“For 30 minutes, people can walk from the comfort of their armchair with their own personal tour guide,” explained Stuart Williams, Talyllyn Railway’s general manager.
“They can spend time at the exhibits and areas that they want to look at and ask questions along the way.
 
“The tour can be booked for a time that suits them, or they can purchase a unique gift for someone else. Customers can also mix and match your tours to suit their interests.”
 
One tour costs £25, two cost £17.50 each or three cost £15 each. There are individual tours for the Museum, General all areas, The Awdry Study and Locomotives.

Museum tours include one year’s Friends of the Museum Membership. Book the tours online at https://bit.ly/TRmuseumtours
 
Enthusiasts can also watch the railway live from the comfort of their armchair thanks to three webcams that have been set up. Those wishing to see even more of the railway can pay an annual subscription of £5 to access Talyllyn Control Centre offers an extra camera and the ability to track the live progress of the trains.
 
Stuart has developed his video and social media skills during lockdown to keep the public engaged with and informed about railway. A fundraising campaign last year was a great success, collecting more than £130,000 for the railway.
 
He recently streamed a live video of a 70th anniversary re-enactment event on the railway via Facebook. The event marked 70 years since two ex-Corris Railway locomotives – Locos 3 and 4 - arrived at Tywyn, having been purchased by Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society. The video can be watched on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/user/TalyllynRail.

Training for the Hospitality, Catering & Tourism Industry.
​
A range of courses including Food Safety, Customer Service, Food Allergen Management, social media marketing, and more.

View scheduled hospitality courses up to July 2021. 

The world’s first preserved railway celebrated a significant milestone last week when the 70th anniversary of the first two locomotives purchased by Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society was re-enacted.
 
The society was formed in 1950 to take over the railway following the death of its owner, Sir Henry Haydn Jones. The railway had just two locomotives - No 1 (Talyllyn) was not in good running order, leaving No 2 (Dolgoch) to provide a regular service.
 
Therefore Loco 3, later named Sir Haydn and Loco 4, named Edward Thomas after Talyllyn Railway’s former manager, were bought from Corris Railway, which closed in 1948.
 
Corris Railway, co-incidentally the only other railway in the UK operating on the same gauge - 2ft 3 ins - as Talyllyn, had put its two locomotives in storage at Machynlleth.
 
They were transported to Tywyn on the mainline and off-loaded onto the Talyllyn tracks by a crane from the original BR slate transfer siding near to what is now Wharf station. The locos were then coupled to No 2 and taken to their new base in the engine shed at Pendre.
 
Supporters, who were unable to be there due to Covid-19 lockdown restrictions, watched the re-enactment live on Facebook and it is now also available on Talyllyn Railway’s YouTube channel httnps://www.youtube.com/user/TalyllynRail .
 
Loco No. 3, built in 1878 by Hughes’ Loco & Tramway Engineering Works Ltd of Loughborough, made its first trip on Talyllyn Railway in July 1951 but, owing to the precarious state of the track, it was little used in the first year.
 
Loco No. 4, built in 1921 by Kerr, Stuart & Co. Ltd for use on Corris Railway, entered service in 1952 after essential repairs had been carried out by Hunslet Engine Company.
 
Talyllyn Railway was built in 1865 to transport slate from Bryn Eglwys slate quarry at Abergynolwyn, but also provided a passenger service from Abergynolwyn, where quarry workers and their families lived, to Tywyn, more than six miles away.
 
Following the quarry’s closure in 1946, Sir Haydn announced his intention to keep the railway open during his lifetime. Following his death in 1950, Mr L. T. C. Rolt and the newly formed preservation society reached an agreement with Sir Haydn’s widow to run the railway.
 
The railway hopes to re-open soon, with bookings being accepted from May 1 onwards. To celebrate its 100th birthday later this year, Loco No. 4 will be returning to Corris Railway as a guest loco but will be back in Tywyn for another celebration weekend on September 11 and 12.

​Picture captions:
 
Locos 2, 3 and 4 at Wharf for the 70th anniversary at Talyllyn Railway.
Photo credit to Barbara Fuller
 
Locos 3 and 4 at Wharf with Talyllyn Railway and British Rail crew in 1951.

The deadline for the Next Tourism Generation Competition has been extended until Friday 30 April 2021 to enable as many people as possible to take part.

What should the future of tourism in Wales look like? What skills and training will the next generation of tourism professionals need to support this sustainable development? If you can answer these questions you could be a winner in 2021!

The Next Tourism Generation competition is open to students enrolled in Wales on courses that have a component relating to tourism or hospitality AND to young people who work in the industry including 16-25 year olds who have been furloughed or recently been made redundant.

There are four categories, and entrants should make reference to one area in their response:

• Tourism industry and infrastructure
  
• Digital tools and technology
  
• Environment and ecology
  
• Local communities
  
  

To enter the competition, entrants must provide a Digital Response to the question (e.g. a video, a PowerPoint presentation, a website or app or something else) and complete a brief online Entry Form including a 250-word summary of their Digital Response. Responses can be in English or Welsh. Entering this competition could be your chance to demonstrate your knowledge, skills, creativity and drive, and win £250. Winners will also be given the chance to attend a tourism skills symposium and award ceremony, and the opportunity to be recognised by top employers. Further details, including full terms and conditions and the Entry Form can be found here: 

https://nexttourismgeneration.eu/event/ntgwales2021/ 

https://nexttourismgeneration.eu/event/ntg2021-cymraeg/