The Old Lady

Sixty years ago a small group of enthusiasts took over the running of a dilapidated narrow gauge railway. A railway of so little import that it escaped nationalisation. Steam was still king on British Railways, Dr Beeching unheard of. This was the first act in the story of railway preservation.

'The Old Lady' was the affectionate nickname for the surviving locomotive, No2 Dolgoch, then 85 years old and looking it! She might have looked rather like this picture, taken sixty year on, old and battered, a far cry from the shine of today.

It must have been exiting to be a volunteer in those early days, recovering the railway after decades of neglect. Today it is great fun for young and old alike. This year the first fourth generation volunteer started work, a direct link to 1951.

Talyllyn Railway - still making history.



A back blip - and yes, it is a model!