2000. It has a Dowty hydrostatic transmission. The name was chosen by the donor of the locomotive. This locomotive was sold in 2016 to an enthusiast.[11] | |||||||
| 10 | Bryn Eglwys | Motor Rail | 1985 | 110 | 2014 | ||
| This was originally a gauge National Coal Board locomotive from Hem Heath colliery near Stoke-on-Trent.[12] It arrived on the Talyllyn September 1997, and was re-painted into standard Talyllyn livery during summer 2005. The locomotive was named after the Bryn Eglwys slate quarries. The loco was sold to the North Gloucestershire Railway,[13] and left the railway in August 2014 when the first Baguley loco entered service. | |||||||
| – | – | Track Tamper | Matisa[14] | 1990 | 2021 | ||
| Rail mounted track tamper. Built from parts of two ex-MOD standard gauge tampers that were acquired in 1989. It was designed and assembled by John Bate, and commissioned on 26 June 1990. In 2021 it was sold when a new tamper was purchased. | |||||||
there have only been four visiting locomotives capable of running on the Talyllyn Railway's unusual gauge. These are Motor Rail Simplex diesel No. 5 Alan Meaden, Winson Engineering No. 7 a Tattoo class[15] similar to the Talyllyn's No. 4, battery-electric Clayton shunter No. 9 Aberllefenni[16] and Corris Railway No. 10, a new build Falcon similar to the Talyllyn's No. 3.[17] All these locomotives are from the Corris Railway.
In July 2015 a gala was held to mark the railway's 150th anniversary, and two gauge locomotives visited the railway: George England and Co. locomotive Prince from the Ffestiniog Railway and Hunslet Engine Company Russell from the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway, both in Porthmadog. Two lengths of temporary track were laid at to allow the locomotives to operate over a short distance.
In July 2016, another gala was held, with three visiting locos, all built by Fletcher, Jennings and Co. Together with Talyllyn and Dolgoch, this was an assembly of all five surviving locos in the UK built by this firm.[18] As with the previous gala, temporary track was laid due to the differing gauges.[19] One of the locomotives, Captain Baxter, ran on a short section of standard gauge track. The other two Fletcher Jennings locomotives, William Finlay and Townsend Hook, were static exhibits only and are therefore not listed below. William Finlay remained at Tywyn after the event and is now on display at the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum.
In September 2021, to mark the centenary of No. 4, Corris Railway No. 7 made another visit to the Talyllyn, along with the other preserved Kerr Stuart Tattoo class, Stanhope, and Sirdar class Diana. Stanhope and Diana ran on temporary track laid at Wharf station, and No. 7 pulled several trains along the full length of the line.[20]
| Number | Name | Image | Type | Builder | Date built |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Alan Meaden | Motor Rail Simplex | 1965 | ||
| A former gauge diesel from Staveley Lime Products, Hindlow, Derbyshire, named in honour of the Corris Society's founder. It visited the Talyllyn in 1983 and 1990. | |||||
| 7 | (unnamed) | Winson Engineering and Drayton Designs | 2005 | ||
| Built for the Corris Railway, based on the Kerr Stuart "Tattoo" class design of Corris No. 4. It visited the Talyllyn in 2011 and 2021.[21] | |||||
| 2 | Prince | George England and Co. | 1864 | ||
| Prince was built in 1863 or 1864 for the Ffestiniog Railway and is the oldest FR locomotive still in operating condition. It has spent all of its working life on the FR, but in 2015 ran on a short length of gauge track laid at Tywyn Wharf station as part of the TR's 150th anniversary celebrations. | |||||
| (unnumbered) | Russell | Hunslet Engine Co. | 1906 | ||
| Built in 1906 for the NWNGR, Russell later ran on the Welsh Highland Railway. After the WHR closed in 1937 it moved to the Brymbo Ironworks railway and then in 1946 to Fayle's Tramway in Dorset. It was rescued for preservation in 1954 and between 1955 and 1965, Russell was on display as a static exhibit outside the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum at Tywyn. Since 1965 the locomotive has belonged the WHHR. It visited Tywyn again in 2015 as part of the TR's 150th anniversary celebrations. | |||||
| 3 | Captain Baxter | Fletcher, Jennings and Co. | 1877 | ||
| A standard gauge locomotive, built in 1877 for the Betchworth Quarry Railways in Surrey. It is preserved by the Bluebell Railway in West Sussex. | |||||
| 2395 | Stanhope | Kerr, Stuart and Co. | 1917 | ||
| A locomotive, built for the Penrhyn Quarry Railway. It is preserved by the Apedale Valley Light Railway in Staffordshire. | |||||
| 1135 | Diana | Kerr, Stuart and Co. | 1917 | ||
| A locomotive, formerly on the Kerry Tramway. It is preserved by the Amerton Railway in Staffordshire. | |||||
| 9 | Aberllefenni | Clayton Equipment Company | 1974 | ||
| A four-wheeled battery-electric locomotive from Aberllefenni quarry and now owned by the Corris Railway. It visited the Talyllyn in September 2023 as part of a heritage weekend. | |||||
The Talyllyn railway has a total of 23 carriages, with two more under construction . The first five are the original carriages built for the railway, though they were not provided with numbers until preservation in 1951. After that time, the remaining carriages were built by the railway or acquired from elsewhere.[22] With the exception of ex-Corris carriage No. 17, all the bogie coaches were built for the railway after preservation; the smaller four wheeled coaches are generally older.
