​Mid Wales museum exhibitions celebrate railway anniversaries

The Army at work on Dolgoch Viaduct.

Locomotive No.4 “Edward Thomas” and train at Brynglas, supporting the Army’s work.  Photo taken by P B Whitehouse / NGRM Collection.

​Temporary exhibitions at The Narrow Gauge Railway Museum in Tywyn mark three sets of anniversaries in 2023. 
 
The first section marks 150 years since the opening in 1873 of the Glyn Valley Tramway, which was initially horse drawn before conversion to steam in 1888.
 
This year also marks the centenary of 120 independent railway companies being grouped into four “main line” companies.  This exhibition considers the impact of the grouping on narrow gauge railways.
 
The centenary of the completion and opening of the Welsh Highland (Light Railway) Company is also celebrated in 2023.  The Dinas Junction to Rhyd Ddu line reopened on July 31, 1922, followed by Rhyd Ddu to Portmadoc, through Beddgelert and the Aberglaslyn Pass, on June 1, 1923.
 
The third section of the exhibition records events that took place on Talyllyn Railway 70 years ago They include assistance provided by a Territorial Army unit and the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on June 2, 1953, when the Talyllyn was the world’s only railway run by preservation society volunteers.
 
This year also marks the 70th anniversary of the premiere of ‘The Titfield Thunderbolt’, a film inspired by volunteers who saved and ran Talyllyn Railway, at the Leicester Square Theatre on March, 1953.
 
Located at Tywyn Wharf Station, The Narrow Gauge Railway Museum is open daily when trains are running on Talyllyn Railway.  Admission is free although donations are encouraged.  More information at  about opening times at www.ngrm.org.uk and www.talyllyn.co.uk .