Young Members Group - Carriage Push 29 May 2010

On Saturday 29 May, 18 people from the Talyllyn Railway’s Young Members Group successfully pushed a Brake Van the entire length of the Talyllyn Railway to raise money for the railway.

It goes without saying that was an incredible challenge and the team worked well together to get from to the finish line in 2 hours 41 minutes.

The event did not start perfectly, being delayed by about half an hour, however the team recovered thanks to good weather and a relentless approach, making it to the finish line one minute quicker than the group in 2004.

Some highlights of the event were the brave/foolish efforts of two individuals who pushed non-stop for the whole seven and quarter miles, and the participation of a very new volunteer, who agreed to take part in the push within half an hour of arriving at the Railway! However, a particular highlight is the amount of money raised, which the Committee currently estimates to be in the region of £1700, a figure that easily beats their target of £1000!

Thank you to everyone who took part in the ‘Guess What Time They’ll Arrive at Nant Gwernol’ competition (Prize – a Footplate ride on the TR). Due to the unexpectedly late departure of the carriage, it was decided by the committee that in order to avoid any controversy, and to reward both the people who guessed the correct arrival time (including the delayed departure time) and the person who correctly guessed how long it would have taken without that delay, we would accept both times as correct. Congratulations to the four people who have been declared joint winners with the guesses of 19.30 (dead on) and 20.03 to 20.05 (one minute away from the correct time of 20.04 which nobody guessed). These people have been contacted and we look forward to welcoming them back to the Railway to enjoy their footplate ride!

The Young Members Group committee are looking forward to a busy summer, culminating in their Young Volunteers' Day on Saturday 28 August, when the entire Railway will be operated by our youngest volunteers.

The committee would like to thank all those people who took part in the Carriage Push; not just the pushers but the management and operating staff that day who gave us a great deal of support. The money will be put to good use very shortly with working parties currently being planned for over the summer. 

Photos c/o YMG and B Fuller.

Group shot at Wharf before departure

Pushing past Pendre

View from the van of the pushers

The headboard was awarded to the person who raised the most money