Registered Museum No. RD1433 / Amgueddfa Gofrestredig Rhif RD1433
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Restored Wagons
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The restored wagon fleet
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The museum owns a number of restored 2' 3" gauge wagons from the Talyllyn and Corris Railways, which can also be seen from time to time being used on the Talyllyn Railway during special events and photographic charter trains. Both two bar and three bar Talyllyn slate wagons are in the collection, the difference being quite obvious in the photo below. A second two bar wagon, this time the braked version, was completed in 2001 following exhibition in kit form at the Warley National Model Railway Exhibition at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham.
Also represented are the Talyllyn incline wagons, with sloping sides, used to transport goods on the inclines linking the railway proper to Abergynolwyn village and Bryn Eglwys quarries. These wagons are often to be seen on the short length of track outside the former gunpowder shed at Wharf station (across the tracks from the platform, opposite the booking office).
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| Three ex-Talyllyn Railway wagons restored and owned by the museum, being shunted at Nant Gwernol by TR No. 1 "Talyllyn". |
One of the Trust's recent projects has been the re-building of the last remaining Talyllyn Railway covered van. The remains had lain near the bridge at Rhydyronen station from the 1930s and were brought down to Wharf in 1997 for careful measuring and inspection (first picture, below). All the woodwork had to be replaced but much of the ironwork has been restored and incorporated in the rebuilt wagon which was completed by the autumn 2000. The second picture shows the van in the spring of 2001 awaiting some final details and painting - it will carry the running number 146. Thanks to the Council for Museums in Wales for their grant towards the cost of this project.
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| The last surviving Talyllyn Railway covered goods van, seen at Tywyn Wharf after removal from Rhydyronen, temporarily mounted on an ex-Corris Railway underframe. Restoration is now complete, as seen below. |
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Also on display (normally on the short length of track outside the museum building) is the Corris Railway Mail Waggon which was used to convey outgoing mails from Corris and other post-offices to Machynlleth. The waggon made a gravity run from Corris every afternoon with the guard riding on the waggon to collect mail bags and regulate the speed by use of a hand brake.