Earlier this week we blogged about the 150th anniversary of a local lifeboat station, and we’ve now got news of another 150th birthday! No, it’s not one of the Oakeley regulars…..it’s the birthday of one of the fabulous steam engines of the historic Talyllyn Railway, just a short hop from us here at the Oakeley Arms in Maentwrog.

We’re lucky here in beautiful Snowdonia to be home to several heritage railway lines, so there’s plenty to see and do for any railway enthusiast! But these beautiful trains aren’t just for the enthusiasts; the whole family will fall in love with the historic engines, shiny brass and  cheerful characters.

The Talyllyn Railway was built to transport slate from the Bryn Eglwys quarries at Abergynolwyn, to the coast at Tywyn. Later on, it was the first steam railway in the country to be licenced by parliament to carry passengers, although the line stopped operating in 1950. It was bought by a volunteer committee the following year and a plan was formulated to save and restore the railway, making it the world’s first preserved and volunteer run narrow-gauge railway.

Locomotive Number 1 as it was in 1890!

Last weekend saw huge celebrations for its original steam engine (Locomotive No 1) to mark its 150th birthday (it was finished and ready to go on the 24th September 1864), including a complete programme of repair and renovation, carried out at the Boston Lodge works near Porthmadog. Thankfully it was all completed in time for the big day, and what a remarkable piece of historic machinery it is. We wonder how many machines built today will last long enough to see their 150th birthday?

You can pop down to the Talyllyn Railway and see the lovely Locomotive No 1 at work. For more information about timetables and fares, visit their website 

**Did you know that it was the Talyllyn Railway that first inspired the Reverend Awbry to write the Thomas the Tank engine series of books?