80 Years Of 'The Railway Series'! Talyllyn Railway - 'Awdry Extravaganza 5' скачать в хорошем качестве

80 Years Of 'The Railway Series'! Talyllyn Railway - 'Awdry Extravaganza 5'

In 1949, L.T.C. Rolt visited a narrow-gauge railway in North Wales, running from a small seaside town to the slate quarries of the Fathew Valley. Whilst dilapidated and derelict, he was convinced that the line should be rescued. A meeting was held in Birmingham, where Rolt laid out his ambitious plan: to form a preservation society who would purchase the line and operate it themselves. Following negotiations with the estate of owner Sir Henry Hadyn Jones and after attracting over six-hundred members, the Talyllyn Railway reopened in May 1951 as the world’s first preserved railway, staffed entirely by volunteers. People from all walks of life came to lend a hand, one of whom was a Cambridgeshire clergyman who also happened to write children’s stories! The Reverend Wilbert Awdry loved the Talyllyn so much that he began volunteering in 1952. The railway and his experiences were the catalyst for his book ‘Four Little Engines’, introducing the world to the Island of Sodor’s own narrow-gauge network: the Skarloey Railway. Associated with the line for the rest of his life, the Rev. Awdry and his iconic creations brought the Talyllyn to millions of people around the world, whether in print or via the beloved TV adaptation ‘Thomas & Friends’. Therefore, it seems only right that the little railway with a heart of gold honour one of its key figures with their ‘Awdry Extravaganza’ weekends. Held annually since 2021, the events see gatherings of Thomas fans from across the globe to celebrate all things Awdry, featuring exhibitions of TV series’ props and artists’ illustrations, special services, evening lectures and of course, locomotives bearing the names and faces of their Sodor counterparts. Now in its fifth year, the TR announced that this would be the final event for the forseeable future, but they would certainly be going out in style. No.3 ‘Sir Handel’, No.5 ‘Rusty and No.9 ‘Fred’ all visited from the Skarloey. What’s more, ‘Duke’ from the Mid-Sodor Railway and ‘Mike’ from the Arlesdale Railway (in reality ‘Palmerston’ from the Ffestiniog and ‘River Mite’ from the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railways respectively) guested courtesy of Fox & Edwards Events. ‘Duke’ provided footplate rides on a length of temporary track at Tywyn whilst ‘Mike’ sat on a flat wagon and was transported up and down the valley on numerous journeys. Even ‘George’ the steamroller could be seen lurking around the Wharf! Two exhibitions were on show at either end of the line. Tywyn Wharf showcased original illustrations as well as props from the television series, whilst Abergynolwyn featured Awdry’s own ‘Ffarquar Branch’ and ‘Mid-Sodor’ model railways in operation. Non-stop specials served the Abergynolwyn exhibition each day. A pop-up tent was erected at Tywyn for fans to display their memorabilia. Photo charters were run each evening, superbly organised by Nathan Spence. Finally, all of the guests came together for a grand finale on Sunday. Whilst certainly not for everyone, I don’t think there’s a steam enthusiast on the planet who doesn’t have a soft spot for that little blue tank engine. I visited over the full event from Friday 18th to Sunday 20th July. To everyone’s surprise, TR No’s 1 and 2 ‘Talyllyn’ and ‘Dolgoch’ were unveiled as the Mid-Sodor Railway’s ‘Albert’ and ‘Gerry’, characters who appeared on Awdry’s model layout but didn’t make it into the stories. I even managed to snag myself a place on one of the photo charters, where we recreated images from ‘Passengers And Polish’ and ‘Gallant Old Engine’. The weather was also remarkably good, with sunny skies much of the time. Sunday started to see the rain creep in, but it is Wales after all! The full lineup consisted of: Visiting: George England ‘Small England’ 0-4-0TT No.4 ‘Palmerston’ (from the Ffestiniog Railway. Running as Mid-Sodor Railway ‘Duke’. Ran on temporary track at Tywyn Wharf) Poultney 2-8-2 ‘River Mite’ (from the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway. Running as Arlesdale Railway ‘River Mite’. Sat on a flat wagon) Home Fleet: Fletcher Jennings 0-4-2ST No.1 ‘Talyllyn’ (running as Mid-Sodor Railway ‘Albert’) Fletcher Jennings 0-4-0WT No.2 ‘Dolgoch’ (running as Mid-Sodor Railway ‘Gerry’) Corris Railway ‘Falcon’ 0-4-2ST No.3 ‘Sir Haydn’ (running as Skarloey Railway No.3 ‘Sir Handel’) Kerr Stuart ‘Tattoo’ 0-4-2ST No.4 ‘Edward Thomas’ Ruston & Hornsby 4wDM No.5 ‘Midlander’ (running as Skarloey Railway No.5 ‘Rusty') Talyllyn Railway 0-4-2ST No.7 ‘Tom Rolt’ Hunslet 0-4-0DM No.9 ‘Alf’ (running as Skarloey Railway No.9 ‘Fred’. Failed on Friday afternoon) I hope you all enjoy the video. Enormous thanks to everybody at the Talyllyn Railway for a superb event, as well as Mattel and the Awdry family for their co-operation. Seeing those illustrations recreated was something very special. If you enjoyed the video, why not follow us on Instagram at   / secondvalvesteam  . Also, feel free to leave a like or comment and don’t forget to subscribe!