All the stock is third class only, unless otherwise stated. Where two figures are given for the number of seats, the larger figure is the maximum number of passengers than can be carried in a heavily loaded train.
| Number | Image | Builder | Date built | Seats | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1[23] | Brown, Marshalls | 1866 | 18 | This was originally a first class carriage; it is now third class. It is 14feet long, longer than the original carriage to allow for extra legroom. Carriages 1 to 3 were all built with doors on both sides, though the doors on the south side of the line are all permanently locked shut with no handles as the platforms are all on the north side. | ||
| 2[24] | Brown, Marshalls | 1866 | 18 | This carriage is identical to carriage number 1, but has always been third class only. Basic cushion seats were added after the railway was preserved. | ||
| 3[25] | Brown, Marshalls | 1866 | 18 | This was the first carriage to be delivered, and is 1foot shorter than Nos. 1 and 2. Originally third class, it was later changed to composite (first and third class), but is now third class again. | ||
| 4[26] | Lancaster Carriage and Wagon Works | 18 | In the 1950s, this carriage was known as "Limping Lulu" to railway staff due to the poor state of the frames, which were replaced in 1958. | |||
| 5[27] | Brown, Marshalls | 1866 | none | This was the original guard's van. It was out of use between 1946 and April 1949 while its wheels were repaired at the Britannia Foundry in Porthmadog.[28] | ||
| 6[29] | Falcon Works | 1885 | none | This guard's van was originally from the Corris Railway. | ||
| 7[30] | Believed de Winton. Rebuilt by the Talyllyn Railway. | 13 | This was ex-Penrhyn Quarry Railway open carriage 'H'. It operated on the Talyllyn until 1961, and was later used as a tea van at, then as a generator wagon. During 1985 and 1986 it was completely rebuilt as a wheelchair saloon with guards compartment. | |||
| 8[31] | Talyllyn Railway | 1966 | 24 | This was originally Penrhyn Quarry Railway open carriage 'P', which operated on the Talyllyn from 1952 until 1964. The bodywork was condemned and scrapped, and a new semi-open coach built in 1966. | ||
| 11[32] | Penrhyn Quarry Railway. Converted by the Talyllyn Railway. | 24 | This is a semi-open carriage, originally Penrhyn Quarry Railway open carriage 'D', which was converted by the Talyllyn in 1955. It was rebuilt as a semi-open coach with a roof and doors in 1959. | |||
| 13[33] | Talyllyn Railway | 1957 | 24 | Open sided. | ||
| 14[34] | Midland R.C.&W. | 1892 | 12 | First class. Ex-Glyn Valley Tramway. | ||
| 15[35] | Midland R.C.&W. | 1902 | 12 | First class. Ex-Glyn Valley Tramway. |
| Number | Image | Builder | Date built | Seats | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9[36] | W.G. Allen & Tisdales | 1954 | 30/40 | |||
| 10[37] | W.G. Allen & Tisdales | 1954 | 18/24 | Contains guards compartment. | ||
| 16[38] | Kerr Stuart & TR | 1961 | 18/24 | Originally an open coach. Contains guards compartment. | ||
| 17[39] | Metropolitan C.&W. | 1898 | 22 | Ex-Corris Railway No. 8 and GWR No. 4992. Served as a greenhouse/summerhouse in Gobowen from 1930 to 1958 before being restored by the Talyllyn Railway. | ||
| 18[40] | Talyllyn Railway | 1965 | 36/48 | |||
| 19[41] | Talyllyn Railway & Tisdales | 1969 | 12 1st class, 24/32 3rd class | Composite carriage | ||
| 20[42] | Talyllyn Railway & Tisdales | 1970 | 32/41 | Wheelchair saloon. | ||
| 21[43] | Talyllyn Railway & Tisdales | 1971 | 32/41 | Wheelchair saloon. Rebuilt in 2012 and returned to service in July 2013. | ||
| 22[44] | Talyllyn Railway & Tisdales | 1972 | 24/32 | Contains guards compartment. | ||
| 23[45] | Talyllyn Railway & Tisdales | 1975 | 36/48 | |||
| 24 | Boston Lodge[46] | 2023 | 12 1st class, 21/25 3rd class | |||
| 25 | Boston Lodge[47] | 2024 |
