The Talyllyn Railway are celebrating its landmark 75 years of volunteer operation with a temporary exhibition.

“Our Railway Adventure”, inspired by Tom Rolt’s classic novel Railway Adventure, will revisit the formation of the Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society in October 1950 and the first volunteer-run sessions in 1959 and 1952 – the moment it became the world’s first successfully preserved volunteer-operated heritage railway.

Today, Talyllyn remains as volunteer-focused as it was at its founding, and celebrates the decades of hard work and community passion that keep it running.

Drawing largely on the words of the first generation of volunteers, the exhibition hopes to highlight to visitors the passion and quirks of the railway’s history. As with any recollections, memories vary. For instance, the Trinder Family remember the society’s first chairman, Bill Trinder, as receiving membership number one; however, historian Patrick Garland suggests Poet Laureate John Betjeman may have been the recipient.

Visitors will also find celebrations of other 2026 milestones: the 70th anniversary of the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum, 50 years with the Nant Gwernol extension, and 30 years of Talyllyn Sidetrackers.

They are also celebrating their 75th anniversary with a special tour.

“This new exhibition is an opportunity to learn about some of those volunteering stories – showcasing how volunteering at a heritage railway can make an impact, change lives and protect our history … and perhaps it will inspire you to get involved and begin your own volunteering story!”

Steve Oates, Chief Executive of the Heritage Railway Association.