The Talyllyn Railway was primarily constructed for conveying slate. Prior to the beginning of the 20th century, the railway owned over 115 wagons, mainly slate wagons, but also a number of other general and special purpose goods wagons. Some of these survived into the preservation era, and since then a large number of additional wagons have been purchased and built. The following table lists the main types of wagon currently in use:
| Number[50] | Image | Body type | Origin | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No. 1 Open end door | Corris Railway | A 2long ton coal wagon, acquired in 1951 from the Corris Railway. | ||
| 4 | No. 1 Open side door | Corris Railway | A 1long ton coal wagon, acquired in 1951 from the Corris Railway. | ||
| 5, 8, 11, 13, 15, 17 | No. 2 Open end door | Talyllyn Railway | |||
| 6, 7, 9 | Underframe only | Talyllyn Railway | |||
| 19 | Flat wagon | This was converted from the original locomotive No. 5. | |||
| 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 | Ballast hopper | Winchburgh Shale Oilworks | Four of the five hoppers were acquired from Winchburgh in 1961; the fifth was built by the Talyllyn in 1983. | ||
| 28 | No. 1 Covered van | Ministry of Defence | Acquired from Trecwn Royal Naval Armaments Depot in 2007.[51] | ||
| 29 | Tool van | ||||
| 30, 31, 33 | Bolster wagon | Ffestiniog Railway | Open frame wagons used in pairs to carry timber. | ||
| 32, 34, 35 | Flat wagon | Ffestiniog Railway | 3long ton wagon, acquired in 1956, regauged from gauge. | ||
| 36 | No. 1 Flat wagon with crane | Bowaters Railway | Acquired in 1971 and known as the Boflat. This was fitted with a crane in January 2009.[52] | ||
| 37 | No. 2 Flat wagon with crane | Bowaters Railway | |||
| 40, 41, 42, 43, 50, 52, 53, 54, 55 | Tipper wagon | Cefn Coch quarry | A set of gauge wagons obtained in 1975. | ||
| 60, 61, 62 | Flat wagon | Ministry of Defence | |||
| 70 | Bogie brake van | Ministry of Defence | Known as Boadicea, and repainted into green livery in January 2013.[53] | ||
| 71, 72 | Bogie flat wagon | Ministry of Defence | |||
| 101, 136, 164 | Slate wagons | Talyllyn Railway | Three 2-bar and one 3-bar wooden slate wagons, owned by the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum. | ||
| 117 | Incline open | Talyllyn Railway | Original general purpose wagon, built with sheet iron sides and designed to prevent spillages while hauled on the Abergynolwyn village incline, owned by the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum. | ||
| 146 | No. 2 Covered van | Talyllyn Railway | Original van, owned by the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum. | ||
| N | Mail Waggon | Corris Railway | Owned by the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum. |
See main article: Narrow Gauge Railway Museum.
The Narrow Gauge Railway Museum is a purpose-built museum dedicated to narrow gauge railways situated on the Tywyn Wharf station. It owns several wagons formerly in use on the railway (listed above), as well as rolling stock and other artefacts from other narrow gauge railways around the world. The wagons are still used occasionally on the Talyllyn.
The standard livery for locomotives on the Talyllyn is deep bronze green,[54] lined in black and yellow, although since the 1980s there has been a policy of varying some of the liveries for a period of time. Previously, No. 1 and No. 2 carried lined black and TR Crimson red liveries respectively. No. 2 Dolgoch had for a time carried Atlas green livery in preservation. No. 3 and No. 4 have carried Corris Railway Indian Red during certain times in Preservation. No. 4 had also carried Great Western Railway Middle Chrome Green, as well unlined British Railways black.
The liveries carried by the steam locomotives as of 2023 are as follows:-
The vintage rolling stock and the carriages built for the line after preservation are cherry red, lined with deep bronze green. Additionally, the railway has preserved rolling stock from other railways. These retain their original liveries.
The Corris coach (Talyllyn No. 17) and brake van (Talyllyn No. 6) are brown lined with gold leaf and the two Glyn Valley Tramway coaches (Talyllyn Nos. 14 and 15) are green lined with white.[54]